The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 5)

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As the three Baudelaire orphans warily approach their new home--Prufrock Preparatory School--they can't help but notice the enormous stone arch bearing the school's motto Memento Mori, or "Remember you will die." This is not a cheerful greeting, and certainly marks an inauspicious beginning to a very bleak story. Of course, this is what we have come to expect from Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, the deliciously morbid set of books that began with The Bad Beginning and only got worse.

In The Austere Academy, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are at first optimistic--attending school is a welcome change for the book-loving trio, and the academy is allegedly safe from the dreaded Count Olaf, who is after their fortune. Hope dissipates quickly, however, when they meet Vice Principal Nero, a self-professed genius violinist who sneeringly imitates their every word. More dreadful still, he houses them in the tin Orphans Shack, crawling with toe-biting crabs and dripping with a mysterious tan fungus. A beam of light shines through the despair when the Baudelaires meet the Quagmires, two of three orphaned triplets who are no strangers to disaster and sympathize with their predicament. When Count Olaf appears on the scene disguised as Coach Genghis (covering his monobrow with a turban and his ankle tattoo with expensive running shoes), the Quagmires resolve to come to the aid of their new friends. Sadly, this proves to be a hideous mistake.

Snicket disarms us again with his playful juxtapositions--only he can compare bombs with strawberry shortcake (both are as dangerous to make as assumptions), muse on how babies adjust developmentally to the idea of curtains, or ponder why the Baudelaire orphans would not want to be stalks of celery despite their incessant bad luck as humans. We can't get enough of this splendid series of misadventures, and can only wager that swarms of young readers will be right next to us in line for the next installment. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

Book Description

As the three Baudelaire orphans warily approach their new home 埐rufrock Preparatory School : they can't help but notice the enormous stone arch bearing the school's motto Memento Mori or "Remember you will die." This is not a cheerful greeting and certainly marks an inauspicious beginning to a very bleak story just as we have come to expect from Lemony Snickett's Series of Unfortunate Events, the deliciously morbid set of books that began with The Bad Beginning and only got worse.

Ages 10+

Customer Reviews:

Harry Potter.......2007-06-06

This book is about three orphans who have a large fortune left by there parents. The orphans go to Austere Academy in hope that Count Olaf, an evil man, doesn't come to the academy and steal there fortune. While they are there they meet two orphans who become their friends, but friends don't know something terrible is going to happen to them.

This book is full of mystery and excitement and if you like books with that I suggest you read it. You will never want to put the book down. This book would be great for 3rd through 6th graders.

Does Count Olaf get the kids? Will he take the fortune? What will happen to the friends? Will the orphans be safe? Find out in the A Series of Unfortunate Events the Austere Academy.

Austere Academy Review - - AML_48.......2007-05-17

The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket was one of the best books besides The End. Olaf is so devious. The fact that there are other children whose parents died in a fire does not suprise me. The Baudelaire's handle this ordeal well as they have all the others. I would recommend this book to most of my peers.

Unfortunately, I've only read this once!.......2007-05-11

In this book in the Series of Unfortunate Events, the Baudelaire Orphans retire from thier last fiasco, ending up in a strange school called Prufrock Prep. It is the most vile, the most disgustingly morbid place the Baudelaires had ever been! (save for Count Olaf's house, of course....). The buildings are gray and resemble tombstones, and the Vice Principal, Nero, plays his violin atrociously at nightly sonatas. The school's motto is engraved upon a stone archway overlooking the enterance; "Memento Mori". In Latin, "Remember You Will Die". They are sent by senseless Nero to (he has pigtails, by the way...) to live in the "Orphans Shack" because there's no one to sign papers for them to enter the dorm rooms. It has dripping fungus, terretiorial crabs, and pink walls with green hearts or the other way around. Anyway, they meat this really nasty girl named Carmelita Spats who calls them "cakesniffers", and then they meet the Quagmire triplets whose brother died in a fire, (names are Duncan and Isadora), and they help the Baudelairs out. But then Count Olaf, the one nastiest person in Lemony Snicket's fictional world that he has taken the time to in-depthly describe, disguises himself as "Coach Genghis", therefore breaching the school's secutity system by eluding thier "advanced' computer". He makes the Baudelaires paint a luminous circle of glowing paint on the front lawn of the school, and then run laps around the glowing track until morning for several nights, in a little operation he called "S.O.R.E.". (Simple Orphan Running Excersizes, I think.) Then for a week or two he does this, and up until thier final exams they started flunking out of lack of sleep, and being very irritable indeed. So on the day of the tests, Duncan and Isadora instead cover for Violet, Klaus, and Sunny by dressing like them and dragging a "sunny decoy" behind them - a bag of flour wearing her bonnet and little pink ribbon. This is so the Baudelaires could stay behind and study. But they get caught, and even though the Baudelaires aced thier tests, they were expelled by Vice principan Nero. Then Olaf walks up, is exposed for who he really is, in short, and then dashes back to his car and revves the engine. As he starts off, the siblings see the Quagmire triplets in the back window. Duncan shouths to Klaus, "V.F.D.", and "in my notebooks!", before Olaf snatches the notebooks from Klaus and drives away. But that is for the next book. I liked this book and gave it a five out of five. I think any of you who are on this page for any reason other than that you have simply lost your way among the web would, also. Lemony Snicket, if you ever come to reading this page, THAT BOOK WAS AWESOME!!!!!!! (ahem...sorry. What I meant to say is, happy reading!) ;)

