Brilliantly exaggerated fourth episode in this formulaic series in which the idiosyncratic definition of a few words is the heart of each book. Darkly ironic, this installment does not live up to its predecessors but it still worth reading as part of a delicious canon. ( )

The siblings go live at a mill where they work all day and get a piece of gum for lunch

The Miserable Mill is the fourth book in the Baudelaire orphans' saga, and in this adventure the children find themselves slaving away at a mill owned by their new guardian, who goes simply by "the Boss." The Lucky Smells Lumbermill is not a lucky place by any stretch of the imagination. The workers are paid in coupons rather than money, and all they get for lunch is a piece of chewing gum. And Sunny is too young to even have chewing gum yet!

Once again the children are pitted against the adults and barely escape the clutches of the evil Count Olaf. Once again we have a well-meaning but obtuse character who does not give the children the help they need — two of them, actually. There is Phil, the optimist who is so optimistic that he cheerfully says he's right-legged when his left leg is injured at the mill; and Charles, who is technically the Boss' partner but operates more like his servant. Why are adults so constantly and hopelessly stupid in these stories?

This book was enjoyable, but a little ho-hum. How many times can Count Olaf show up in disguise and still make for an interesting story? That device is wearing a little thin. One thing that did make me perk up a bit was the hint dropped about Beatrice's death. So it had something to do with Olaf and the Evil Eye, hmm? Interesting... ( )

Lemony Snicket has a way with words, especially big, complicated words that may be difficult for some children to understand, so he breaks them down and defines them, though, he doesn't always define them correctly. Nevertheless, the humor of his definitions prevail.

The Miserable Mill, the fourth book of A Series of Unfortunate Events, is also the first book not made into a movie. If you are familiar at all with A Series of Unfortunate Events, you will no doubt know of the Baudelaire orphans: Violet, the inventor; Klaus, the reader; and Sunny, the biter. You will also most certainly know about the bumbling banker, Mr. Poe, who always seems to send the orphans to their doom, and Count Olaf, their doom.

In this volume, the orphans are sent to the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill, and put to work turning logs into planks, receiving nothing for lunch but chewing gum, and getting no pay other than coupons. Their guardian, Sir, seems to think that it is a pretty good deal for the orphans, to have such a horrible existence at his mill, though his partner, Charles, is a little more understanding.

It's only after Klaus breaks his glasses and has to go to an optometrist in an eye-shaped building that the orphans begin to see things a bit more clearly, such as the optometrist's receptionist is a little too mannish and Count Olaf-y to be named Shirley.

The orphans must outwit the count and talk sense to the rest of the adults before Sir hands them over to Shirley.

If you do so enjoy the Lemony Snicket works, I would definitely recommend reading this and the rest of the Unfortunate books. Otherwise, if you're into independent reader fiction, and are looking for something entertaining, that can appeal to both children and adults alike, you might also enjoy this series. ( )