The perennially unlucky Baudelaire orphans go undercover as concierges in a hotel where copious villains and noble people (often indistinguishable from each other) are gathering. The zanily careening plot and faux-tragic narrative voice can be tiresome, but the surprise ending provides enough suspense to carry readers into the upcoming closing volume. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Gr. 5-8. Book the Twelfth, second to last in the fantastically popular A Series of Unfortunate Events, reunites the beleaguered Baudelaire orphans with a host of characters from previous adventures as they gather at Hotel Denouement (with rooms organized according to the Dewey decimal system) to await the delivery of--the sugar bowl. Well, fans will get the drift, despite the fact that this inventive go-round seems more dizzying and stuffed with definitions than usual. But even as the series draws to a close, new questions arise--the most important one being, are the kids valorous volunteers or villains after all? --Stephanie Zvirin Copyright 2005 Booklist