The Ominous Omnibus (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-3) [Hardcover]

Lemony Snicket (Author), Brett Helquist (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: A Series of Unfortunate Events

Within the pages of this omnibus, readers will discover all three books upon which the movie Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is based: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window. Like the movie, this thick volume tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children, who despite being perfectly well-mannered are perfectly ill-fated. From the very beginning of Book the First, when the children learn of aterrible fire, continuing on to the last page of Book the Third, disaster lurks at their heels. Unlike the movie, however, this book can be hidden under a bed where no one will ever see it again.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (March 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060782528
• ISBN-13: 978-0060782528
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,198,065 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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book...", December 29, 2005

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ominous Omnibus (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-3) (Hardcover)

THE BAD BEGINNING: BOOK 1 - The three Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, never complained about their life. Their parents loved them dearly, and the three children loved them back. They were allowed to attend adult parties given by their parents, read all the books that they wanted, invent whatever scientific item that came into their mind, and spend time walking and playing along the shores of Briny Beach. That is, until the good bankteller, Mr. Poe, comes to speak to them one day, and announces the death of their parents in a tragic accident. The three Baudelaire children, now the three Baudelaire orphans, are immediately swept away from their lives of love and luxury, and tossed into a gloomy old mansion with their "third cousin four times removed, or fourth cousin three times removed," known as Count Olaf. Count Olaf treats the three orphans horribly, forcing them to cook and clean for not only himself, but also for his friends, and soon the orphans are looking for a way to escape from their horrible new life. With no friends left except for Count Olaf's kind neighbor, Justice Strauss, the orphans feel lonely, and know that it's up to them to come up with a fantastic escape plan to leave their treacherous life with Count Olaf behind.

THE REPTILE ROOM: BOOK 2 - Since being forced to live with their crazy, money-hungry uncle, Count Olaf in the last book, THE BAD BEGINNING, the three Baudelaire Orphans, Violet (14), Klaus (12), and Sunny (an infant), are horrified to think about what could happen now, as they are being brought to live with another relative, Uncle Monty. After all, they have been through so much as it is, and deserve only happiness. Luckily, that is what they find with Uncle Monty, as he is giddy, and fun, and treats the three Baudelaire Orphans quite well. He even allows them to assist him in his office, known as THE REPTILE ROOM. Everything is going along great, until a money-hungry relative from the Baudelaire Orphans' past comes back to destroy everything that they have earned, including Uncle Monty.

THE WIDE WINDOW: BOOK 3 - It's hard enough being an orphan, and even harder to be an orphan that is shuffled from home to home every few weeks, due to the evil Count Olaf, a man who spends his days trying to get custody of the three Baudelaire orphans - Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. Mr. Poe, the kind, yet clueless bank manager, is on his way to deliver the Baudelaire orphans to their dear Aunt Josephine, who happens to be afraid of everything, phones, the stove, the radiator, pretty much anything that deals with electricity. Yet her home is perched high above the waters of Lake Lachrymose. The one thing Aunt Josephine is unafraid of, is the proper grammar of the English language, which she forces upon the orphans day in and day out. That is, until she meets Count Olaf, who is posing as Captain Sham, and mysteriously disappears, leaving the children to Captain Sham. Now the three orphans must find Aunt Josephine before it is too late, and they are once again forced to live with the evil Count Olaf.

J.K. Rowling brought the "orphan" dilemma back to children's literature, with her HARRY POTTER series, and, since then, numerous children's series revolve around orphans. But many do not reach the enjoyment potential that Lemony Snicket has created with his A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS collection, and the first three books in the series showcase that enjoyment the best. Snicket has created a marvelous series that uses reverse psychology to capture the attention of readers young and old, and follows up by mixing two factors: happiness and ludicrousness together, to complete the series. Accompanied by marvelous illustrations by Brett Helquist, Snicket's A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS is the perfect stepping-stone for readers who have graduated from Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black's THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES. A miserable time will be had by all.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Done Reading It, But It's Good!, June 22, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Ominous Omnibus (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-3) (Hardcover)

I have just started reading this book, and it is a collection of
the first three books: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window. I love this book from what I've read. It's got
pages that look like napkins and says to buy the movie instead
so you won't buy this, but buy it! It's really good! The book contains the first three books, in which the movie was inspired
by. Why is it better to buy the book instead of the movie? Because it has some parts that weren't in the movie. The books are about the misery of the Baudeliere orphans: Sunny, Klaus, and Violet. Their misery just gets worse when they have to stay
with their "third cousin removed four times," Count Olaf. He has
the children tortured, and lets them be in his play. But is his
play a trick to get the Baudelaire's fortune? To find out, you
either have to see the movie or read the book. I hope this was
heplful to you. I hope I helped you choose this book over the movie.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope It's Good, October 25, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Ominous Omnibus (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-3) (Hardcover)

I've read all of the books in the series and i'm hoping this one will be the best. I just couldn't stop reading the Grim Grotto (book the 11th) because it was to good to stop and I'm thinking the Ominous Omnibus will be the same. This will probably be the best one I think.


Nick H.