The Austere Academy.......2007-05-07

The Austere Academy is about three Buadelaire children who lost their parents in a fire. Ever since, they had gone through one horrible event after another. In this book they are sent to a boarding school that is led by a violinist. He makes the kids in school listen to his horrible music and then treats the Buadelaires badly. Count Olaf, a fiend who wants to steal the Buadelaire's fortune, is employed there and makes trouble. He forced the Buadelaires to run laps all night and when their friends tried to help they were kidnaped. They are then forced to leave and find their friends. I liked this book because it had interesting characters, the weirdest stories, and an interesting storyline.

This book had many interesting characters. One would be the vice principle, who forced all of the children to listen to horrible violin music. Every day his concerts lasted four hours. Another includes Carmelita Spats. She was the mean, ugly, and rude, and had a click of girls who made fun of everyone. She made mean rumors and did evil things to the Buadelaires throughout the entire book. Lastly was Coach Genghis or Count Olaf. He made the children run hundreds of laps for nine nights strait.

The story had many weird stories inside of it. For example, Carmelita Spats calls the dorm that the orphans live in the Orphan Shack. The name sticks and when they enter, it is full of blue crabs and green fungus on the ceiling. In order to solve this problem, they put metal plates on their shoes to scare the crabs away and spread salt on the fungus to make it go away.

The last reason I liked this book is because of its interesting storyline. The affairs with Carmelita Spats, running laps, Coach Genghis, the vice principle, and violin recitals made this book a good one. All of this contributed to making it a good book.

I liked this because of its interesting storyline, interesting characters, and weird stories.

good.......2007-03-10

this book is about 3 kids at a strange school with odd punishments. the gym teacher is evil and is trying to steal their fortune. The kids make 2 friends who help. the kids are very unlucky. Nothing goes right and things just get worse.

The Situation Worsens: A Box of Unfortunate Events, Books 4-6 (The Miserable Mill; The Austere Academy; The Ersatz Elevator)

Average customer rating:

Part 4 to 6 of A series of unfortunate events
Better than Potter
The fun is just getting started
4th Grade Reader Strikes Gold in Lemony Snicket
thank you

The Situation Worsens: A Box of Unfortunate Events, Books 4-6 (The Miserable Mill; The Austere Academy; The Ersatz Elevator)
Lemony Snicket
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060095563
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Book Description

What could be worse than a book by Lemony Snicket? Three books by Lemony Snicket—all in one foul package. This second Box of Unfortunate Events, contains The Miserable Mill, The Austere Academy, and The Ersatz Elevator.

Customer Reviews:

Part 4 to 6 of A series of unfortunate events.......2007-08-31

I read part 1 to 3 of a series of unfortunate events a couple of years ago and thought all the books were about the same. I didn't expect the story to be developing. From part 4 to 6 new personalities arive and the story develops further making you aware of and curious about the overall plot.

Better than Potter.......2007-07-18

I bought the first set of books for my 8-year-old niece. She read all three in two months (it's the only books she has read without being prompted). Now I get hints to buy more so be prepared to buy then all. What more can I say. These book are well written, explain new words without talking down, so increasing vocabulary. Dark and funny.

I only wish J.K.Rowling could write as good as this. Though that hasn't effected her book sales.

The fun is just getting started.......2007-05-31

The family loves these books from Lemony Snicket. We can't wait for the next ones.

4th Grade Reader Strikes Gold in Lemony Snicket.......2007-04-29

These books are exceptionally great. My son has struggled to find books that are the right speed for him and the right tone, genre, etc. He doesn't like overly scary books, sports books, fantasy, and a bunch of other common genres with anything reasonable at his reading level.

