Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In the ninth title in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Carnivorous Carnival, the Baudelaire siblings are falsely accused of murder. On the run from Count Olaf (the real killer), the three disguise themselves in Madame Lulu's House of Freaks; Violet and Klaus masquerade as the two-headed Beverly/Elliot; Sunny poses as Chabo the Wolf Baby.

Horn Book (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2003)

Ever-victimized Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire try to evade their nemesis Count Olaf by joining a carnival as sideshow freaks. The older siblings masquerade as a two-headed person, while Sunny dons a beard and pretends to be half-wolf. The series is formulaic but remains darkly humorous with Snicket providing his unique first-person commentary about bad things happening to good children.

ALA Booklist (Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2002)

In the ninth volume in the popular Series of Unfortunate Events, the Baudelaire orphans, who have arrived at the Caligari Carnival, disguise themselves in order to investigate a mysterious fortune-teller. Violet and Klaus masquerade as a two-headed carnival freak, and baby Sonny masquerades as Chabo the Wolf Baby, and they share in the humiliation of the other freaks (an ambidextrous man, a female contortionist, and a man with a hunchback). When one of the performers is to be thrown to hungry lions, the children find themselves faced with a terrible dilemma. Children faithful to the series won't be surprised when the book does NOT end happily; nor will they find it unusual that Snicket continues to entertain with witty asides and a satirical point of view. The overall story moves along nicely toward the conclusion of the planned 13-volume series; at the same time, the author successfully uses this book as a platform to communicate a good deal about individuals who belittle others and what it feels like to be on the end of the horrible barbs.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-This installment in the woeful tale of the unlucky Baudelaire orphans takes them (via the trunk of Count Olaf's car, unbeknownst to him) to the Caligari Carnival in the middle of the hinterlands. Madame Lulu has used her crystal ball in the past to help him find the children after their narrow escapes, but this time he also wants her to discern the truth about whether or not either of their parents is still alive. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny disguise themselves as freaks so that they can stay at the carnival and hopefully get to the crystal ball before the Count does. They suffer the indignation of performing in their new roles, face off a bloodthirsty mob, and escape from a pit of hungry lions. New and deviously entertaining characters are added to the cast, including Kevin the ambidextrous man, Colette the contortionist, and Hugo the hunchback. The humor is as sharp as ever, the suspense will keep readers at the edge of their seats, and the cliff-hanger ending will make them eagerly await the next episode.-Heather Dieffenbach, Lexington Public Library, KY Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.