Courage and Characters
The three main children in the series.
Who are Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire?
This is the main villain who frequently tries to steal the Baudelaire fortune.
Who is Count Olaf and his troupe?
Where do the Baudelaire children live at the very beginning of the series?
The children live with their parents in a large mansion.
In the books, what does the word "guardian" mean?
Guardian = a person who cares for and looks after a child when the child's parents cannot.
Who wrote A Series of Unfortunate Events?
Lemony Snicket
This Baudelaire child is the main inventor who often thinks of mechanical solutions.
Who is Violet Baudelaire ?
This is one of Count Olaf’s disguises/alternative identities used in the first nine books.
What are Captain Sham, Uncle Monty's Assistant, Shirley the receptionist, Coach Genghis, an auctioneer, Detective Dupin, and Mattathias Head of Human Resources?
The children live here first, for a short time, after their parents pass away.
What is Mr. Poe's house?
What is a "clue"? Give a short definition that matches how the Baudelaires use clues.
A clue = a small piece of information that helps solve a mystery.
How are the books organized (what number of books are in the series, what number of chapters does each book have?
13 books and 13 chapters
This adult guardian first appears as a kind, if not nervous, guardian but actually is untrustworthy.
Who is Aunt Josephine (or Mr. Poe as an untrustworthy adult early on)
This is why Count Olaf wants to marry Violet in some of his schemes.
He wants to marry Violet to get control of the Baudelaire fortune and to make the children powerless
In one book, the children work in a dangerous business. What business is it?
Lucky Smells Lumber Mill
The author uses their own thoughts to tell the story and warns readers about the life of the Baudelaires. What word describes someone who tells a story?
Narrator
The narrator often speaks directly to the reader and explains rules about reading. What is the narrator called in these books?
The narrator is called Lemony Snicket
Name one way Violet shows courage in the series (give a short example from the first nine books).
Example answer: Violet builds a device to escape Count Olaf’s trap (specific examples: inventing a grappling device, securing a window, etc.).
Identify one helper or follower of Count Olaf and describe their role in a sentence.
The Hook-Handed Man, the Bald Man with the Long Nose, the two white-powder-faced women, Esme Squalor, unidentified hench-person (provide role: doing Olaf’s dirty work, spying, threatening the children)
Name two different places the Baudelaires live during the first nine books
Mr. Poe's house, Count Olaf's house, Uncle Monty's house, Aunt Joesphine's house, Luck Smells Lumber Mill, Prufrock Prep, 667 Dark Ave., VFD (Hector's house), the unfinished wing of Heimlich Hospital
Compose a short sentence using the word "unfortunate" that fits the series’ tone.
Example: "It was an unfortunate day when the children lost their parents, but they never stopped trying to be brave."
Name five books, by title, in the series.
Examples from Books 1–9: The Bad Beginning; The Reptile Room; The Wide Window; The Miserable Mill; The Austere Academy; The Ersatz Elevator; The Vile Village; The Hostile Hospital; The Carnivorous Carnival.
Sunny helps the siblings in danger by doing this. (Use an example from any of the first nine books)
What is Sunny bites ropes, opens small locks, a specific example: she bites through rope to free herself or helps with a key.
Explain Count Olaf’s general motive across the series and how it affects the children’s lives (2–3 sentences).
Count Olaf is determined to capture at least one of the siblings in order to steal the fortune their parents left behind.
Pick one major problem the children face in any of the first nine books and explain how they try to solve it (2–3 sentences).
Example answer: They are tricked into living with Count Olaf; they try to gather evidence, make plans to escape, and use Violet’s inventions and Klaus’s research to free Sunny and prove themselves.
The series uses many descriptive words for villains and places. Give two adjectives that describe Count Olaf and explain why each fits (one sentence each).
Example adjectives: "ruthless" (because he hurts or tricks people), "sneaky" (because he disguises himself and lies). Provide short justification as above.
Explain in two sentences how Lemony Snicket (the author/narrator) uses humor even when telling sad events. Give one example from the first nine books.
Example: Lemony Snicket uses dark humor and ironic comments to make sad events easier to read (example: he explains terrible things but often adds a small funny aside or warning). Specific example: When Sunny and the Incredibly Deadly Viper stage a distraction after Uncle Monty's death.