“If you didn’t know much about the Baudelaire orphans, and you saw them sitting on their suitcase at Damocles Docks, you might think that they were bound for an exciting adventure.”

From Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Wide Window.

The Baudelaire children have been through countless terrible experiences, and it’s only the third book. After Count Olaf followed the children to their second guardian (and murdered kind Uncle Monty), young Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are sent to live with a new guardian. The third guardian for the children is a random-phobia-ridden elderly woman named Aunt Josephine; she has a lovely, slightly dilapidated home that overlooks Lake Lachrymose. Even though Josephine has a long list of irrational fears and a strict adherence to proper grammar, things go well for the orphans and their new guardian… that is until a sailer named Captain Sham shows up (Solid use of foreshadowing, Mr. Snicket). The children quickly realize that Sham is a poorly disguised Olaf, but no one listens to the children’s warnings until Aunt Josephine commits suicide by jumping through a window. The three young Baudelaires know that her death was no accident, and they must work together to prove that Josephine was murdered by Captain Sham/Count Olaf before it’s too late.

The third installment in Snicket’s series is captivating and unpredictable; the story is similar to the first two books in theme, but twists in the story help to distinguish from the previous books. As always, Snicket’s unique writing style is filled with small moments that propel the story forward while also allowing the reader a chance to step back from the story while still reading the book; this could only be pulled off by Snicket and his explanations of word definitions or the dangers of various situations. The characters are further developed in this book and it feels natural because the reader has had a chance to build a relationship with the characters (especially Violet, Klaus, and Sunny) through the first few books of the series. On a side note, this book is the last one to be covered in the movie adaptation, and the story is transitioned fairly well from page to screen if you’d like help visualizing the frantic Josephine or terribly-masqueraded Count Olaf. The Wide Window is a children’s novel that provides hours of suspense and entertainment for readers of all ages.