“After a great deal of time examining oceans, investigating rainstorms, and staring very hard at several drinking fountains, the scientists of the world developed a theory regarding how water is distributed around our planet, which they have named ‘the water cycle.'”

From Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Grim Grotto.

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are exactly where we left them in the previous book, holding on for dear life to a toboggan as they are swept away by a mountain river. A rapidly-spreading fire prevents the children from leaving the water for the safety of the banks, and things are beginning to look very dim for the Baudelaires until a submarine suddenly lifts up above the surface. Violet has say the V.F.D. password before they are allowed into the submarine, so the children are naturally curious (and hopeful for answers regarding the secret organization) when they climb into the submarine to meet Captain Widdershins, his young stepdaughter (Fiona), and Phil (from the Miserable Mill). The crew aboard the submarine are searching for the lost Sugar Bowl before a make-or-break V.F.D. meeting the following week. Klaus discovers the location of the Sugar Bowl: in the Gorgonian Grotto; so Fiona and the Baudelaires put on dive suits and head into the dangerous grotto (dangerous because it is filled with deadly mushrooms). Upon returning to the sub, the children find that both Phil and the Captain are gone, Count Olaf has found them again, and Sunny has been exposed to one of the deadly mushroom spores. It is up to Fiona, Violet, and Klaus to figure out a way to get out of these terrible situations before it is too late.

The eleventh book in Lemony Snicket’s series is one happening book. Even though the majority of the book takes places in the submarine, Snicket manages to keep the setting entertaining and captivating. There are several mysteries that the Baudelaires are forced to solve throughout the book, which is enjoyable for those that like to see Violet, Klaus, and Sunny in action. Readers can definitely feel that the series is coming to a close, but Snicket creates a solid balance between wrapping up loose ends and continuing the story of the Baudelaire orphans. The Grim Grotto definitely that keeps the reader turning the pages until the very end.