Status
Available
Call number
Publication
HarperCollins [First Edition]
Pages
190
Description
After narrowly escaping the menacing clutches of the dastardly Count Olaf, the three Baudelaire orphans are taken in by a kindly herpetologist with whom they live happily for an all-too-brief time.
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1999-09-30
Physical description
190 p.; 7.25 inches
ISBN
0060283130 / 9780060283131
Similar in this library
Lexile
1040L
User reviews
LibraryThing member girlunderglass
I think this was a delightful book, a word which here means "it was even better than the previous one, partly because I've stopped expecting rational plots and am starting to really enjoy this series"
LibraryThing member sgerbic
Reviewed Jan 2005
Book two in the series, read in one day (2 hours actually) the story is far-fetched, which means difficult to believe, as well as predictable. Heck the author tells you all along what is going to end up happening. It sets my teeth on edge that these children who are soooo
3-2005
Book two in the series, read in one day (2 hours actually) the story is far-fetched, which means difficult to believe, as well as predictable. Heck the author tells you all along what is going to end up happening. It sets my teeth on edge that these children who are soooo
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brilliant can be so stupid not to just all the police. I bought all these books and Stirling said he would read them but he doesn't like them at all. The writing can be humorous, which means funny, at times. Pages 26/27 Chapter 2 ends with Sunny being bitten by a snake. Chapter 3 begins with the author telling us he is sorry to leave us hanging. But he was late for dinner. On page 31, Dr. Monty says, "here is a pair of snakes who have learned to drive a car so recklessly that they would run you over in the street and never stop to apologize." This is all spoken about what dangerous snakes he has, this line is so funny to me. Snakes driving a car isn't dangerous enough he had to add they do it on purpose recklessly, adding they wouldn't even apologize. Thinking about these books now, they seem to be the kind that would be great read out loud, wish I had someone young to read to. 3-2005
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LibraryThing member inklingsfan47
Did I ever mention how much I approve these books for children? A great and fun way to learn lots of words in a relatively short amount of time, plus, the events that take place are so odd it is pretty damn hard to forget them.
LibraryThing member mortaine
The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket. The second in the Series of Unfortunate Events. The poor Baudelaire children go to their uncle's home. Uncle Montgomery (Monty) turns out to be a herpetologist specializing in snakes (Snicket does a nice side-step of the inevitable Monty's Python pun and only
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uses the word "python" once in the whole novel). Of course, the evil Count Olaf, their nearest living relative and nemesis, has not forgotten the Baudelaire children and hatches a wicked plot to kidnap the children and get his hands on their inheritance. Show Less
LibraryThing member heidialice
The Baudelaire orphans go to live with Uncle Monty, the herpetologist. Of course, Count Olaf ruins all their plans of happiness.
Well-written with wry humor and the aching tension of knowing what will happen, just not how it will happen. Enjoyable.
Well-written with wry humor and the aching tension of knowing what will happen, just not how it will happen. Enjoyable.
LibraryThing member lisa211
A kick off from the last book "A Bad Beginning", the three tragically orphaned Baudelaires' kids, Violet, Klaus & Sunny found themselves driven away by Mr Poe, their executor; with his tiny cramping car towards another new home. Away from Count Olaf, and unfortunately unable to live with Judge
The destination is another unknown relative named Uncle Monty, a herpetologist, who owns a house with a build in special room reserved for his studies of snakes which is called the Reptile Room which main attraction would be the Incredibly Deadly Viper.
Yet their happiness didn't last long. After a while of staying with Uncle Monty, and getting ready to pack for a holiday in Peru with their Uncle, then came a mischievous looking character named Stephano, who happens to be an old aquantaince. And by this, we all know who Stephano really was.
And their weary series of unfortunate events began once more.
Show More
Strauss due to legal twisting mumbo-jumbo law. The destination is another unknown relative named Uncle Monty, a herpetologist, who owns a house with a build in special room reserved for his studies of snakes which is called the Reptile Room which main attraction would be the Incredibly Deadly Viper.
Yet their happiness didn't last long. After a while of staying with Uncle Monty, and getting ready to pack for a holiday in Peru with their Uncle, then came a mischievous looking character named Stephano, who happens to be an old aquantaince. And by this, we all know who Stephano really was.
And their weary series of unfortunate events began once more.
Show Less
LibraryThing member supersam
Generally it was a good book, But it's not the best one I have read.
LibraryThing member catz
This book will get pretty much the same review as the first book because I think he did a different story line but he pretty much got into the characters heads and the characteristicts were great. I think he did a wonderful job writing but didn't really add anything new to their personalitys
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throughout the series so most of the books are going to get almost the same review. Show Less
LibraryThing member delaney.h4
Summary: The Baudelair's after a not so bright beginning are off to Uncle Monty's and his reptile room. But will it really end well? What do you think?
