The Bad Beginning is the first book in The Series of Unfortunate Events, a book series by Daniel Handler but known as Lemony Snicket. In the books in the first book you meet Violet, a 14 year old girl  who is an inventor, Klaus who is 12 and a dedicated reader and Sunny who is a baby and has abnormally sharp teeth. The Baudeaire children become orphans due to a fire that had killed their parents and are sent to live with Count Olaf, a man who claims to be a distant relative, one they have never heard of before. Once they arrive they see his house is horrid and Count Olaf makes them clean it  treating them poorly. After a few days of horrible treatment Count Olaf forces the children to be in a new play called  “The Marvelous Marriage” and forcing Violet to be the bride Klaus realizes that Count Olaf is going to use real documents to make the marriage legally binding giving him their fortune after Count Olaf and his troupe are stopped they escape and Mr. Poe the banker takes him to his house until he is able to find them another legal guardian to live with.