Mr Lemony Snicket, pseudonymous author of A Series of Unfortunate Events, has just eaten the same breakfast he prepares for himself every day when he discovers a piece of paper slid under his door. It reads: ‘You had poison for breakfast.’

Thus begins a very unusual little book that attempts to solve the mystery of Snicket’s poisoning, all while taking numerous delightful tangents. It is easy to imagine this tale narrated by the baritone voice of Patrick Warburton, the actor who played Snicket in the recent A Series of Unfortunate Events TV adaptation. As Snicket says, this book is about bewilderment, and the reader may often feel as confused as the character, even as they enjoy the wordplay, anecdotes and tangential musings on such topics as, what came first, the chicken or the egg?

Line drawings pepper the book throughout, and a note section at the end gives references to some of Snicket’s anecdotal asides. Lemony Snicket fans, young and old, will adore this very eccentric book, but it is perhaps not the best place to start for the uninitiated. For ages 10+.

Angela Crocombe is the book buyer at Readings Kids and a children’s and YA online book specialist.