Review: I will never go near a snake ever again!! I don't care if that snake is poisonous or not it's scary enough for me to stay away from them for
Review: I will never go near a snake ever again!! I don't care if that snake is poisonous or not it's scary enough for me to stay away from them for
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a LONG while. Show Less
LibraryThing member hjjugovic
One of my favorite in the series, the peril and tragedy is very real. In this episode, the hapless Baudelaires are find a great new guardian in reptile expert Uncle Monty but Count Olaf destroys their newfound happiness. Snickett's clever definitions and outragous characters make for some laughs in
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this dismal tale. Show Less
LibraryThing member Fionen
Lemony Snicket is extremely talented. I loved his writing style, especially when he would take time to explain the meaning of words. The covers are beautiful and the stories are interesting. It's just that these books really are just a series of unfortunate events. Nothing good ever seems to happen
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to these children. I read the first few books and decided not to go on. Show Less
LibraryThing member sayang
A kick off from the last book "A Bad Beginning", the three tragically orphaned Baudelaires' kids, Violet, Klaus & Sunny found themselves driven away by Mr Poe, their executor; with his tiny cramping car towards another new home. Away from Count Olaf, and unfortunately unable to live with Judge
The destination is another unknown relative named Uncle Monty, a herpetologist, who owns a house with a build in special room reserved for his studies of snakes which is called the Reptile Room which main attraction would be the Incredibly Deadly Viper.
Yet their happiness didn't last long. After a while of staying with Uncle Monty, and getting ready to pack for a holiday in Peru with their Uncle, then came a mischievous looking character named Stephano, who happens to be an old aquantaince. And by this, we all know who Stephano really was.
And their weary series of unfortunate events began once more.
Show More
Strauss due to legal twisting mumbo-jumbo law. The destination is another unknown relative named Uncle Monty, a herpetologist, who owns a house with a build in special room reserved for his studies of snakes which is called the Reptile Room which main attraction would be the Incredibly Deadly Viper.
Yet their happiness didn't last long. After a while of staying with Uncle Monty, and getting ready to pack for a holiday in Peru with their Uncle, then came a mischievous looking character named Stephano, who happens to be an old aquantaince. And by this, we all know who Stephano really was.
And their weary series of unfortunate events began once more.
Show Less
LibraryThing member hartn
I have read the first three in A Series of Unfortunate Events and am in love with the series. Like other creations that perform something similar, the magic of coming so close to explaining that the story is a written piece of fiction while simultaneously building that world of the novel so
The work that comes to mind is Italo Calvino's If on A Winter's Night a Traveler, and Spike Jones movie Adaptation, starring Nicholas Cage. In all these works the superimposition of the narrator, of the fact that we are reading a narrative, allows the writer to own that space and make the reader follow their lead. In A Series of Unfortunate Events, the foil of the dreaded boring book with its happy endings and serendipitous turns gives the Baudelaire children authenticity and the narrator the space to interpret the many ambiguities of the real world that is so often candy coated for young readers.
Lemony Snickett's interpretation of the ambiguities and sophisticated words, or the baby talk of Sunny, is what hooked me and I found myself completely lost in the telling to the point of having no idea how the Baudelaire children would survive. While very different from the author's Adverbs, his recent novel for adults, the same enjoyment and exploration of language pervades the series and infects the reader. But the children are more typically helpless in their orphaned and wretched state, and the villain is more villainous than any writer should be able to get away with, but it works so well!
The illustrations by Helquist are reminiscent of silent movie tableaus, and the ominous moments captured in the pictures invite the reader's fearful sensibilities to keep reading while delighting their more skeptical abilities.
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concretely in the reader's imagination is a wonder to behold.The work that comes to mind is Italo Calvino's If on A Winter's Night a Traveler, and Spike Jones movie Adaptation, starring Nicholas Cage. In all these works the superimposition of the narrator, of the fact that we are reading a narrative, allows the writer to own that space and make the reader follow their lead. In A Series of Unfortunate Events, the foil of the dreaded boring book with its happy endings and serendipitous turns gives the Baudelaire children authenticity and the narrator the space to interpret the many ambiguities of the real world that is so often candy coated for young readers.
Lemony Snickett's interpretation of the ambiguities and sophisticated words, or the baby talk of Sunny, is what hooked me and I found myself completely lost in the telling to the point of having no idea how the Baudelaire children would survive. While very different from the author's Adverbs, his recent novel for adults, the same enjoyment and exploration of language pervades the series and infects the reader. But the children are more typically helpless in their orphaned and wretched state, and the villain is more villainous than any writer should be able to get away with, but it works so well!
