Customer Reviews

The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 6)

5 star:		(139)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

After "The Austere Academy", I wondered whether this series of books could get any better. They can and they did. In "The Ersatz Elevator", the sixth book in this series, the Baudelaire orphans move in with a non-relative in a penthouse apartment. While you might think that a penthouse apartment (which has something like 71 bedrooms) and kitchens, and sitting rooms, and on and on, would be a lovely place to live, you would be thinking wrong, because this is one of the books in "A Series of Unfortunate Events", and those of you that have read the previous books know that little good comes to pass concerning the Baudelaire orphans.

This time the problem is that Esme Squalor (the sixth most important financial advisor in the city) and her husband Jerome are way too hung up on what is "in". Esme must go to only the "in" restaurants; she must wear only "in" clothes, which includes the children, and on and on. Unfortunately, being "in" also means multiple compromises in terms of comfort. For example, the penthouse is on the top of a building with 66 stories, and elevators are "out". So the Squalors and the Baudelaires must walk up and down the 66 stories each time the go in to and out from the building. They certainly received sufficient exercise. Before I forget, orphans are also "in".

Of course, we know that Count Olaf must eventually show up, and he does. However, there is a mystery. We find that Count Olaf went up to the apartment and did not later leave the building. Therein lies the crux of the mystery for this story.

This story climaxes with the children running briefly into old friends, and then losing them again. They also nearly catch Count Olaf, again. In the end, the children are forced to find a new home once again. Unfortunately I am unable to tell you more, because Lemony Snicket, should he ever escape from his current predicament, would hunt me down and provide me with agony should I reveal the end of this Baudelaire tale. Suffice it to say that the Baudelaires have their best adventure yet, with even better to come.

This series has had its strong points and its weak points. In general this book is one of the better ones in the series, readily matching "The Austere Academy". In addition to the direct lessons provided in the book, the children once again are masters of their own fates, and are forced to get themselves out of their predicaments with minimal adult help. I also enjoyed the moral tale provided by Lemony Snicket regarding people that must always keep up with everyone else in style or fashion. For this last point alone the book is a must-read for every teenage child.

The violence in this story is a bit more muted than in some of the previous books, and I think that an 8 or 9 year old child should be able to handle the story well. Certainly Esme could generate a great deal of family discussion of status and whether status is sufficiently important to cause people pain or to break laws.

In keeping with the trend of the last book, this book continues to expose the children to new experiences and to challenge their abilities to take care of themselves. Once again, while there are certainly negative aspects to the story, the positive aspects outweigh the negatives. This book is easily a good successor to "The Austere Academy", and sets a standard for the next books in the series. I will tell you now that the next two books are just as good as or better than this book and "The Austere Academy", thus continuing the excellence of this unconventional children's series. 5 stars again!

This book is amazing! It has all the suspense, humor, andmystery of the other books. The Quagmire twins reappear again, aperson they trust betrays them, and everybody does a lot more in thebooks. Violet has more inventions, Klaus puts his thinking power to anew level, and Sunny is more involved. Also, the book gets youthinking and questioning. More mysteries appear like a charactermentioning Beatrice stealing, a secret passage that leades to a placethe Baudelaire orphans know well, and, again, the mysteriousinitals. Everything is done to the max. I strongly recomend readingthis book.

The Ersatz Elevator is about three orphans named Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. The orphans are called the Baudelaire orphans that is what everyone calls them. This book is the sixth in the series and it is outstanding. The Baudelaires are trying to live a happy life but Count Olaf is always messing it up. The Baudelaires go to live with the Squalors, their new guardians, on 667 Dark Street. They worry about Count Olaf a mean villain that has been trying to steal the Baudelaire fortune ever since their parents died in a tragic fire. Count Olaf also kidnapped the Quagmire triplets that are friends of the Baudelaires. The Baudelaires are trying to figure out the secret of V.F.D. I liked the book because it made me try to guess what was going to happen next in all the bad things that happen. I also liked if there was a big word or a weird phrase that the writer would explain what they mean and use them throughout the book. The book is written in first person and is in present tense and it's good that way. The description in this book is great I could actually see what the writer was talking about in my mind. I gave this book four stars because I like how the kids take things into their own hands instead of talking to an adult. This book is full of humor and suspense. The bad things that happen are very funny. Lemony Snicket is a great writer.

Out of all 6 books in this series, The Ersatz Elevator is the best. The Baudelaires' new guardians, Jerome and Esme Gigi Genevieve Squalor, of course aren't good. Esme is obsessed with what's in and what's out (in: stylish! out: not!), and sadly stuff like parsley soda and aqueous martinis are in. The penthouse apartment has 71 bedrooms, and other rooms too, but Violet doesn't have any tools (tools are out), Klaus has books like "Boots Were In In 1812", and Sunny has normal soft baby toys. So, they're miserable. Of course. (*sob*)

The Baudelaire orphans this time go to live with the sixth most important financial advisor in the city and her husband. Stairs are "in" and elevators are "out", so they have to walk to the penthouse on the sixty-sixth floor, the average of 48 and 84. But when they encounter Count Olaf, they realize that their explanation of where the Quagmire triplets are is right under their noses! But alas! Don't be fooled by this review! THis story is part of the unfortunate events series! They neverhave a happy ending. But still, it's reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelly good.

"The Ersatz Elevator" is the sixth in "A Series of Unfortunate Events" that befall the beleaguered Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. This is a must read series for anyone who likes odd characters, peculiar happenings and a quirky sense of humor.

In this volume the trio are taken in by the trendy Squalors, Jerome and Esme, who live in the penthouse apartment at 667 Dark Avenue. The Squalors have welcomed the children because current fashion says orphans are "in." Unfortunately for the Baudelaire's, elevators are "out" and their new foster family lives either forty-eight or eighty-four flights up.

The author's dark,delightfully witty narrative style can best be described as Alfred Hitchcock meets Monty Python. This book, we are told, "is one of two books in the world that will show you the difference between the word 'nervous' and the word 'anxious.' The other book, of course, is the dictionary, and if I were you I would read that book instead." Good reading and a great value!

One would think that after writing five completely charming novels about the despair of three orphans, Lemony Snicket would have trouble writing another novel that lives up to the creativeness, randomness, and humor of it's predecessors. One would be wrong.

Snicket's writing is strong and hilarious as always-- it's the plot that makes this one sometimes drag. While the story is mostly interesting, hearing about the Baudelaires climbing an endless flight of steps gets old after a while. This is a small flaw in the story, and the rest of the novel is very strong. It can be said that a writer who creates a character then readers hate and want to physically shake is a good writer, and this is what Snicket does when he creates the character of Esme, a new guardian of our favorite orphans, who only cares about things that are "in."

This story has many literally strong points that the previous novels in this series do not, such as
1. a red herring (a literal AND a figurative)
2. a huge element of surprise
3. heightened suspense
4. this book gives you a lot of information on certain things, but also leaves you with more questions. This technique is often done by J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, and is a big reason for the series' success. Readers will surely want to come back to have their questions answered, and with "The Ersatz Elevator," Mr. Snicket had undoubtedly secured a returning audience.

If all of the above doesn't convince you to read this sixth volume in A Series of Unfortunate Events, know this: reading Snicket's fun and informative narration will improve your vocabulary!

7/10