THE ERSATZ ELEVATOR ( A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Sixth)) [Import] [Hardcover]

Lemony Snickett (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 259 pages
• Publisher: Egmont Books; First edition (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405200510
• ISBN-13: 978-1405200516
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (199 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,008,114 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

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Snicket's back and better than ever!, February 21, 2001

By 

rzaster - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 6) (Hardcover)

Orphans are in and that means one thing. Esme and Jerome Squalor want to adopt the Baudelaire orphans. Violet, Sunny, and Klaus go and live with The Squalors at their penthouse at 667 Dark Aveneue. Just when they are settling in, their nemesis starts to appear. Gunther, who claims to be an auctioneer, is indeed not who he says he is. This gets the Baudelaires investigating, and that leads them through many new adventures and mysteries.

"The Ersatz Elevator" is Snicket at his best since "The Wide Window." This sixth edition in the series is a very important one as it the base of knowing of what's to come. If you have read the other five novels in "The Series of Unfortunate Events," then you must read this one. If not, start with the others. This is the most addicting of the books yet. We've had to wait since August for this book, so there's no reason at all why this marvelous one should not be read. Snicket is getting better and better each time he writes a new volume. A definite must read.

Happy Reading!

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Baudelaire orphans' miserable adventures continue., February 17, 2001

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 6) (Hardcover)

After the series of disastrous events at Prufrock Preparatory School, and the kidnapping of their only friends, the two Quagmire triplets, the three Baudelaire orphans have been sent to live with the wealthy Esme Squalor and her husband Jerome in their seventy-one bedroom penthouse at 667 Dark Avenue. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are happy to be returning to the city where they were born, but they fear for the capture Quagmires, who are at the mercy of Count Olaf, and naturally, they fear Count Olaf has yet another dastardly plan to steal the Baudelaire fortune. And their new guardians aren't doing much to ease their fears. Jerome is kind but naive, and Esme only cares about what's fashionable and what's not. As usual, it's up to the Baudelaires to save themselves from the clutches of the evil Count Olaf and his dastardly accomplices. This was one of my favorite books in A Series of Unfortunate Events. I reccomend this darkly funny book to all fans of the series.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Deliciously different, May 19, 2001

By 

Mike (the San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 6) (Hardcover)

This isnt your ordinary kids book. It doesn't deserve to be labeled a kids book in the first place, but there you are.

Though it was quite clearly written for kids, its a blast to read for all ages. The plot is gripping, the characters are fascinating, and sometimes the story is quite disturbing (I would advise parental discretion), but what stands out most is the way this book is written.

The dark, twisty plot line is puncuated by the authors wry humor. Example: "The book you are holding in your two hands right now... assuming that you are, in fact, holding this book, and that you only have two hands... is one of two books in the world that will show you the difference between "nervous" and "anxious". The other book, of course, is the dictionary, and if I were you I would read that book instead... unlike this book, the dictionary describes words that are far more plesant to contemplate. The word "bubble" is in the dictionary, for instance, as is the word "peacock", and the words "the" "authors" "execution" "has" "been" "cancelled", which make a setence that is always plesant to hear..."

Of course, there is a plot in all this, and it begins with the protagonists, three orphans, being anxious (not nervous!) about moving to a foster home. This is the sixth foster home they've been to since their parents died. Their former guardians were not very bright, and most of them met an untimely end at the hands of this books antagonist, Count Olaf. (As I said, this book is not for younger kids.) The nasty count spends a lot of time devising devious plans to kidnap the orphans and steal their parents treasure, though in this book, he has different plans in mind.

In short, when you open up this book, get ready for a strange, dark, and strangely funny reading expirence.