The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 5) [Paperback]

Lemony Snicket (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: HarperChildren's Audio (2003)
• ASIN: B000OEZ8MC
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (254 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Lemony Snicket claims he was nowhere near the scene of the crime. He is the author of several other unpleasant stories, including those in the bestselling A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Lump of Coal.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best So Far In Series, July 11, 2001

By 

Brett Benner (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events #5) (Hardcover)

I have to admit as much as I've enjoyed these books, by the fourth I was getting a little bored. The structure would stay the same, the victims names would just change. I was so glad then to find the fifth book expanding and bringing in new characters who look like they could be around in future books. Mr Poe packs Violet, Klaus , and Sunny off to a horrible boarding school that has ridiculous rules. Of course you wait to see when the evil Count Olaf will rear his head, but the distraction in the book comes from the addition of two children the same age as Violet and Klaus who become their friends. It gives the series new places to go and breaks the normal story outlines. It's also the longest so far but for me it read the fastest. If you've liked the other books in the series you can be sure you'll like this one as well.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delightfully miserable continuation!, July 1, 2000

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events #5) (Hardcover)

The lives of the three Baudelaire orphans - fourteen-year-old Violent, twelve-year-old Klause, and baby Sunny - continue along their miserable path in The Austere Academy, the fifth book in A Series of Unfortunate Events. Their latest home is at Prufrock Preparatory School, headed by the nasty Vice Principal Nero, who gives dreaful six-hour violin recitals nightly. Forced to live in a miserable shack, the children only encounter one bright spot - they make friends with two other orphans. But nothing good lasts long if you are the Baudelaires - Count Olaf is in disguise at the school, planning to steal their fortune. I highly reccomend this addition to the series. It is one of the most delightful - eh, miserable - so far.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bleak, depressing, and wonderful..., August 5, 2000

By 

Mara (Champaign, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events #5) (Hardcover)

The Austere Academy, fifth in A Series of Unfortunate Events, will not disappoint fans of the books. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are stuck at a nightmarish boarding school, where they are made to live in a shack that includes territorial crabs, a strange tan fungus, and truly hideous wallpaper. Added to this are incredibly dull classes and a headmaster who cannot play the violin but insists on doing so anyway...for six hours a night at an all-school concert. If only these were the worst of the Baudelaires' problems, they could finally consider themselves lucky. But, alas, the fiendish Count Olaf has tracked them down yet again. Once again the Baudelaires must try to discover his evil plan in time to save themselves and their fortune. Along the way there are more clues about Lemony Snicket's mysterious lady love, the charming and beautiful but unfortunately deceased Beatrice...A great read, but be warned that the ending is a cliffhanger that will leave you feeling very impatient to get your hands on the next volume!