The Ersatz Elevator is the sixth novel in the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events

A Series of Unfortunate Events

A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of children's novels by Lemony Snicket which follows the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire after their parents' death in an arsonous house fire...

by Daniel Handler

Daniel Handler

Daniel Handler is an American author, screenwriter and accordionist. He is best known for his work under the pen name Lemony Snicket.-Personal life:...

 under the pseudonym

Pseudonym

A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...

 of Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...

. The Baudelaires are sent to live with the wealthy Esmé and Jerome Squalor.
The Baudelaire children walk with Mr. Poe to their new home on 667 Dark Avenue. It is very dark, due to the fact that there are giant trees blocking out sunlight. When the Baudelaires enter the apartment building, they find that elevators are "out" (not out of order) which means they have to use the stairs up to the penthouse

Penthouse apartment

A penthouse apartment or penthouse is an apartment that is on one of the highest floors of an apartment building. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury features.-History:...

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