The illustrations by Helquist are reminiscent of silent movie tableaus, and the ominous moments captured in the pictures invite the reader's fearful sensibilities to keep reading while delighting their more skeptical abilities.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bellalibrarian
The series of unfortunate events that has followed the Baudelaire orphans since the death of their parents continues. They are sent to live with their distant relative, Montgomery Mongomery who studies snakes for a living. Montgomery is very happy to have the children; they each get their own room
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and they love spending time in the reptile room. As usual, happy doesn't last for the orphans, guess who's back...... Show Less
LibraryThing member Othemts
An excellent follow-up for the second part of A Series of Unfortunate Events. This time the star-crossed Baudelaire children enjoy a brief moment of happiness with their new guardian herpetologist Uncle Monty. Of course, things go downhill quickly as Uncle Monty is murdered by the evil Count Olaf
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leaving the children to use there own wits to avoid being abducted and murdered themselves. They have a brilliant moment and succeed, but things are still very sad. Show Less
LibraryThing member EmScape
This book is worth reading for the story, but even if it weren't, it would be worth reading for Snicket's explanations of "dramatic irony" and "hackneyed" as well as his denouncement of the phrase, "meanwhile back at the ranch" preceding his continued use of said phrase.
LibraryThing member amandaknichols
In this book, the second in the Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events," the reader finds the Baudelaire children - Violet, Klaus, and Sunny - trying to resume a semi-normal life after escaping from the clutches of evil Count Olaf. They are taken in by Dr. Montgomery Montgomery - fondly
The characters in this book, and particularly the Baudelaires, are defined by what they do and how they act - Violet is the inventor, Klaus is the reader, and Sunny is the biter, just like Mr. Poe is the coughing banker with the hanky and Uncle Monty is friendly and caring. The characters are also defined by their interactions with each other. This book has a primarily linear plotline, with occasional shifts back to the Baudelaries' life with their parents or Count Olaf. There is certainly a central climax and a central question to be answered - will the children remain safe after their very, very unfortunate events?
The theme of this book largely centers on good vs. evil, and how people are either good or evil - not in between. The Reptile Room also deals with the importance of family, even if it is an unconventional family unit - such as the Baudelaire orphans alone, or with their adopted Uncle Monty. Also, the knowledge of children or young adults - and that this knowledge often surpasses that of grown-ups - is a central idea to the "solution" to the Baudelaires' unfortunate events. The setting is in a distant, but not *entirely* unrealistic land, but real places - like Peru - are mentioned. The text is laid out in chapter form.
In regards to the culture of The Reptile Room, Snicket's creation is a world where knowledge and learning are very important, but where children are often better seen than heard - at least by the adults. That the children themselves finally solve the mystery of "Stefano" - or at least inform those around them who Stefano really is - is a credit to the intelligence of children and a rejection of the idea that they should be polite and unquestioning. Furthermore, because of the important roles the siblings play in each others' lives - and then the brief, but significant role Uncle Monty plays in theirs - family connections are also a cultural marker.
Even without having read the first book on the Baudelaires, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book and did not want to stop! The audiobook narrator - Tim Curry - was fantastic, and the author's humor was quite a treat. This seems like a book that both genders, from early elementary school through middle school, would enjoy.
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called Uncle Monty - an esteemed herpetologist and, seemingly, an infinitely better caregiver than Count Olaf. But what starts out as a promising situation for the Baudelaires eventually becomes - yes - a series of unfortunate events, caused by a much-too familiar face.The characters in this book, and particularly the Baudelaires, are defined by what they do and how they act - Violet is the inventor, Klaus is the reader, and Sunny is the biter, just like Mr. Poe is the coughing banker with the hanky and Uncle Monty is friendly and caring. The characters are also defined by their interactions with each other. This book has a primarily linear plotline, with occasional shifts back to the Baudelaries' life with their parents or Count Olaf. There is certainly a central climax and a central question to be answered - will the children remain safe after their very, very unfortunate events?
The theme of this book largely centers on good vs. evil, and how people are either good or evil - not in between. The Reptile Room also deals with the importance of family, even if it is an unconventional family unit - such as the Baudelaire orphans alone, or with their adopted Uncle Monty. Also, the knowledge of children or young adults - and that this knowledge often surpasses that of grown-ups - is a central idea to the "solution" to the Baudelaires' unfortunate events. The setting is in a distant, but not *entirely* unrealistic land, but real places - like Peru - are mentioned. The text is laid out in chapter form.
In regards to the culture of The Reptile Room, Snicket's creation is a world where knowledge and learning are very important, but where children are often better seen than heard - at least by the adults. That the children themselves finally solve the mystery of "Stefano" - or at least inform those around them who Stefano really is - is a credit to the intelligence of children and a rejection of the idea that they should be polite and unquestioning. Furthermore, because of the important roles the siblings play in each others' lives - and then the brief, but significant role Uncle Monty plays in theirs - family connections are also a cultural marker.
