The Reptile Room

The Reptile Room is the second book in A Series of Unfortunate Events, the thirteen volume children’s series by Lemony Snicket, the pen name of writer Daniel Handler. The series follows the Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, three remarkably resourceful children whose parents died in a fire and who are now being hunted across the world by the villainous Count Olaf, who wants their inheritance.

In The Reptile Room the Baudelaires are sent to live with their kind, eccentric Uncle Monty, a herpetologist who is preparing for an expedition to Peru to study a newly discovered snake. The reptile room of the title is Monty’s enormous personal collection of reptiles and amphibians, kept in a glass walled room attached to his house. The children are initially delighted. Their uncle is warm, curious, and treats them like the intelligent young people they are. They should know by now that nothing in their lives is allowed to stay good for long. Count Olaf shows up in disguise, the children’s warnings are ignored by the trusting adults around them, and the plot moves toward the kind of resolution Snicket’s young readers have come to expect.

What makes the series work is the narrative voice. Lemony Snicket addresses the reader directly throughout, defining unusual vocabulary, warning the reader to put the book down, and offering melancholy commentary on the nature of misfortune. The tone is dry, witty, and just dark enough to give children the thrill of reading something genuinely sad without overwhelming them. The illustrations by Brett Helquist, with their high contrast Edwardian style, complete the package.

The Reptile Room is shorter than some of the later volumes and works well as either a continuation of the series or a standalone introduction to it. Children who like Roald Dahl, Eva Ibbotson, or the darker corners of Cornelia Funke will find a new favorite series here.