The unexpected delivery of a large crate containing an Antarctic penguin changes the life and fortunes of Mr. Popper, a house painter obsessed by dreams of the Polar regions.

After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky. Imagine tales so terrible...

"Wendy Zhou has just lost her father and is off to a brawling start in decrepit Pennacook, where wild boar roam the streets and dumpster living is the next big thing. She finds a new sense of mission after joining the other middle-schoolers staffing the town paper, the Pennacook Beat. But when dark forces aim to sell the town ("some assembly required") and plunk a giant dome over it, can a still-shattered Wendy find the strength to fight them? And...

"Some people think hats are fancy things you can buy at a dressy store, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. In this book, acorns and raspberries are snug hats for your fingers, and an empty pudding cup is a good hat for a stuffed bear. Pajama pants make dangly hats, books can be dramatic hats, and bubbles make very fine hats as well (if temporary)"--

"Ducks growing out of bananas? A mouse catching a cat? What's wrong with this book? Yes, there's something strange, something funny, and even downright preposterous on every page of this book. But it's not a mistake--it's nonsense! And it's also surrealism"--

When Halloween is threatened by bad weather, only one moth can save it. It's Halloween, the biggest day of the year on Mothman's farm. Schoolchildren from nearby Point Pleasant are scheduled to arrive all day long to pick their own pumpkins...until it begins to rain. By the time the skies clear, not only have the kids' field trips been cancelled, but it's too late to even go trick-or-treating. The day is officially declared the Worstest Halloween...

Dear Reader, if you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted; but their lives, I am sorry to say, are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and this one may be the worst of them all. If you haven't got the stomach for a story that includes a hurricane,...

"What do you do when you're having an ordinary day, only to discover there's a big gray elephant (named Nathaniel) under the table? Why, you get him to help you wash the car! And the kangaroo (named Abigail) that appears under that same table can help bring in groceries. But when there are penguins in the fridge, the forks and knives are running around, and the salt and ketchup are acting up, there is only one thing to do: pack everyone in the camper...

"Dictionary wishes she could tell a story like other books. So one day, she decides to bring her words to life. How exciting it is to finally have an adventure on her very own pages! But what will she do when her characters collide and everything gets all in a jumble, causing the most enormous tantrum to explode? This isn't what she wanted at all! Luckily her friend Alphabet knows exactly what to do and sings a song that brings calm and order to Dictionary's...

Facing hungry bellies, three cats kidnap a penguin to help them catch fish, triggering a hilarious sequence of events as the penguin, whose black-and-white markings cause him to be mistaken for a waiter, tries to escape back home.