Gr. 5-8. "Book the Twelfth," second to last in the fantastically popular A Series of Unfortunate Events, reunites the beleaguered Baudelaire orphans with a host of characters from previous adventures as they gather at Hotel Denouement (with rooms organized according to the Dewey decimal system) to await the delivery of--the sugar bowl. Well, fans will get the drift, despite the fact that this inventive go-round seems more dizzying and stuffed with definitions than usual. But even as the series draws to a close, new questions arise--the most important one being, are the kids valorous volunteers or villains after all? Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Amazon.com Review
10 Second Interview: A Few Words with Daniel Handler
Q: Your Wikipedia (online encyclopedia) entry defines you as author, screenwriter, and accordionist. Is that how you would describe yourself?
A: I find that nothing makes people back away faster at a social gathering than "accordionist." Except perhaps "screenwriter." And, even "author" always makes people nervous, so I usually say "writer."
Q: How long have you been writing?
A: All my life really, since I was
able to write all I wanted to do was write. I think largely I ended up becoming a writer because I could think of nothing else that I was good at--at all. As a kid, I always wanted to be a writer, and I had no backup plan whatsoever as an adult.
Q: Are the Baudelaire children ever going to be happy?
A: Well, they are happy on a regular basis, just not for very long. Um, are they ever going to be happy permanently? I don't know any permanently happy people, thank goodness.
Q: Okay, then is the series going to end on a happy note?
A: Well, I always remind readers of the Snicket books that happy is a comparative term, so the end will be happier than some people would think, but less happy than others.
Q: When can fans expect the final book?
A: I believe the thirteenth volume will be released in the fall of 2006, although something terrible could happen to the author at any moment and then the books would not be released at all.
Looking for more from Daniel Handler?
Check out his answers to Amazon.com's The Significant Seven.
Amazon.com Exclusive: The Horrendous Heap 
Experience Snicket in the worst way possible: from the very beginning. Here are twelve books contained in four boxes in one terrible shipment.
The Horrendous Heap also contains four unfortunate gifts, more upsetting than an itchy sweater in an unflattering color, including:
*A full-color print of one of Brett Helquist's most worrying illustrations, suitable for framing or burying in the backyard.
*A door-hanger, designed to keep unfortunate events out of any room with a door.
*A full page of black-and-white stickers, fit for sticking wherever unfortunate events arise.
*An iron-on, which can render any piece of clothing a part of the uniform of a secret organization.
Please be warned. This offering is a great deal of misfortune. Lemony Snicket advises against the reading, framing, hanging, sticking, or wearing of unfortunate events. In fact, you might be better off ordering a less horrendous heap, if you prefer that sort of thing.
Make Your Own Misfortune Teller 
Fans of the Lemony Snicket books can
download and fold their own Misfortune Teller, by following
these simple instructions. Once the Misfortune Teller is complete, all that is necesary is a willing victim, er, subject, and let the games begin!
An Interview with Lemony Snicket 
Lemony Snicket has captured the hearts of childen and adults alike with the hilariously gloomy series that began, of course, with
The Bad Beginning. Amazon.com had a chance to question the author of this marvelously morbid and delightfully depressing series, and the communication was grim indeed. Read the cumbersome
communique and see for yourself.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Back Cover
After any harrowing struggle, it is nice to consider checking into a hotel for a rest. In fact, this might be just the break Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire could use after their wearying deep-sea adventure.
A hotel can be a good choice for any family vacation. With so many floors, such a variety of rooms, and a curious array of guests, spending time in the safety of the right hotel can be the perfect learning environment for children of any age. A keen researcher like Klaus, an adept inventor like Violet, and a sharp-toothed culinary master like Sunny are all sure to find engaging diversions during their stay.
Regardless of how they pass their time while at a hotel, the three siblings will be sure to take in all the interesting sights and sounds—and write them down—just in case this episode turns out to be the darkest yet in a series of unfortunate events.
--This text refers to the
audioCD edition.
From the Inside Flap
Dear Reader,
If this is the first book you found while searching for a book to read next, then the first thing you should know is that this next-to-last book is what you should put down first. Sadly, this book presents the penultimate chronicle of the lives of the Baudelaire orphans, and the first thing you should know about this next-to-last book is that it is next-to-first in its supply of misery, despair, and unpleasantness.
Probably the next-to-last things you would like to read about are the first things you would encounter in this next-to-last book, including a harpoon gun, a rooftop sunbathing salon, two mysterious initials, three unidentified triplets, a notorious villain, an unsavory curry, and several people you might find distressingly familiar and familiarly distressing.
Next-to-last things are the first thing to be avoided, and so allow me to recommend that you put this next-to-last book down first, and find something else to read next at last, such as the next-to-last book in another chronicle, or a chronicle containing other next-to-last things, so that this next-to-last book does not become the next-to-last book you will read.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Lemony Snicket is letting out all the stops in this next-to-last undertaking. The Baudelaire orphans are sent to the Hotel Denouement, where they meet old pals from earlier stories and act as concierge-detectives. The hotel is run by Frank and Ernest and is arranged according to Dewey decimal classification. Narrator Tim Curry demonstrates his considerable talent delivering great puns, wordplay, singing, and the best villainous cackle anywhere. There are even more word definitions than usual, and hearing the hotel clock gong "WRONG" on the hour, as if on cue, is hilarious. Snicket and Curry offer laughs and an unusual learning tool that is irresistible to listeners of all ages. S.G.B. 2006 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
Praise for A Series of Unfortunate Events:
“Wicked Good Fun.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Vivid. Designed to alight on the best-seller lists.” – The New York Times Book Review
“Hilarious. Luckily for fans, the woes of the Baudelaires are far from over.” – Publishers Weekly
--This text refers to the
audioCD edition.
![A Series of Unfortunate Events #12: The Penultimate Peril by [Lemony Snicket, Brett Helquist]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fJgq4kxgL._SY346_.jpg)
