The enigmatic author Lemony Snicket is quick to establish from the start that happy events are not to be expected in his collection, "A Series of Unfortunate Events." Every happy event in the lives of the three clever and charming Baudelaire children is countered with an even more unfortunate one, events rife with misery, misfortune, and despair. Violet Baudelaire and her brother, Klaus, a gifted reader, use their wits and intellect to create a sanctuary for themselves and their little sister Sunny in the midst of catastrophe and gloom. As is typical of gifted children, the Baudelaires have hopes of bringing order to the chaos in their lives. Violet's inventive mind along with Klaus' extensive knowledge gleaned from his insatiable love of reading and books enable the Baudelaire children to overcome devastating calamities. This unfortunate story line is mirrored in many classrooms where gifted and talented readers sit patiently (or not so patiently) awaiting their turn for reading instruction that is cognitively challenging and motivating. Like Klaus Baudelaire, many gifted children find sanctuary in books. This article explores a discouraging and very real tragedy for many gifted and talented readers: the unfortunate yet unnecessary disparity between what they need from a reading instructional program and what classroom instructional practices typically provide. It also provides a description of the key components of a reading program for gifted and talented students, which include: (1) Assessment; (2) Grouping; (3) Acceleration; (4) Enrichment; (5) Opportunities for discussion; (6) Challenging literature; (7) Critical reading; (8) Creative reading; and (9) Inquiry reading. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)