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The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 3) (by Lemony Snicket)

common sense media says

The least subtle book thus far in the series.

parents & educators say
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Snicket's ability to pile crisis upon catastrophe upon bum luck without the story collapsing under the weight of its relentless misfortune is brilliant, and a surefire attention-catcher.

Positive messages: The children steal a sailboat from evil Olaf, then set out in a storm.
Violence: Though presented as farce, Olaf's violence is real. He pushes Aunt Josephine to her watery grave, for example, and menaces the children almost nonstop. Olaf's return, especially his confrontation with the children at sea, involving an attack by a school
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 3)

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about tone and the darkly humorous appeal of the books in the series. Why do readers find the adventures of the Baudelaire orphans funny although they're constantly plagued by misfortune?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Welcome back the luckless Baudelaire brood, three orphans who all too often feel "the chill of doom fall over their hearts." Lemony Snicket's highly polished and tragically comic series finds the children once again frustrating the awful Olaf's schemes to steal their fortune, after he has cruelly dealt with their latest ill-qualified caregiver.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
This is the least subtle book thus far in Snicket's "Series of Unfortunate Events." Rather than let ideas of right and wrong quietly percolate up through his story, as he has in the previous two volumes, he spells them out as though his audience is dimwitted. "They understood that Aunt Josephine was more concerned with grammatical mistakes than with saving the lives of three children. They understood that she was so wrapped up in her own fears that she had not given a thought to what might have happened to them." Snicket gets preachy and his readers get a lecture.

Nevertheless, THE WIDE WINDOW has plenty going for it, including some of the most exciting scenes in the series so far. High drama is produced by a small sailboat in the middle of a hurricane, a gratifying example of code-breaking, a heart-stopping attack by a swarm of leeches, and the treacherous plots hatched by Olaf that must be artfully countered one after the other by the children. And there is the pleasingly black humor that is Snicket's earmark, served up by the grave narrator.

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: Lemony Snicket
Illustrator: Brett Helquist
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Publication date: January 1, 1999
Number of pages: 210
Hardcover price: $10.99
This review was written by Peter Lewis
 
 

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What parents & educators say

9

Most useful reviews by all members

fredder
kid, 10 years old
9
 
wide widow
i liked this book,but like all the Snicket books, violence is really strong.a hurricane,a suicide note, and a old woman getting pushed into the water,might be a little scary for young kids.you might get a grammar lesson,cause the kids say stuff wrong.I just started number 4!
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MillyMolly
teen, 15 years old
9
 
Just finished reading it...
and its great like the others
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nickchick15004
teen, 14 years old
10
 
BEST EVER
LOVE the series!
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sillycomb
teen, 14 years old
10
 
best for 6th graders
Better than The Reptile Room as a sequel. I rated this iffy for just age 10 because of the leeches causing death and Olaf pushing Aunt Josephine.
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SuddenlySeymour
adult
 
Hilarious!
I am a HUGE Lemony Snicket fan and I DEFINETELY recommend this book, it is hilarious, but a little bit predictable.
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Dominicboo1
teen, 16 years old
8
 
Aunt Jospheine's grammar may educate young people, but the usual mild violence. The Baudelaires stick together. (Spoilers!) Count Olaf has Josephine write a suicide note, but she hides a message in it. At the end he kills her by throwing her to leeches who eat her.
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nintendo_freak_13
teen, 18 years old
 
Bravo!
We last left the three orphans watching Uncle Monty's reptiles being taken away, not a very cliff-hanging ending. Fan's of the series will want to move onto the next book though: The Wide Window. The three orphans move in with very cautious Aunt Josephine, who's house is dangerously built above Lake Lachrymose. A catchy storyline. I strongly recommend it.
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Ma Kenzie
adult
9
 
An okay book
This book was good but not one of my favorites.
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tommysportsgirl
adult
 
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pikachufav
teen, 14 years old
2
 
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fairiequeen1897
adult
 
I lost 6 brain cells reading this!
I didn't really enjoy reading this becaisse the author kept on talking about himself and what the words mean so it didn't really seem like a story it was more like a grammar source with a story to go along with it.
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baseballkid
kid, 11 years old
10
 
a good book
Other people should read this book because it a good book. Ex when they give you a gramer lesson, but also there are some bad thing too ,like they steal a boat, and there is a little hitting and bitting witch the kids mostly do and that might get the kids scared.
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