Taking up where Charlie and the Chocolate Factory leaves off, Charlie, his family, and Mr. Wonka find themselves launched into space in the great glass elevator.

"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,...

Abby tries to use the magic mirror to get to her friend's house, but she ends up with her brother in the tale of Little Red Riding Hood; where, having accidently knocked out the Huntsman, they set out to save Red (named Lali) and her rather unpleasant grandmother themselves--but end up having to save the wolf (who actually seems a lot nicer then Lali's grandmother), and discovering a surprising secret about their own Nana.