The Beatrice Letters (A Series of Unfortunate Events) [Hardcover]

Lemony Snicket (Author), Brett Helquist (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: A Series of Unfortunate Events

Top secret—only for readers deeply interested in the Baudelaire case. How I pity these readers.

With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lemony Snicket is often despondent, mostly about his published research, which includes A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Composer Is Dead.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First edition. edition (September 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060586583
• ISBN-13: 978-0060586584
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

87 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Collector's item or valuable clues?, September 17, 2006

By 

Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Beatrice Letters (A Series of Unfortunate Events) (Hardcover)

If there's anyone on your gift list unlucky enough to own the entire series of unfortunate events, you may wish to inflict further adversity upon them by purchasing this additional volume for their collection. Not so much a book as a mystery contained between hard covers, this most attractively presented publication contains two folders, one with a large two-sided poster filled with clues, and a notebook containing correspondence exchanged between a guy named Lemony Snicket and what seems to be two people named Beatrice Baudelaire, one of whom claims to be a fourth Baudelaire sibling. The letters begin before The Bad Beginning and end sometime after The End.

It soon becomes evident that the notebook contains many clues, and from the cover we learn that these clues are "suspiciously linked to Book the Thirteenth". The most obvious puzzle is the anagram using the punch out letters, but there's no way in heck that anybody's going to ruin the notebook by actually doing that. There are several solutions to the anagram, two of which contain names, the simplest one seeming to tie in with the poster illustration, and the other one connected through the correspondence. Even the cover has an illustrated surprise which could also be a clue.

Conspiracy buffs will have a field day with this one, which is a lot trickier that it looks. For instance the occupation "baticeer" (someone who trains bats) won't be found in the dictionary, and the poem "My Silence Knot" is also a puzzle. It's highly unlikely that I'll be any closer to revealing any secrets by the time "The End" comes out next month, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see. In the interim, this one gets full marks for originality and presentation.


Amanda Richards, September 17, 2006

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To old typewriters, tear-stained letters, and blurry photographs, September 10, 2006

By 

Casey Germane (CF, IA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beatrice Letters (A Series of Unfortunate Events) (Hardcover)

I think I can safely say that the Series of Unfortunate Events is the only series I've read where the author's mysterious story might be even more intriguing than the actual storyline. This book is cleverly set up, complete with punch-out letters that spell out something important! There is also a very suspicious-looking two-sided poster. This book takes a few reads and a bit of piecing together, which makes it a lot of fun. There are still some things I need to figure out. You may want to take some notes while reading these letters...

The humor is more subdued in this companion to the series, but Lemony Snicket's reply to Beatrice's 200-page book made me laugh. The whole presentation is both funny and kind of sad...like the books themselves. In other words, this book is worth the buy.

105 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eerie pit hale barracudas bio, September 7, 2006

By 

Jonathan Appleseed - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Beatrice Letters (A Series of Unfortunate Events) (Hardcover)

Anagrams and anagrams. This series loves anagrams.

This book raises more questions than it answers, but it only heightens the anticipation of the thirteenth book, "The End". We see a different side of Lemony Snicket, both in his letters to Beatrice and Beatrice's letters to him. We also see different *sides* of Beatrice. I haven't been following the clues as closely as many readers have - because there are so, so many - but there was one particularly interesting revelation here. At least a *possible* revelation. Without spoiling anything, I feel safe in saying that not everyone involved may be quite as "adult" as they seem. Then again, perhaps not. Frankly, it's fascinating.

Others have commented on the physical design of the book, so I'll not bore you with that repitition.

This is a quick read - unless you want to try and put all of the pieces together. If that's what you're in the mood for, and I highly reccommend it, get a pot of coffee (if your Mom or Dad will allow), a pen, and a commonplace notebook. It's an all-nighter. If you're adept at anagrams, it may be considerably quicker, and the coffee might not be necessary.

I've read adult mysteries that were easier to follow; read enormous, overlong, and tremendously complex fantasy series that are nearly impossible to follow (Robert Jordan's comes to mind). That a book aimed at young adults (9-12) is so involved, and involves so many adults (like myself) is truly a testimony Daniel Handler.

I really have to wonder exactly what is going on in Handler's mind, especially considering the other books he's written - two not specifically for younger readers. It must be an interesting, no, *fascinating* place. He seems a bit like Willy Wonka, if Wonka were an author. To me at least...you don't need to agree.