Unfortunate Read-Alikes
at the Elmhurst Public Library

If you liked A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket,
you might also like:

Is Underground   by Joan Aiken
When Is goes underground to search for two missing boys, she solves the mystery of London’s many disappearing children.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase   by Joan Aiken
To escape the clutches of a cruel governess, Bonnie and Sylvia flee to London, where they uncover an evil plot.

A House Called Awful End   by Philip Ardagh
Eleven-year-old Eddie Dickens embarks on crazy adventures with his Mad Uncle Jack and Mad Aunt Maude that involve strolling actors, St. Horrid’s Home for Grateful Orphans, and a carnival float shaped like a giant cow.; followed by: Dreadful Acts and Terrible Times.

Emily Upham’s Revenge   by Avi
During the summer of 1875, a seven-year-old girl is sent to live with her wealthy uncle in Massachusetts and becomes involved in a very suspicious bank robbery.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls   by John Bellairs
When Lewis moves in with his magician uncle, he discovers a clock of doom that is hidden in the walls of the mansion.

Matilda   by Roald Dahl, Roald
Matilda applies her untapped mental powers to rid the school of the evil, child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and restore her nice teacher, Miss Honey, to financial security.

Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
by Kate DiCamillo
The adventures of a small mouse, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.

The Field Guide   by Tony DiTerlizzi, Tony
When the Grace children go to stay at their Great Aunt Lucinda's worn Victorian house, they discover a field guide to fairies and other creatures and begin to have some unusual experiences.  (The Spiderwick Chronicles; book one)

Half-a-Moon Inn   by Paul Fleischman
A mute boy is held captive by the wicked proprietress of an inn, who forces him to steal for her.

The Whipping Boy   by Sid Fleischman, Sid
A bratty prince and his whipping boy have many adventures when they inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws.

Inkheart   by Cornelia Funke
Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.

Pure Dead Magic   by Deb Gliori, Debi
When their father is kidnapped and danger looms, the Strega-Borgia children, their mysterious new nanny, and a giant tarantula use magic and actual trips through the Internet to bring peace to their Scottish castle.

Island of the Aunts   by Eva Ibbotson, Eva
As they get older, several sisters decide that they must kidnap children and bring them to their secluded island home to help with the work of caring for an assortment of unusual sea creatures.

Ogre Downstairs   by Diana Wynne Jones
When a disagreeable man with two boys marries a widow with three children, family adjustments are complicated by two magic chemistry sets which cause strange things to happen around the house.

Count Karlstein   by Philip Pullman, Philip
In the mountains of Switzerland the wicked Count Karlstein plots to abandon his two orphaned nieces in a hunting lodge as prey for the Demon Huntsman and his ghostly hounds.

I Was a Rat!   by Philip Pullman
A little boy turns life in London upside down when he appears at the house of a lonely old couple and insists he was a rat.

Spring-Heeled Jack   by Philip Pullman
Three children make their escape from a London orphanage and after a series of misadventures are reunited with their father through the efforts of the legendary Spring-Heeled Jack.

The Ink Drinker   by Eric Sanvoisin
A boy who hates books discovers an ink-drinking vampire in his father's bookshop and follows him to his underground vault.

Mysterious Matter of I.M. Fine   by Diane Stanley
Noticing that a popular series of horror novels is having a bizarre effect on the behavior of its readers, Franny and Beamer set out to find the mysterious author.

Ghosts in the Gallery   by Barbara Brooks Wallace
When eleven-year-old Jenny arrives at her grandfather's house but is not recognized as one of the family because of a servant's intrigue, the young orphan endures a difficult fate.

Peppermints in the Parlor   by Barbara Brooks Wallace
Sent to San Francisco to live with beloved aunt and uncle, newly orphaned Emily expectantly enters their once-happy mansion only to find unimaginable horrors.

Elmhurst Public Library