Shouldn't You Be in School?

Daniel Handler had no idea that Lemony Snicket would make him a household name in children's fiction. Fans couldn't tell if he was one of the characters in the stories or the author himself. After the critical success of "The Bad Beginning", the author released more books that would take readers into a macabre world.

"A Series of Unfortunate Events" is not for the squeamish readers. After the publication of "The Bad Beginning" in 1999, twelve more books followed. "The End", the final book in the series, came out in 2006. But everything that readers wanted to know about the Baudelaire orphans, the main characters of the series, would be left them wanting more. They sympathized with Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, who were all alone after the death of their parents (due to the fire that razed down their home). They were brought to Count Olaf, who was eager to get his filthy hands on the fortune that Violet would inherit once she reached the age of 18. And he dropped the pretense of being a nice, caring guardian after he found out that it wouldn't be possible. He would torment them, even attempting to kill them, while the children grew up. And they were on the run.

Some would call Handler a genius after the release of "The Bad Beginning", as it introduced a Gothic element into Children's fiction. It was unheard of, but the native of San Francisco, who would turn 45 on February 28, was recalling his childhood. He was told about scary stories. (All of us do.) He would learn that someone (or something) could scared us. It won't be an isolated case. But we could get used to it. We must be brave about it.

An eye for an eye

In "The Bad Beginning", the Baudelaire orphans would be introduced to Count Olaf, their distant uncle. They never heard their parents talked about him. They didn't fancy his appearance, which revealed his unhygienic habits. Only a tattoo of an eye in his palm would struck the children. They became scared of him after he let them knew that he would get that fortune before Violet turned 18. But Handler didn't wrote about hapless kids. Violet had a knack for invention. Klaus loved to spend his time in a library, devouring books. Sunny had culinary skills (which she would discover later in the series).

After Count Olaf's motives were exposed, the kids were introduced to other distant relatives while their sinister uncle would disguised in many forms. They also learned more about their parents and their unfortunate demise.

Those who thought that Handler shouldn't have written the series must be reminded about the other titles in children's fiction. (The genre targets the adult readers, more than the young ones.) No matter how despicable Count Olaf was, they would be drawn to his unison eyebrow. And that tattoo. The children also encounter stranger things. (Watch out for those leeches that attack on humans after the smell of the food they are eating.) As for Handler, he also has his own fears.

"People in tall trees climbing up to the top of them and leaping upon my window. That was a large source of concern for me," he said.