There is nothing to be found in the pages of A Series of Unfortunate Events but misery and despair.

You still have time to choose another international best-seller to read.

But if you must know what unpleasantries befall the charming and clever Baudelaire children read on...In The Bad Beginning the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune and cold porridge for breakfast.

Then again, why trouble yourself with the unfortunate resolutions?

With 5 million copies sold in the UK alone, one might consider Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events to make him one of the most successful children's authors of the past decade.

We, however, consider these miserable so-called adventure stories and the Hollywood film starring Jim Carrey that accompanied the books for children as nothing more than a dreadful mistake.