The Vile Village (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 7) (A Series of Unfortunate Events, 7)

Snicket, Lemony

ISBN 10: 0060288906 ISBN 13: 9780060288907

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2001

Synopsis

NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES

Dear Reader,

You have undoubtedly picked up this book by mistake, so please put it down. Nobody in their right mind would read this particular book about the lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire on purpose, because each dismal moment of their stay in the village of V.F.D. has been faithfully and dreadfully recorded in these pages. I can think of no single reason why anyone would want to open a book containing such unpleasant matters as migrating crows, an angry mob, a newspaper headline, the arrest of innocent people, the Deluxe Cell, and some very strange hats. It is my solemn and sacred occupation to research each detail of the Baudelaire children's lives and write them all down, but you may prefer to do some other solemn and sacred thing, such as reading another book instead.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

About this title

Review:

The seventh book in Lemony Snicket's splendidly gloomy Series of Unfortunate Events shadows the three Baudelaire orphans as they plummet headlong into their next misadventure. Mr. Poe, their ineffective legal guardian, having exhausted all options for finding them a new home with relatives (including their 19th cousin), sadly entrusts his young charges' fate to a progressive guardian program formed with the premise "It takes a village to raise a child." Before they know it, the Baudelaires are being whisked off on a bus to a village (vile) named "V.F.D." Snicket fans who read The Austere Academy and The Ersatz Elevator will jump to see these three initials, as they provide a clue to the tragic disappearance of the Baudelaires' friends, the beloved, equally orphaned Quagmire triplets.

To the orphans' dismay, V.F.D. is covered in crows--so much so that the whole village is pitch-black and trembling. "The crows weren't squawking or cawing, which is what crows often do, or playing the trumpet, which crows practically never do, but the town was far from silent. The air was filled with the sounds the crows made as they moved around." Another disturbing element of the town is that the Council of Elders (who wear creepy crow hats) has thousands of rules, such as "don't hurt crows" and "don't build mechanical devices." Fortunately, the Baudelaires are taken in by a kindly handyman named Hector who cooks them delicious Mexican food and secretly breaks rules. Still, neither Hector nor an entire village can protect the orphans from the clutches of the money-grubbing Count Olaf, who has relentlessly pursued them (actually, just their fortune) since The Bad Beginning. Fans won't want to miss any of this marvelously morbid series! (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

From the Back Cover:

As the Baudelaire children hike across the flat dusty terrain leading to the village where they will soon live, they can't help but wonder what lies ahead. Could this be the place where they might finally be happy?

Violet, who is an inventor, might be happy if she gets a chance to do some inventing. Of course, it would be less enjoyable if her invention was desperately needed to escape danger. Her brother, Klaus, loves to read, and might be happy if the town has some books. Though he would not like them as much if he had to stay up all night reading in search of an urgent piece of information. Their baby sister, Sunny, likes to bite things and might be happy if she finds something to sink her teethinto. However, it would be less fun if her teeth got her into big trouble.

Whether their stay in the village will bring the children happiness is a mystery. But as the Baudelaires trudge on toward the hazy town in the distance, they can only hope that what awaits them there isn't the most miserable in a series of unfortunate events.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0060288906
• ISBN 13: 9780060288907
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 272
• Illustrator: Helquist Brett, Kupperman Michael