Even without having read the first book on the Baudelaires, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book and did not want to stop! The audiobook narrator - Tim Curry - was fantastic, and the author's humor was quite a treat. This seems like a book that both genders, from early elementary school through middle school, would enjoy.
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LibraryThing member beckyhill
The Baudelaire orphans find themselves in the house of a reptile scientist, who is tricked by Count Olaf and more misery comes their way. The children are very likable and it is easy to feel sorry for their situation. It is set in a make-believe area. The theme is hard to determine because the
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childrens' lives never get better no matter how hard they try to fix things. The style uses humor to make the situation less serious and more entertaining, though the humor gets a little repetitive and annoying. I would include this book in my collection as a part of the series, as I'm sure it'd be popular. Show Less
LibraryThing member readafew
This is the 2nd book in the tales of the Baudelaire children, also known as "A Series of Unfortunate Events". After escaping from Count Olaf's clutched in the "The Bad Beginning", Mr. Poe has placed the children with an uncle in the nearby country side. For a change the children actually enjoy
This is anther great book in the series, a little darker than the last one and gets a little meaner in the middle but I think it was a better book than the first one overall.
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their time with Uncle Monty. But Count Olaf promised to get their fortune if it was the last thing he did and he tries to make good on the promise. Do the Baudelaire's succeed in thwarting him? You'll have to read to find out.This is anther great book in the series, a little darker than the last one and gets a little meaner in the middle but I think it was a better book than the first one overall.
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LibraryThing member riverwillow
The second book in the series. Rescued from the evil Count Olaf the Baudelaire children enjoy a moments happiness with Dr Montegomery Montegomery and his collection of reptiles. But soon Count Olaf is back, disguised as Dr Montegomery's new assistant and terrible things happen. Lovely dark tale,
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with interesting comic asides... Show Less
LibraryThing member thc_luver6
"Now back at the ranch..."
This has excellent humor and I love this second book in the series!
This has excellent humor and I love this second book in the series!
LibraryThing member matinicuselementary
'The Reptile Room' is the second story in the popular series by Lemony Snicket about the Baudelaire children. After living with the ill-intentioned Count Olaf, the children are brought to the home of the herpetologist Montgomery Montgomery, also known as Uncle Monty. Everything is going along
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beautifully, in fact, the children and Uncle Monty are about to take a trip to Peru, when Count Olaf shows up at the door pretending to be a friend of Uncle Monty's assistant. The children try everything to convince Uncle Monty that the man is Count Olaf in disguise, but he doesn't believe them. Find out what happens in 'The Reptile Room'. Book 2 in a series of 13 books. Ages 9 and up. Reviewed by Lydia Twombly-Hussey. Show Less
LibraryThing member sdtaylor555
This series is cute, but just too juvenile for adults to truly enjoy.
LibraryThing member wrmjr66
Book 2 in the "Series of Unfortunate Events" has all of the charms of the first novel, but an improved plot which makes the sequel a better book than the first. Once again, the narrator is quite self-conscious about writing a story, and so explains and uses terms such as "dramatic irony." He
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continues to explain difficult words by saying "which means in this case..." and while such things can be tiresome to an adult reader, it seems appropriate for a early chapter book reader. I am looking forward to reading the 3rd entry in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member JeremyCarlson
The three Baudelaire children are desperate for a happy ending. Violet is the oldest and loves to invent things. Klause is the second oldest and loves to read. And the youngest is Sunny who loves to bite hard objects. These three children are in hope for a great relative to live with them and take
My opinion about this book is unanimous. Lemony Snicket is a great and adventurous writer and loves to write about depressing stories. In this book my favorite part about it is, that he tells you in the beginning what is going to happen at the end. He always gives away the climax of the book at the resolution. It is very interesting to me of how this works, and how so many things happen in a short book called the Reptile Room.
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care of them. They had just gone through a terrible time with one of their relatives named Count Olaf. He is desperately trying to steal their fortune. He was caught trying to marry Violet and failed to do so. Now they live with Uncle Monte. Montgomery is a reptile studies person. He loves snakes and collects different species. In the meantime, he is about to go on an adventure to Peru to find more species. Well, he is planning on bringing the Baudelaire children with him. He hires a second hand helper doing this adventure to Peru. His name is Stephano, also later in the book called Count Olaf. A murder appear in the Reptile Room.My opinion about this book is unanimous. Lemony Snicket is a great and adventurous writer and loves to write about depressing stories. In this book my favorite part about it is, that he tells you in the beginning what is going to happen at the end. He always gives away the climax of the book at the resolution. It is very interesting to me of how this works, and how so many things happen in a short book called the Reptile Room.
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Subjects
Awards
Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award (First runner-up — 2003)
Soaring Eagle Book Award (Nominee — 2005)
Colorado Blue Spruce Award (Nominee — 2003)
Call number
J4A.Sni