Lemony Snicket has great story lines, great use of humor, and vocabulary that's a little stretch (but always explained, with humor, as part of the narrative). He has plowed through the first 6 books, even reading 3 of them last week alone. I enjoy reading them, too, which is always a good sign for me.

thank you.......2007-01-23

we are enjoying the stories and the quality of the books is more than excellent

thank you it will last a long time

The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 5)

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The Academy
Read this!!!
Interesting!

The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 5)

Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0439402034

Product Description

Young readers adventure story about intelligent and resourceful children at Baudelaires boarding school & their adventures with: snapping crabs, punishments, dripping fungus, exams, violin recitals and the metric system.

Customer Reviews:

The Academy.......2007-04-06

The Baudelaire's are back but are attending to a boarding school,which they get a room with hay and crabs all over the floor or should i say hay. So then Violet has to make a invention that will keep the crabs away ,and also meet new friends The Quagmire triplets or double because their brother died in a terriable fire, just like the Baudelaire's mom and dad. And speaking of devastating Count Olaf is there for the Baudelaire's fortune. Disgused as the P.E coach, he makes the Baudelaires run a whole bunch of laps everynight. And by the way the Baudelaires & the Quagmires try to figure out what V.F.D tands for which you might figure out in THE VILE VILLAGE. And by stopping what count olaf plans are.

Read this!!!.......2007-03-02

The Series of Unfortunate events is about orphans. Each orphan has a special skill. They use their skills to avoid death or serious injuries. In book's 1-4 they came very close to dying but they always have an idea. In this book they are tortured, but as violet says there is always an idea so they eventually figured out something so they could be like normal kids again.
I like that the orphans got ideas to clean up the shed at Fredruck Prepratory School. I thought that it was really cool that violet actually found out how to get rid of the crabs snapping at them. If you'd like to get a book where you can guess the future this would be great!
But I didn't like that Sunny didn't get to eat with silverware just because she was working for the vice principal...I mean that's just not right.
I thought the book was great but there could of been a few changes. Maybe make it a bit funnier or just have a few jokes in the story. But other than that the book was great and I think you should purchase it from Amazon!

Interesting!.......2006-11-22

The novel of a series of unfortunate events is about three orphans going through painful experiences, having an enemy frequently returning into their lives, trying to get his hands on their big fortune. In the fifth installment of this series, the orphans go into a boarding school, in which there are unfair rules and unfair treatments. But as usual evil Count Olaf comes back to torture them. Finally in this installment they actually find friends who can help them. But as usual there are always unfortunate events. It is a great novel to be read by 10-15 year old students. I felt sorry for the way the orphans were treated. But I'm hoping to read the rest of the series, just because of how interesting the novel is. I rate this book a B+, and 4 stars.

The Loathsome Library: A Box of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-6 (The Bad Beginning; The Reptile Room; The Wide Window; The Miserable Mill; The Austere Academy; The Ersatz Elevator)

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Unfortunate & Fabulous
Can It Get Any Worse?

The Loathsome Library: A Box of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-6 (The Bad Beginning; The Reptile Room; The Wide Window; The Miserable Mill; The Austere Academy; The Ersatz Elevator)
Lemony Snicket
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 006083353X
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Book Description

Readers incapable of running fast enough to escape Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events can breathe a sigh of relief now that the first six books of the series have been securely contained in a shrink-wrapped box disguised with exquisite Brett Helquist slip case art that will prevent this collection of woe from falling into the wrong hands.

Customer Reviews:

Unfortunate & Fabulous.......2007-01-09

This beginning series is great...it got me totally hooked to get the remaining books...a Harry Potteresque obession...fun reading, a great escape!

Can It Get Any Worse?.......2006-04-07

When I first started reading this series of books I was set back a little because these stories are not written in the style of typical children's books. These stories are dark, and the evil characters are truly evil. A number of reviewers have panned this series because they are dark, and because they often push the boundaries of what some of us may find acceptable for children to read. It is because of the dark imagery that I have typically recommended that age 9 be a minimum age. Some children may be unprepared for these books until later.

In the first three books in this series we learn that the three Baudelaire children, Sunny, the baby, Klaus, her brother, and Violet, a young teen, have lost their parents in a terrible fire. The children are sent to live with their evil uncle Olaf, who has ulterior motives yet to be revealed in later books. The children quickly learn how evil he is, and ultimately escape. They next go to live with their uncle Montgomery Montgomery in "The Reptile Room," only to be forced to move on again. In "The Wide Window" the children live with an aunt who is afraid of everything, only to ultimately be forced to move on again, continually chased by the evil Count Olaf in a variety of disguises.

