Publication date: 04/03/2002

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If grown-ups on Muni aren't reading about how to get it on with American idioms/idiots, they're reading Harry Potter. I'd say Harry Potter books are the books most often seen in the mitts of Muni booklovers (sorry, Danielle). But Harry's about to be replaced. Adults are catching on to the adventures of Lemony Snicket. Already there's an orchard of Lemony books. Kids picked them after the flow of Potter books stopped, and each of the eight shortish Snicket capers have been on the NY Times kiddie best-seller list. But now adults are grooving to them. ... There's a local angle. The author behind Lemony Snicket is Daniel Handler. He not only lives in The City, he's also a Lowell grad, class of '88. Prior to landing in the thick with Snicket, Handler wrote some adult books. One novel, "The Basic Eight," was set at a public high school curiously like Lowell. It includes a bloody murder, via croquet mallet, of a student. ...

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