I am reviewing the twelfth book in the Lemoney Snicket series, The Penultimate Peril. In this book, we follow the Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus and Sunny. Their parents perished in a mysterious and terrible fire while the children were at Briny Beach. The orphans went to live with Count Olaf who is a third cousin four times removed, or a fourth cousin three times removed.

Count Olaf is evil. He is trying to steal the humongous Baudelaire fortune that was left to Violet, who will get it when she turns eighteen. He is also trying to steal the Snicket File. The Snicket File is written by Jaquaus Snicket, his brother and his sister, Kit Snicket. The Sniket File is important to Count Olaf because it has the secret to destroying the VFD, a secret force dedicated to foiling Count Olaf. He already has 12 pages of the file though the Baudelaires have stolen back one page. Count Olaf framed the orphans as the murders of Jaquaus Snicket. In fact, Count Olaf killed Jaquaus Snicket in a terrible fire in the Village of Fowl Devotees.

In Book Twelve of the series, Kit Snicket asks the Baudelaire orphans go undercover as staff at Hotel Dalumant. Kit is a member of the VFD and wants the orphans to protect the sugar bowl that contains something important to the VFD. The orphans meet Dewey Dalumant who is the owner of the hotel and find out that some of their past guardians are staying at the hotel. They meet Justice Strauss and Jeromie Squaler. Count Olaf likes burning buildings down, and sets fire to the hotel to try and kill them. The fire is a signal to the VFD that their last safe place is not anymore. Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Count Olaf escape into the sea. The story is to be continued in Book 13, the final one of the series.

I really like this series because it is exciting and funny and sad at the same time. I think everyone should read it.

K.M.