A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Carnivorous Carnival

Book the ninth in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Carnivorous Carnival is even more exciting and thrilling than it’s predecessor, The Hostile Hospital. 

Forced to hide in the trunk of Count Olaf’s car, the Baudelaire orphans soon find themselves at a rundown carnival in the middle of the hinterlands. With no money, no mode of transportation, and no clues as to where they can go, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are really starting to feel the pressure and hopelessness of their situation: a mystery to solve, an evil man to bring to justice, and their names to clear. Whilst at the carnival, the children are forced to steal certain items from Count Olaf’s trunk and disguise themselves as carnival freaks, so that they might gain entrance into the carnival and therefore, unearth whatever answers the mysterious Madam Lulu has about the Snicket file, the fire, and whether or not one of their parents is still alive. But the children are playing with fire as Count Olaf is just as close to getting the answers as they are. 

The feeling of danger and serious sinisterness is really apparent in this book, more so than the others. For the first time, we see the children forced to use disguises and trickery just as Olaf does and, although it’s a matter of desperate times call for desperate measures, there is a question mark about whether or not the poor children should be in these situations at all. In The Carnivorous Carnival, we see the Baudelaires exposed to violence, threats, disguises, and great injustices, not to mention the incredible humiliation they are exposed to when they are disguised as freaks and forced to entertain a terrible and bloodthirsty crowd. 

For the first time too, a real sense of drama is infused in the books as deaths occur on both sides, good and evil. 

Filled with drama, suspense, a giant noodle, different people, villains, makeup, and hot chocolate with cinnamon, The Carnivorous Carnival is the thrilling and easy to read ninth book in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Love this series.