Book Review: Shouldn’t You Be In School? by Lemony Snicket

Author: Lemony Snicket
Title: Shouldn’t You Be In School?
Narrator: Liam Aiken
Publication Info: [New York] : Hachette Audio, 2014.

Other Books Read By Same Author:

• The Bad Beginning
• The Reptile Room
• The Wide Window
• The Miserable Mill
• The Austere Academy
• The Ersatz Elevator
• The Vile Village
• The Hostile Hospital
• The Slippery Slope
• The Carnivorous Carnival
• The End
• The Grim Grotto
• The Penultimate Peril
• Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography
• The Beatrice Letters
• Who Could That Be At This Hour?
• When Did You See Her Last?

Summary/Review:

The third novel in the All the Wrong Questions series reaches a turning point in the overarching story, and contains a lot of surprises.  I like this novel particularly because the many supporting characters introduced over the course of the series come together as a team.  Even S. Theodora Markson gets a turn to break away from her arrogant mien and general incompetence.  While the themes in this novel are dark – children are essentially held in prison and drugged with laudanum, for starters – there’s an optimism that stands out among Snicket books, and satisfying twist at the conclusion.

Rating: ***1/2