BOOK EXCERPT EXCLUSIVE! Through an exclusive arrangement with Assembly Line Publishing, Inc., Blog About Town offers a sneak preview of ASSEMBLY LINE CLASSICS, a new series of original novels aimed at the hot "tween" market. ASSEMBLY LINE CLASSICS offers readers contemporary storytelling by some of the most resourceful young authors in publishing today.

ASSEMBLY LINE CLASSICS launches this summer with the publication of A SERIES OF FORTUNATE EVENTS, BOOK ONE: CHEERFUL ENDINGS!!!! by 13-year-old HONEY HANDELBAUM. An excerpt and a short author bio follow.

A SERIES OF FORTUNATE EVENTS, BOOK ONE: CHEERFUL ENDINGS!!!! (excerpt)

by Honey Handelbaum


If you are interested in stories with sad endings, you would be better off reading some other book! In this book, not only is there no sad ending, there is no sad beginning and very few sad things in the middle. This is because not very many bummers happened in the lives of the three Nash children.

Lily, Nick, and Moony Nash were stupid children, and they were obnoxious, and dim-witted, and had repulsive breath, but they were extremely lucky, and most everything that happened to them was rife with serendipity, happiness, and optimism. I'm happy to tell you this, because I hate telling sad stories!!!

Their good fortune began one day at Sandy Shores. The three Nash children lived with their parents in a humongous mansion at the heart of a clean and crime-free city, and occasionally their parents gave them permission to take a sleek commuter train--the word "sleek," you probably know, here means "awesome" or "hella cool"--to Sandy Shores, where they would spend the day as long as they were home for supper and The O.C.

This particular morning it was bright and sunny, which thoroughly delighted the Nash youngsters and made them giggle with glee! When it was cold and clammy, Sandy Shores was empty of tourists and it was impossible to enjoy being among a dense crowd of sweaty people. On bright and sunny days, the Nash children shared the beach with perspiring hordes of obnoxious strangers, which, after all, is all one needs to make a day at the beach worthwhile....


AUTHOR BIO HONEY HANDELBAUM is a student at the Central School (Central rulez!!!!) of West Palm Beach, Florida. She had trouble with math last year but got a tutor (thanks, Jessie!!!!) who helped her with fractions and decimals. She's seen High School Musical, like, a thousand times!!!!!!

Photo: David Marc Fischer