Title of the book: A Series of Unfortunate Events II.

Critical Analysis Theme

One of the themes in this book is death and morbidity. The first thing the children noticed about their new school is that every single one of the buildings is shaped like a tombstone. Second, greed, it is a huge factor in Count Olafs character. He tortures people just so he can get rich. Besides greed, altruism also has a role in the story. In general, I think what the author is trying to say is no matter what kind of terrible situations we encounter, we can find the good in everything.

Setting
Book 1: The Bad Beginning A dull and dreary city where the Baudelaire orphans used to live in their mansion with their parents. A run-down house with their new guardian, Count Olaf. Book 2: The Reptile Room Uncle Montys home and his Reptile room, down Lousy Lane near a horseradish factory. Book 3: The Wide Window Aunt Josephines home, on stilts, angling over Lake Lachrymose, and near Damocles Dock; Curdled Cave, a creepy cave with jagged rocks that is for sale; Lake Lachrymose, where the deadly Lachrymose Leeches thrive; The Anxious Clown Restaurant, where unnerving food is served a word which here means "creepy food that only Count Olaf would enjoy and is located near Damocles Dock. Book 4: The Miserable Mill A lumber mill where the Baudelaires go to work in the town of Paltryville Book 5: The Austere Academy - Prufrock Preparatory School Book 6: The Ersatz Elevator - A penthouse apartment in the Baudelaire's hometown Book 7: The Vile Village - A village called the Village of Fowl Devotees Book 8: The Hostile Hospital - Heimlich Hospital, and also the Last Chance General Store at the beginning of the book Book 9: The Carnivorous Carnival - Caligari Carnival Book 10: The Slippery Slope - The Mortmain Mountains Book 11: The Grim Grotto - The Queequeg submarine Book 12: The Penultimate Peril - Hotel Denouement Book 13: The End - A mysterious island

Characters
Count Olaf is known to have committed many crimes as a member of the fire-starting side of V.F.D., a Volunteer Fire Department that eventually branched into a massive secret organization, prior to the events of the first book in the series. Olaf is repeatedly described as extremely tall and thin and having a unibrow, a wheezy voice, and gleaming eyes Violet - Violet helps her 12-year-old brother Klaus and her baby sister Sunny solve problems with her inventing skills. As the eldest, she is the natural leader of the group. Klaus - Klaus is the middle child of the Baudelaire orphans; he has an older sister named Violet and a younger sister named Sunny. He is the "bookworm" of the family, and his love of books has often helped him save himself and his sisters. Sunny - Sunny is the youngest of the three Baudelaire orphans, and is described as an infant through much of the series. Although Sunny cannot walk till the seventh book and largely speaks in an idiosyncratic form of baby talk, she repeatedly demonstrates advanced problem solving skills, dexterity, comprehension, moral reasoning, and intelligence Isadora Quagmire She is one of the three Quagmire triplets. She, along with her brothers Duncan and Quigley, is orphaned after the Quagmire parents are killed in a fire. Caught in a similar plight to that of the Baudelaires, the Quagmires are heirs to a large fortune, which Count Olaf is determined to claim for himself. Isadora is the family poet, who composes couplets to help assess the various dilemmas that the family finds itself in, or to assist in undermining one of Olaf's schemes. Duncan Quagmire - He loves journalism and hopes to become a renounced journalist. He passionately hates The Daily Punctilio because of its lies and misconceptions. He, like his sister, always carries around a notebook to write down thoughts and settings (for Isadora couplets).

III. Why I like/ dislike the story

I like this book because it gave me something to do with my time. I find it mysterious, unpredictable, and a page turning book. It is a great book for anyone around my age. On the fifth book, I love how Violet and Klaus get to have friends at their own age. Plus, I love seeing the little bit of a crush thing start blossoming between Violet and Duncan. Overall, it is actually pretty great and worth the read.