The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 4) [Hardcover]

Lemony Snicket (Author), Brett Helquist (Illustrator), Michael Kupperman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: April 5, 2000 | Age Range: 8 and up | Series: A Series of Unfortunate Events (Book 4) | Lexile Measure: 1000L (What's this?)

I hope, for your sake, that you have not chosen to read this book because you are in the mood for a pleasant experience. If this is the case, I advise you to put this book down instantaneously, because of all the books describing the unhappy lives of the Baudelaire orphans, The Miserable Mill might be the unhappiest yet. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are sent to Paltryville to work in a lumber mill, and they find disaster and misfortune lurking behind every log. The pages of this book, I′m sorry to inform you, contain such unpleasantries as a giant pincher machine, a bad casserole, a man with a cloud of smoke where his head should be, a hypnotist, a terrible accident resulting in injury, and coupons. I have promised to write down the entire history of these three poor children, but you haven′t, so if you prefer stories that are more heartwarming, please feel free to make another selection.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

Ages 10+

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"The Baudelaire orphans looked out the grimy window of the train and gazed at the gloomy blackness of the Finite Forest, wondering if their lives would ever get better," begins The Miserable Mill. If you have been introduced to the three Baudelaire orphans in any of Lemony Snicket's previous novels, you know that not only will their lives not get better, they will get much worse. In the fourth installment in the "Series of Unfortunate Events," the sorrowful siblings, having once again narrowly escaped the clutches of the evil Count Olaf, are escorted by the kindly but ineffectual Mr. Poe to their newest "home" at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill. Much to their horror (if not surprise), their dormitory at the mill is crowded and damp, they are forced to work with spinning saw blades, they are fed only one meal a day (not counting the chewing gum they get for lunch), and worst of all, Count Olaf lurks in a dreadful disguise as Shirley the receptionist just down the street. Not even the clever wordplay and ludicrous plot twists could keep this story buoyant--reading about the mean-spirited foreman, the deadly blades, poor Klaus (hypnotized and "reprogrammed"), and the relentless hopelessness of the children's situation only made us feel gloomy. Fans of these wickedly funny, suspenseful adventures won't want to miss out on a single one, but we're hoping the next tales have the delicate balance of delight and disaster we've come to expect from this exciting series. (Ages 9 to 12)

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-This fourth book in the series about the Baudelaire orphans works fine as a stand-alone. The "poor little rich kids" lead lives filled with unhappiness, gothic horror, and melodramatic despair. Here, the protagonists are sent to work in a lumber mill in Paltryville, where they are fed only a stick of gum for lunch and are forced to perform backbreaking labor. Their enemy, Count Olaf, is not far from the scene, and will certainly utilize any disguise to get at the siblings' inheritance. Violet, Klaus, and Baby Sunny are responsible for their own fate and, as usual, they take matters in hand. This is for readers who appreciate this particular type of humor; it exaggerates the sour and makes anyone's real life seem sweet in comparison.
Sharon R. Pearce, Geronimo Public School, OK
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (April 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064407691
• ISBN-13: 978-0064407694
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (233 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,387 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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Lemony Snicket Classic April 26, 2000

By "adamthecritic"

Format:Hardcover

An amazing book about the three orphans who are sent to an old mill to live after the three other places they were sent to after their parents died. I have to say that this was a comical book with the author cutting in and giving the definitions of all the words that kids probably don't know. He also asks if you would like to stop the book at a certain point in order to keep the happy ending you can. This book has mischief and excitment at on every page. I suggest you buy this book.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Most humorous of the series October 2, 2000

By JulieS

Format:Library Binding

I'm not quite sure why this book struck me as the best of the series (I've only read 2, 3, and 4) but it was exceedingly well done and amusing. The poor Baudelaire orphans who seem to court bad luck at every turn end up living with their distant relative who is a tycoon industrialist who makes them work in his mill. Instead of getting paid, the mill workers get coupons, and they only get one meal a day (but lots of gum for breakfast). Lemony Snicket's books are all wonderful, and this is the cream of the crop. Count Olaf returns in attempt to once again steal the Baudelaire fortune, this time using hypnosis to achieve his evil gains. This book is full of so many clever moments, and the mill setting will scare and entertain the reader.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A marvelously miserable book by Lemony Snicket. April 28, 2001

By "shayamorph"

Format:Library Binding

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny have endured some of the most horrid, unfortunate circumstances they could ever imagine since the sudden deaths of their parents. The three Baudelaire orphans just seem to always have misfortune following them -- and their miserable lives are about to become even worse. They have been sent to stay in under the care of a man who, quite mysteriously, has a cloud of smoke where his head should be. Assigned to work in a horrid mill that the three children find almost impossible to endure, their lives worsen by each day. And for some reason their evil uncle, Count Olaf, hasn't been seen around -- but little do they know where -- and how -- their evil uncle is lurking in the shadows. Can they solve a horrible mystery, avoid torture, and make their stay out alive? Or will Count Olaf for once be the victor of the Baudelaire fortune? This was one of the most hilarious books I have ever read, and Lemony Snicket's Series Of Unfortunate Events is so darkly funny I found it impossible to put down. The Miserable Mill, the fourth hilarious book in this unfortunate series, was another five-star, charming novel by Lemony Snicket, whose writing is beautiful and unmatched, funny in so many places that will always entertain.