Poison for Breakfast

Description

"This morning you had poison for breakfast." One day, Lemony Snicket finds a puzzling note pushed under his door and is forced to follow a winding trail of clues to solve the mystery of his imminent death. But this is so much more than just a mystery. Along the way, he tackles some of the key questions about life. Who was Korla Pandit - what did he do and what was his real name? What are the three absolute rules for writing a book? Why should you never judge a goat by the way it looks? And why does being clumsy have its benefits? For over twenty years, Lemony Snicket has led millions of young readers through a world of bewildering questions and strange, unfortunate events. In this, his latest book, a love letter to the young and the young at heart, he takes us on a thought-provoking tour of his own predilections. Long-time fans and new readers (Who are you? Where have you been?) will fall in love with this "true" story, told in a way that only Lemony could tell it. You might even learn some important life-lessons - like how DO you cook the perfect egg?

Lemony Snicket is the internationally bestselling author of the thirteen volumes in A Series of Unfortunate Events; several picture books, including The Dark and The Bad Mood and the Stick; and the books collectively titled All the Wrong Questions. His work has sold 80 million copies worldwide.

'Reading this little book feels like opening a window to let in air and light. It's filled with curious information and powerful feelings, and is humorous, sad, meditative and rapturous by turns - with ambiguous questions to be mulled and savoured.' -- Guardian 'A wittily macabre treatise about philosophy, creativity, connectivity, gratitude and bravely facing one's demise while living as well as possible in the meantime.' -- Financial Times 'a genial, discursive ramble of a book... The tone throughout is Vonnegutian - bewildered, amused, quizzical - and if the book fails to deliver any startling philosophical breakthrough, that's rather the point, since it's more about the journey than the destination. A bit like life, then.' -- James Lovegrove * FT * 'Poison for Breakfast is a strange, beguiling, beautiful book. No one else could have written it, or anything even a little like it. If Lemony Snicket didn't exist, we'd have to invent him.' -- Anthony McGowan, author of Lark 'Poison for Breakfast is a book to savour. Every sentence is perfectly balanced to surprise, delight, intrigue and, yes, bewilder the reader. A book about impending death which captures the simple, but profound, joys of being alive. I am a long-time Lemony Snicket fan and this is his best yet.' -- Sarah Hagger-Holt, author of Nothing Ever Happens Here 'Witty, clever and unsettling - it's Lemony Snicket at his finest, and bright minds that love dark delights will gobble it right up.' -- Rachel Delahaye, author of Mort the Meek 'Poison for Breakfast is a murder mystery like no other, which will bewilder and beguile both children and adults alike. It'll have you questioning everything - from whether or not you can outrun death, to even bigger questions such as whether or not you are choosing the most respectable method to cook your eggs each morning.' -- Hana Tooke, author of The Unadoptables 'Full of Snickety goodness, philosophical acrobatics and wry wit. A veritable treasure trove for fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events.' -- Gareth Osborne, Bath Children's Novel Award Winner 'Poison for Breakfast is a delicious read with sentences to savour and philosophical questions to keep you awake long past midnight snack-time... It's diabolically good.' -- Jack Meggitt-Phillips, author of The Beast and the Bethany 'Fans who have grown up with his novels may appreciate the opportunity to explore [Lemony Snicket's] mind.' -- Books for Keeps