Reviews

الآن نباید مدرسه باشی؟ by Lemony Snicket

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arytaco's review against another edition

5.0

"Shouldn't You Be in School" is the third book in Lemony Snicket's "All the Wrong Questions," and it is the most revealing of the series thus far. Compared to Snicket's grim, melancholic tone in "A Series of Unfortunate Events," he is rather optimistic here; he is still his usual self, but his philosophical ramblings picture him as less angered at the world. In this third installment, the cast of characters is developed and easily deployable, allowing for a greater sense of continuity and variety. Of course, the writing is wickedly enjoyable, containing the noir style that Snicket is parodying. The literary references to "The Big Sleep" (although it is the film that is mentioned", "The Wind in the Willows" and "Murder on the Orient Express" all highlight a particular element of the story - windy mystery, teamwork and each person playing a role respectively.

jdhwoods's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

rr_author's review against another edition

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5.0

This is definitely one of my favourite books by Lemony Snicket. I read it in one morning, I couldn't put it down.
All my favourite characters played a big role in this story, and the plot was very suspenseful. The villain was even more sinister than ever - and the stakes were high! I can't wait to read the next and final book in the series.

njdarkish's review against another edition

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4.0

I have had a deep love for Lemony Snicket since I was in fourth grade, when a friend lent me the first for A Series of Unfortunate Events books, which I consumed that evening. His wit, sarcasm, and compelling-yet-screwball storytelling drew me in again in again. After the series was complete, the full set rested proudly on my bookshelf even as I reached adulthood.

So when I heard Snicket was doing another series, I got excited. When I heard it served as a kind of prequel to ASOUE, I grew very excited. And when I learned it was about Snicket himself, I knew I would be reading it as soon as I could get my hands on it.

My feeling as I read "Who Could That Be At This Hour?" was mixed. It certainly was enjoyable, with an interesting story and genuine humor, but I didn't fall in love with it as I had with Snicket's early works. The second volume also brought enjoyment, more than the first, but still didn't strike me as being at Unfortunate Events caliber. The Suspicious Incidents book was fun, if relatively incidental. I considered the possibility that though fun for adults, maybe Snicket's writing just didn't hold up as well as I had thought over time.

So, when this book arrived I was excited to get it from the library, but lacked the voraciousness, a word here which means something like hunger, I had for Snicket in the past.

But then something wonderful happened. I loved this book.

"Shouldn't You Be In School?" is by far the best in its series. It has a wonderfully strange plot, fun characters, and best of all, it directly addresses VFD. It got to what I want from the prequel series. Snicket's humor shone. Really, this book is a delight, and I'm glad the decent series blossomed to something more magical here.

kaulhilo's review against another edition

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4.0

the ending... wow

alli_thebookgiraffe's review against another edition

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3.0

I genuinely enjoy this series and I am excited to read the next one and finish the series. There are two reasons I give it 3 stars. One, these books aren't the best middle grade series I've ever read. Two, I know these books are middle grade but the plots can be guessed relatively early and I don't like that. Other than that, I love Snicket's writing style and I love the characters. Also, I love the very subtle mention of Count Olaf!