Shouldn't You Be in School?
By Lemony Snicket
Little, Brown and Company, 2014
This is the third book in the All The Wrong Questions series, a mystery series by the same author as the popular Series of Unfortunate Events. The first book in this series is "Who Could That Be At This Hour?" You should read that book first.
This is a satisfying addition to the series. Evil forces have conspired to arrest the town librarian, kidnap the children, and burn down a barn. It appears that many moths have been murdered, but it unclear if that matters.
Perhaps more importantly, Lemony more or less knows where the bad guy is (sometimes), and who his friends are (mostly), so progress is being made! Ellington Feint reappears (probably friend?), as does Hangfire (definitely enemy!), and dark and mysterious events are taking place. Okay, we don't know exactly what the events are, but they are most certainly dark and mysterious.
We see a good amount of character development, and some important, although not drastic, plot advancement. S turns out to be a bit more self-aware than we might have guessed, although perhaps no more sympathetic. Some minor characters become slightly less minor and a bit more human. We also learn the next page in the saga of Lemony's sister (about time), although she still barely makes it to the level of a sub-plot. This book is also a bit more open about the VFD connection, and gives some information on the organization beyond what was found in A Series of Unfortunate Events.
We also revisit what is becoming the regular crowd, Cleo and Moxie and Jake and Pip and Squeak, along with a few new faces. And some old faces are shipped off to be tried in the the City, but I can't tell you who.
Overall, another satisfying chapter in the All the Wrong Questions series, and one that gives some solid plot and character advancement. And yes, this leaves us waiting for the next and final volume in the series, Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights?.
The previous book in the series was When Did You See Her Last?
Accelerated Reader Level: 5.1
ISBN-10: 0316123064
ISBN-13: 978-0316123068