Fun Summer Reads

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A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Over the summer, I’ve been reading A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.    It is a tale of the three Baudelaires: Violet, the inventor; Klaus, the researcher; and Sunny, the cook.  In the series, the Baudelaires are chased by Count Olaf who is very greedy, a word which here means “trying to steal the Baudelaire fortune after a mysterious fire burned their mansion and sadly killed their parents”.  Count Olaf is persistent and uses several disguises in his attempts to steal their fortune. The Baudelaire orphans are able to see through Count Olaf’s deceptions and reveal his special tattoo to foil his plans. Things only get worse when Count Olaf and Esme Squalor, a rich and despicable woman, team up in The Ersatz Elevator.  In The Vile Village, the Baudelaire orphans are falsely accused of murder and put in jail. My favorite book in the series is The Grim Grotto. I like how the Baudelaires deal with the Medusoid Mycelium, a deadly fungus that works best in enclosed spaces. Fortunately, there is an antidote but you’ll have to read it to discover that for yourself, in case you ever come across the Medusoid Mycelium.  Through many twists and turns the Baudelaire orphans learn a lot and meet many brave friends and evil foes. At the center of the mystery are the initials VFD. The best part is a surprise ending.....read it if you dare!

- Madeline Barbee

Melowy by Danielle Star

Have you ever felt a little bit different than everybody else? Cleo knows just how this feels. She doesn’t know where she’s from. She doesn’t know if she’s a princess or not and everyone else at the Castle of Destiny does. Everyone else flew to the castle from their home but Cleo was left on the doorstep of the Castle of Destiny as a baby. All of the princesses have symbols on their wings that tell them which kingdom they are from and that they are a princess. For example, Selena is from the Realm of Night so she has a moon on her wings. When she was younger, being the only one at the castle who was different was really hard, but now Cleo is getting older and ready to start classes and go on a special mission to find out who she is. Can Cleo find her destiny? Does she have to find her kingdom like everyone else to be happy? Read it to find out!

- Calista McGrain