“No matter who you are, no matter where you live, and no matter how many people are chasing you, what you don’t read is often as important as what you do read.”

From Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Vile Village.

The seventh book picks up with the Baudelaire children once again caught in a battle for their safety and survival. Instead of being placed in the care of an individual or couple, the orphans are placed in the care of an entire village as part of a new placement program option; Violet, Klaus, and Sunny chose the Village of Fowl Devotees (V.F.D.) because of the similarities to the mysterious organization connected to their deceased parents. As with every previous foster placement, the children are subjected to many oddities (the town is filled with crows) and hardships (the chores of the entire village). While the Baudelaire orphans are under the care of the entire village, they live with Hector who is a custodian. The village has several strict rules (including no libraries!), but luckily Hector is a bit of a rule-breaker. The village elders inform the children that Count Olaf has been captured and is to be burned at the stake; Violet, Klaus, and Sunny go to see the man and discover that it is most definitely not Count Olaf. Now it is up to the Baudelaire children to find a way to save the innocent man’s life while keeping an eye out for the real, evil Olaf.

Lemony Snicket has a talent for breaking down life lessons into enjoyable moments that flow seamlessly into the story. It almost seems as if Snicket writes for the benefit of the reader and the Baudelaires with his relaxed, but informative prose. The story calls for each child to solve several puzzles in their field of expertise, while also expanding the characteristics that make the character unique. The imagery in this book is harsh and vivid, which helps to submerse the reader into the story. This book also cements the underlying mystery of the V.F.D. (the group Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire were involved with) as a factor that intertwines almost every aspect of the Baudelaires’ lives. The Vile Village is a book that develops into a page-turner up until the last page; definitely not a book to skip.