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The Miserable Mill

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES

I hope, for your sake, that you have not chosen to read this book because you are in the mood for a pleasant experience. If this is the case, I advise you to put this book down instantaneously, because of all the books describing the unhappy lives of the Baudelaire orphans, The Miserable Mill might be the unhappiest yet. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are sent to Paltryville to work in a lumber mill, and they find disaster and misfortune lurking behind every log. The pages of this book, I'm sorry to inform you, contain such unpleasantries as a giant pincher machine, a bad casserole, a man with a cloud of smoke where his head should be, a hypnotist, a terrible accident resulting in injury, and coupons. I have promised to write down the entire history of these three poor children, but you haven't, so if you prefer stories that are more heartwarming, please feel free to make another selection.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

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  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      For the Baudelaire orphans life means escaping from Count Olaf, whose quest is to become the beneficiary of the Baudelaire fortune. In this fourth adventure, Snicket's characters find themselves working "midgets" at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill, with Count Olaf nowhere in sight. Snicket's tale lends itself to being read aloud, and what better person to do this than the author! His commentary on word meaning and life experiences becomes informative asides. His treatment of the array of zany characters is humorous and full of appealing voices. He champions Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, whose individual strengths and devotion to each other are detailed in the adventure and underscored through Snicket's tender narration. Whatever the odds, the power of family triumphs. A.R. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine
    • School Library Journal

      July 1, 2000
      Gr 4-7-This fourth book in the series about the Baudelaire orphans works fine as a stand-alone. The "poor little rich kids" lead lives filled with unhappiness, gothic horror, and melodramatic despair. Here, the protagonists are sent to work in a lumber mill in Paltryville, where they are fed only a stick of gum for lunch and are forced to perform backbreaking labor. Their enemy, Count Olaf, is not far from the scene, and will certainly utilize any disguise to get at the siblings' inheritance. Violet, Klaus, and Baby Sunny are responsible for their own fate and, as usual, they take matters in hand. This is for readers who appreciate this particular type of humor; it exaggerates the sour and makes anyone's real life seem sweet in comparison.-Sharon R. Pearce, Geronimo Public School, OK

      Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      May 1, 2000
      Gr. 4^-6. The fourth in Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events opens with the Baudelaire orphans aboard a train bound for Paltryville, where they will meet their new guardian, the owner of the Lucky Smells Lumbermill. Even children who have not read the earlier books will soon learn that the Baudelaire children are heirs to a large fortune, that their evil nemesis Count Olaf plots against them in hopes of stealing their fortune, and that the children must depend upon each other, since the banker who (mis)manages their affairs has placed them in one wretched, disastrous situation after another. Now they find themselves working in the lumbermill (yes, even baby Sunny), and given nothing for breakfast, chewing gum for lunch, and (shudder) casserole for dinner. The story is deliciously mock-Victorian and self-mockingly melodramatic. Helquist's deft pencil drawings and the author's many asides to the reader underscore the droll humor, which many children will relish. Another plum for the orphans' fans. ((Reviewed May 1, 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)

    • The Horn Book

      July 1, 2000
      The Baudelaire orphans (fourteen-year-old Violet, twelve-year-old Klaus, and baby Sunny) continue to endure their lamentable lives--first staying with phobic Aunt Josephine, then forced to work in a lumbermill--all the while evading the tattooed fortune hunter, Count Olaf. The pretentious literary voice which makes these parodies so clever also becomes repetitive over the long haul.

      (Copyright 2000 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:6.2
  • Lexile® Measure:1000
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:5-7

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