In "The Miserable Mill" the Baudelaire orphans have moved to another relative, this one the owner of the Lucky Smells Lumbermill in the rundown town of Paltryville. The children toil in the lumber mill from the time they arrive in Paltryville. Soon they have splinters and are tired and hungry, because they get nothing for breakfast, almost nothing for lunch, and casserole for dinner. There are multiple labor and child abuse laws violated in this book, but perhaps it might make some readers more appreciative of what they have.

As has happened in the previous three books, the children are able, principally through their own efforts, to overcome the bad guys. Once again the children are on their way to another home.

Of the four books thus far, this one was my least favorite. The style of the books is such that bad things happen to these children on a regular basis, but in this book it seems as though bad things are happening to nearly everyone. This book is very depressing. I was also a bit annoyed with the extremes that the author went to in his exaggerations.

The fifth book in the saga implements several changes, all for the better. We are at Prufrock Academy, a boarding school, instead of with a relative. Secondly, the Baudelaires acquire two friends at this new school. There are additional positives. They actually get to eat, they get to study, and they get to read. For a moment you might actually think that things are looking up for the Baudelaires. Ah, but for those familiar with the series, you know that can't be true.

If the Baudelaires violate any of a series of bizarre rules they must endure a series of equally bizarre punishments relating to their meals. Included in this list of punishments is loss of silverware, loss of a cup, though you still get your drink, it's just in a puddle on your tray, and even having your hands tied behind your back at mealtime.

As you have probably also guessed, Count Olaf does eventually show up, but does not immediately try to kidnap the children. The children try to figure out his scheme all the way up to the point where he does execute his scheme, and I can say no more or you will miss all the fun.

In "The Ersatz Elevator" the Baudelaire orphans move in with a non-relative in a penthouse apartment. While you might think that a penthouse apartment (which has something like 71 bedrooms) and kitchens, and sitting rooms, and on and on, would be a lovely place to live, you would be thinking wrong.

This time the problem is that Esme Squalor (the sixth most important financial advisor in the city) and her husband Jerome must have everything "in". Esme must go to only the "in" restaurants; she must wear only "in" clothes, which includes the children, and on and on. Unfortunately, being "in" also means multiple compromises in terms of comfort. For example, the penthouse is on the top of a building with 66 stories, and elevators are "out". So the Squalors and the Baudelaires must walk up and down the 66 stories each time the go in to and out from the building. They certainly received sufficient exercise. Before I forget, orphans are also "in".

Of course, we know that Count Olaf must eventually show up, and he does. However, there is a mystery. We find that Count Olaf went up to the apartment and did not later leave the building. Therein lays the crux of the mystery for this story.

This box set is a great way to collect this series if you have found that you like the unconventional way the Lemony Snicket has written these books. I recommend them cautiously, and principally for children 8 or 9 or above.

The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Fifth)

Average customer rating:

More of the same: brown fungus and small crabs instead of green goo?
Memento Mori
A Change of Place and Pace for the Baudelaires
Memento Mori

The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Fifth)

Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

ASIN: 043936552X

Customer Reviews:

More of the same: brown fungus and small crabs instead of green goo?.......2007-09-02

Take Lemony Snicket seriously when he says don't read it!
People can write just about any ridiculous thing and call it a children's book.
Don't let your kids read this mind rotting dribble.
If fish were in your shoes they would suffocate.
I see no virtue in repeating a bad formula over and over again.
This book is more dismal and less imaginative than the last terrible one
and the pictures aren't even as good.

Memento Mori.......2007-03-06

Would you want to die at a boarding school? When Sunny, Violet, and Klaus Baudelaire are sent away to a terrible boarding school called Prufrock Prepatary School, trouble heats up- as always. Also, Klaus believes the motto of the school, Memento Mori, is latten for "Remember, you will die." The Baudelaires are forced to follow rediculous rules such as if you walk into the Administrative Building at all, you are forced to eat all of the meals of the day without siverware. The entire school has to listen to Vice Principal Nero play a screeching violin recital which lasts six hour, and if they miss the recital, they owe Nero a bag of candy. Then, Count Olaf who claims to be Coach Geghis, the greatest P.E. coach in the world makes the children do S.O.R.E., or run laps every night until dawn. Sunny, Violet, and Klaus are put in miserable situations and have to take an extra hard exam in their classes, even though the chiildren run laps until dawn. Also, the only friends that the kids made, Ducan and Isadora Quagmire, are taken by Olaf and he also took the only evidence that the Baudelaires had.
I think that the messasge that Lemony Snicket made in The Austere Academy, like all of his books, is that you can occomplish anything and that nothing is impossible.
I think that anyone who is adventurous and doesn't mind reading sad books would really enjoy this book. It is one of my favorite books in this series so far. It's a thrilling book!

