If You Like Lemony Snicket...
Those poor Baudelaire orphans! If you enjoy their trials and triumphs, try these other tales about resourceful kids in sad circumstances. Click on each book to find it in the library catalog.
Count Karlstein
(Juvenile Fiction/J/Pul) by Philip Pullman.
Deep in the mountains of Switzerland, the wicked Count Karlstein plots to abandon his two orphaned nieces in a hunting lodge as prey for the Demon Huntsman and his ghostly hounds.
The Fall of Fergal
(Juvenile Fiction/J/Ard) by Philip Ardagh
When Le Fay McNally becomes a finalist in the “Tap ‘n‘ Type” typewriting competition, she and her four unusual siblings stay at the Dell Hotel, where they encounter joy, tragedy, and a variety of interesting characters.
A House Called Awful End
(Juvenile Fiction/J/Ard) by Philip Ardagh.
Eddie Dickens is taken in by his great-uncle and great-aunt (a.k.a. Mad Uncle Jack and Mad Aunt Maude) and embarks on adventures that involve strolling actors, St. Horrid‘s Home for Grateful Orphans, and a carnival float shaped like a giant cow.
Ghosts in the Gallery
(Juvenile Fiction/J/Wal) by Barbara Brooks Wallace.
Instead of being welcomed by her grandfather, newly orphaned Jenny is forced to be a servant and live in the cellar.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
(Juvenile Mysteries/J/Bel) by John Bellairs.
Lewis goes to live with his uncle Jonathan and discovers that the mansion has a clock hidden in the walls that is ticking off the minutes until doomsday.
Little Darlings
(Juvenile Fiction/J/Lle) by Sam Llewellyn.
Daisy, Cassian, and Primrose only pretend to be “little darlings.” These devious and inventive siblings scare away each nanny their wealthy parents hire, but what will they do when they discover that their next nanny is a burglar in disguise?
Matilda
(Juvenile Fiction/J/Dah) by Roald Dahl.
Matilda is sent to a school with an evil, child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and decides to use her unusual mental powers to rid the schoolchildren of their tormentor.
Measle and the Wrathmonk
(Juvenile Fiction/J/Ogi) by Ian Ogilvy.
Twelve-year-old orphan Measle Stubbs is shrunk down to half an inch tall and placed in a train set by his evil guardian, the Wrathmonk.
Spring-heeled Jack
(Juvenile Fiction/J/Pul) by Philip Pullman.
This “story of bravery and evil” tells how Rose, Lily, and Ned escape an orphanage only to run into the ruthless criminal Mack the Knife.
Tourist Trap
(Juvenile Fiction/J/Ogd) by Charles Ogden.
Scheming twins Edgar and Ellen plot to thwart the mayor‘s plan to turn the town junkyard, the twins‘ favorite hideout and home to their beloved carniverous plant, into a tourist attraction.
Whales on Stilts!
(Juvenile Fiction/J/And) by M.T. Anderson.
Lily‘s life is ordinary until she discovers that her father works for a mad scientist plotting to take over the world. If you‘re looking for a zany book with heroic kids, clueless adults, villains in disguise, and a chummy narrator, pick this one up!
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
(Juvenile Fiction/J/Aik) by Joan Aiken.
Cousins Sylvia and Bonnie are mistreated by their new governess Miss Slighcarp and eventually sent away to a school run by her evil sister. Will they escape?
RSS