Parents' Guide to

"Who Could That Be at This Hour?": All the Wrong Questions, Book 1

By Regan McMahon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Snicket in fine form as a 12-year-old solving noir mystery.

"Who Could That Be at This Hour?": All the Wrong Questions, Book 1 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 8+

Based on 1 parent review

age 8+

Quirky whodonit - a good read

I liked this story. It's very innocent - no sex, language or serious violence. It has a fun story with quirky characters and a narrator with a hilarious point of view. Great for late elementary and early middle school readers.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (5):

Fans of the 13-volume A Series of Unfortunate Events will be happy to devour "WHO COULD THAT BE AT THIS HOUR," the first book in a four-part Lemony Snicket series called All the Wrong Questions. Unlike in the previous series, the style of this fictional autobiographical account, narrated by Snicket, isn't gothic but noir -- a word that here means "full of lies, corruption, and almost no one the young protagonist -- or the reader -- can trust." And Snicket isn't a world-weary grown-up but a 12-year-old kid.

The atmospheric, stylized blue-black-and-white illustrations by Canadian illustrator Seth help set the mood and add to the fun. And there's plenty of Snicket's trademark worldplay, Dickensian character names, and literary allusions (including to his own Unfortunate Events series), as well. Readers will enjoy finding out what led Snicket to become the man he did.

Book Details

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