A Change of Place and Pace for the Baudelaires.......2006-04-06

For the fifth book in the saga "A Series of Unfortunate Events," starring the three Baudelaire orphans Violet, Klaus, and baby Sunny, the series implements several changes, all for the better.

The first change is that we are no longer with a relative. Instead, we are at Prufrock Academy, a boarding school. Secondly, the Baudelaires acquire two friends at this school. There are additional positives. They actually get to eat, they get to study, and they get to read. For a moment you might actually think that things are looking up for the Baudelaires. Ah, but for those familiar with the series, you know that can't be true.

If the Baudelaires violate any of a series of bizarre rules they must endure a series of equally bizarre punishments relating to their meals. Included in this list of punishments is loss of silverware, loss of a cup, though you still get your drink, it's just in a puddle on your tray, and even having your hands tied behind your back at mealtime.

The Baudelaires also must endure six hours of bad violin music each night by the exquisitely horrible violinist, Vice Principal Nero. If you have ever heard violin played badly, you might realize that you would almost rather hear fingernails scrapping across a blackboard, almost. If you miss one of Nero's concerts you must pay him a bag of candy. As you have now realized, this school is terrible, though admittedly things start out much better than they did in "The Miserable Mill."

As you have probably also guessed, Count Olaf does eventually show up. However, Count Olaf does not immediately try to spirit the children away from Prufrock Academy. Instead, he has them exercise nightly, all night long. The children try to figure out his scheme all the way up to the point where he does execute his scheme, and I can say no more or you will miss all the fun.

In this book the children meet triplets who are now twins because one of the twins died. The five children become good friends because they are all orphans. Furthermore, they all get along well and work together to try and beat Count Olaf. However, the children are generally at the mercy of Count Olaf almost from the point he shows up to nearly the end of the story.

While in the previous books the children largely escaped from Count Olaf due to their own abilities, this time the children are saved due to a combination of fortunate circumstances, including the help of their new friends. We do not find out where the children are going next at the end of this book, but of course we know that they will have another home in "The Ersatz Elevator."

The educational messages in this book came roaring back after what I thought were relatively weaker messages in the last book. This time the children get to learn a variety of new words, and they learn that there is value in true friendship. The children also display a good amount of trust in their new friends, which has been difficult for them to give in previous books. One educational opportunity in this book is the chance for parents to deal with the subject of kidnapping. In order to not spoil the story I'll not tell you any details, but a question parents could ask their children is whether the children or the school could have done something to prevent the kidnapping from occurring.

I've considered the previous books in this series to be more suitable for children approximately 9 and older. This book is milder than the previous books, and I think an 8-year-old child should be able to handle it well. As always, you should know your child and his or her ability to handle the subject matter within.

Note that there are several editions of this book now available. You may wish to survey the versions available and their cost prior to buying in order to determine which version meets your needs best.
This book was quite a change from the previous books. The children have multiple new experiences, and there are a lot more positive aspects to help temper the negative aspects. I consider this book to be the best of the series thus far; 5 stars!

Memento Mori .......2005-06-20

This is the fifth book in the series. If you just picked it up you should start from the first book as the story builds on each previous book. You will notice a common theme running through the stories. However the details change as you learn reading and inventing and biting skills.

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire finally get to go to school. Well Sunny is too young so she becomes an administrative assistant. Of course who should turn up but Coach Genghis. And we all know who he is. Once again Count Olaf has the three Baudelaire brats running around in circles, as they try to illuminate his plan. This time his plot is so insidious tat you will not be able to anticipate it.
Along the way we learn many lessons, the least of which is the value of utensils.

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The Austere Academy
Lemony Snickett
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OVA1YA

AUSTERE ACADEMY (SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, NO 5)

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AUSTERE ACADEMY (SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, NO 5)
LEMONY SNICKET
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Austere Academy (Unabridged Cds)
LEMONY SNICKET
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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The Austere Academy - A Series Of Unfortunate Events - Book The Fifth
Lemony Snicket
Manufacturer: Harper-collins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

The Austere Academy(unabridged)a Series of Unfortunate Events

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The Austere Academy(unabridged)a Series of Unfortunate Events
LEMONY SNICKET
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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