[Book Review] The Dark by Lemony Snicket

Laszlo is afraid of the dark. The dark is not afraid of Laszlo.

Laszlo lives in a house. The dark lives in the basement.

One night, the dark comes upstairs to Laszlo's room, and Laszlo goes down to the basement.

This is the story of how Laszlo stops being afraid of the dark.

The Dark is a perfect reminder of why I like Lemony Snicket's books so much. When Laszlo is afraid of the dark, Snicket personifies it in a creative and clever way. When the dark urges Laszlo to come to the basement, Snicket manages to create an atmosphere of suspense rarely (if ever) seen in picture books. And when Laszlo realizes that the dark is only trying to help him out, Snicket creates this wonderful sense of calm, unspoken affection that got to me more than it probably should have.

Highly recommended to those children and adults who still read picture books; Lemony Snicket fans should find it particularly charming.