That moment when you finally remember what VFD stands for and you gasp loudly on public transit and you probably look strange but you feel transported back to elementary school and reading these books for the first time. Great moment. ( )

(3.5 / 5)

The three Baudelaire orphans are on their own now, but that doesn't make them safe. In fact, now they have to be wary of anyone who's ever read the newspaper, which is just about everyone. Fortunately, they're able to hide in a group of volunteers who don't read the paper and whose organization initials happen to be V.F.D. This leads them to a hospital, where they encounter Count Olaf and his associates in full force.

As we continue to progress away from the tired formula that the first half of the series followed, I find the overall story a little more interesting. I still don't get most of the humor that others seem to like, but I'll admit I found some of Sunny's dialog to be funny in this book (I even laughed out loud one time). The V.F.D. mystery is gaining interest for me, and the ending was such a departure that it felt like a breath of fresh air.

In some ways, though, outside of the stand-out things mentioned above, this was still the same old story. Still, I liked it more than most of the previous ones, and Tim Curry singing the V.F.D. song throughout the book was a lot more fun than it probably should have been. (This book is brought to you by the word "spurious.") ( )

The Baudelaires need a safe place to stay--somewhere far away from terrible villains and local police. A quiet refuge where misfortune never visits. Might Heimlich Hospital be just the place?

In Lemony Snicket's eighth ghastly installment in A Series of Unfortunate Events, I'm sorry to say that the Baudelaire orphans will spend time in a hospital where they risk encountering a misleading newspaper headline, unnecessary surgery, an intercom system, anesthesia, heart-shaped balloons, and some very startling news about a fire.

Creepiest one so far I stg ( )

The eighth book, The Hostile Hospital picks up straight after the events of The Vile Village, with the Baudelaire's leaving on foot and walking all night long. They're hungry, tired and have been declared criminals - even though they're innocent. They come across a small shop but soon find their reputation precedes them and nowhere is safe.

Fleeing the shop, they catch a ride with the V.F.D's - Volunteers Fighting Disease - who are headed for the hospital to sing songs and cheer people up. The children find themselves working in the Library of Records where they hope to discover who Jacques is and to clear their names.

They find neither. The thirteen Snicket files having already been removed, leaving only one lonely page that contains a photo of the Baudelaire's parents, Jacques and a fourth mysterious man standing outside of 667 Dark Avenue - Esme Squalor's home and one line of text that suggests one of their parents may have survived the fire. But just when they discover a ray of hope, Esme and Olaf catch up with them and while fleeing, Violet finds herself captured.

The youngest two hide and try to come up with a plan to save the day and they manage it - by taking a page out of Olaf's playbook - disguise! I enjoyed that they're using Olaf's own tricks against him. Dressed up as doctors, they pretend to be the two pale faced ladies of Olaf's gang and manage to fool their way into Violet's room. Unfortunately it not only doesn't clear their names, it makes things worse with them now being accused of murder and arson. On the other hand, they escape so it's a toss up as to whether or not it was a success.

The three children manage to leave the hospital and find themselves at a loss as what to do next until they see Olaf and his crew leaving. When they hear them talking about the Snicket files and that they're heading to where they might be hidden they decide to follow - by jumping into the trunk of the car and hitching a ride.

Once again, more questions than answers. Is Beatrice the Baudelaire's mother? Why did Snicket steal Esme's sugar bowl? What does VFD stand for? The lack of adult help makes me angry but I found it easier to deal with in this book since they don't actually have a designated guardian. But like it repeatedly reiterates this series is a bleak sad read of very unfortunate events. 3 stars. ( )