File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents by Lemony Snicket

If you or your children have read Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, then you probably know it was recently adapted into a series on Netflix. Having been a fan of the series throughout my middle school years, I couldn't wait to watch the entire first season upon its release. However, since the episodes released so far only cover the first four books in the series, they were just enough to remind me how much I loved the world Snicket created in those books and long to return to it. Luckily, I found that we carry other series and standalone works by "Lemony Snicket," the pen name used by author Daniel Handler for his works in youth literature. I chose to read his book File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents because it can be read as a standalone work, or as an introduction to his All The Wrong Questions series.

This book takes place long before the Baudelaire's story he recounts in his more famous series, and focuses on Lemony Snicket's childhood as an inductee to the top secret organization that eventually leads to the unfortunate events the Baudelaire orphans face. As an apprentice to an adult member of the VFD, Snicket leads the reader through 13 mysteries he's tasked with solving in the shady town of Stain'd-By-The-Sea. In true Snicket fashion, the children are by far the stars of the stories, and openly show their disappointment at being patronized by the few adults left in the town. The mysteries themselves are written in such a way that the reader really steps in as a co-detective in the cases, as each one ends by directing the reader to a page in the back of the book where Snicket has filed the conclusion under code names.

File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents is great for those new to Snicket's work as well as those fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events. The reader can use it as an introduction to the world in which Snicket's series are set and move forward from this book into his All The Wrong Questions series followed by A Series of Unfortunate Events, or view it as a prequel to provide context to the already well-known Baudelaire series. The writing style and format also lends itself to be read individually by a child beginning to read chapter books, or as a family read.