13 books of misery by one mysterious author have sold more than 60 million copies worldwide.  The books are darkly humorous and full of innocent young people in the midst of dangerous and deadly peril.  It has spawned a movie, a video game, and now, Netflix is turning the tridecalogy (a word which here means ‘13 books of tragedy and woe’) into a TV show.  What is this children’s book series?  None other than Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Published by HarperCollins from 1999 to 2006, the series is known for its elusive, omniscient narrator and numerous literary references.  It also very humorously defines words which in this case means a clause usually beginning with the words “which here means”.   There is one other ‘clause’ that is significant to the series, namely Klaus Baudelaire, brother of Violet and Sunny Baudelaire.  The three Baudelaire siblings are the main protagonists in the story, and survive several nefarious attempts of the villain, Count Olaf, to get their immense fortune.

The series has been received favorably by critics, and has won multiple literary awards, including a Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Award and the 2006 Quill Book Award.  Although formulaic, the series has been praised for its length and unique approach to children’s literature.  Clearly, there is a lot of expectations for a TV show to live up to.

According to the website Deadline, Mr. Snicket has said that “‘I can’t believe it. . . . After years of providing top-quality entertainment on demand, Netflix is risking its reputation and its success by associating itself with my dismaying and upsetting books.’”  Deadline also reported that Netflix has stated that “Mr. Snicket’s participation will be limited, given his emotional distress, but the project has the full involvement of his legal, literary and social representative Daniel Handler, who is often mistaken for him.”

Jade Braun (10) says that the TV show “must follow the book. I hate it when movies [or TV shows] don’t follow the books.”  Fans everywhere agree with that sentiment, and are waiting with nervous anxiety for more information on the upcoming show.