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The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3)
The Wide Window - A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3
Author: Lemony Snicket
Catastrophes and misfortune continue to plague the Baudelaire orphans after they're sent to live with fearful Aunt Josephine who offers little protection against Count Olaf's treachery.
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ISBN-13: 9780439272629
ISBN-10: 0439272629
Publication Date: 2000
Pages: 214
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 87

3.7 stars, based on 87 ratings
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

FeliciaJ avatar reviewed The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3) on + 136 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
The miserable chronicles of the unlucky Baudelaire orphans are fun, quick reads if you bring a tongue-in-cheek sense of black humor to them. Kids seem to instinctively get the joke, but I've seen adults enraged by the books because they take them far too seriously. To them I say, "Relax. No actual children were harmed in the writing of these books."

In this installment, the Baudelaires learn a hard lesson: that adults can not only be clueless, but spineless as well.
AimeeM avatar reviewed The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3) on + 124 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
Some people have said that "A Series of Unfortunate Events" is stupid and boring. These people clearly missed the point of the series.

Admittedly the story line itself doesn't sound all that great: three kids who have a very sad life, and it keeps getting worse.

But the real thrill in the book is how the author weaves this complicated, and tangled mystery throughout, leaving just enough clues to keep you interested. The minute you solve one mystery, three more open up! It is absolutely brilliant! The ones who call this series "boring" clearly missed the complex subtleties in the story.

The main reason I love this series is the author's way with words. Part of the clues he weaves throughout the books involve word usage. He also occasionally breaks the 'rules' of how a book is written. (For example, in one chapter you have to hold the book up to a mirror to see what it says!) There is a surprise that is wholly unique in each and every book.

And though it may seem strange, I found the series encouraging. The reality is, all of our lives are a bit unfortunate (some more than others) and the books' real moral is how people can overcome all obstacles, even the permanent ones, by maintaining their own self-worth.

This is a very sophisticated satirical series.
reviewed The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3) on + 304 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
these are great books, I highly recommend this book for the young reader.
reviewed The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3) on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
The Wide Window is a great book in the series, filled with mystery, paranoia, and horror. This book is crucial to the plot of the series and also one of the best in it.
reviewed The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3) on + 216 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
We loved this whole series. Great for the primary-middle school set.
Read All 35 Book Reviews of "The Wide Window A Series of Unfortunate Events Bk 3"

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wss4 avatar reviewed The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3) on + 389 more book reviews
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Within the pages of this novel, readers will discover one of the books upon which the movie Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is based: The Wide Window. Like the movie, this book tellsan unhappy tale about three very unlucky children, who despite being likeable lead lives that are doomed. From the very beginning of this volume, when the children learn that a storm is gathering over a lake full of leeches, continuing on to the last page of this distressing story, disaster lurks at their heels. Unlike the movie, however, this book should not be consumed in one sitting.

Count Olaf is not only smart, he is also intelligent. A renowned, talented, and handsome actor, he wouldn't be one bit surprised if you were dying to meet him. Fans of Count Olaf should watch out for the name "Count Olaf."

P.S. He is also very good-looking.
reviewed The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3) on + 45 more book reviews
3rd book in the series of unfortunate events.
reviewed The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3) on + 2 more book reviews
Great book. Probably my favorite one so far. Third book in the series.
reviewed The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3) on + 8 more book reviews
Awesome book if you have read books 1 and 2 already! I suggest this book for 9-12 year olds.
reviewed The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3) on + 113 more book reviews
Tragic stories in the Series of Unfortunate Events. If you like the series, by all means this is a must.
reviewed The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3) on + 4 more book reviews
this book is good...i liked it because i saw the movie before this and there is alot more in the book than in the movie.
GeniusJen avatar reviewed The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3) on + 7145 more book reviews
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Those poor Baudelaire orphans. After the death of their beloved Uncle Monty, the third installment of Lemony Snicket's tale has Violet, Klaus, and Sunny heading toward the home of yet another new guardian. Left by Mr. Poe at Damocles Dock at the edge of Lake Lachrymose for the taxi that will take them to the home of Josephine Anwhistle, the orphans must once again wonder about what fate holds in store for them. Will the gramatically correct dowager be kind like Uncle Morty, or retched like Count Olaf?

It turns out that Aunt Josephine is a mixture of the two. Although she welcomes them into her home, the woman is so terrified by everything--the stove, glass doorknobs, radiators, and even realtors--that the children are hard pressed to enjoy their dinners of cold cucumber soup and their presents of a baby doll, train set, and rattle. Living high above the Lake that is full of the leeches that devoured Josephine's husband, Ike, the three Baudelaire children have a hard time convincing their Aunt to even leave the house.

On a trip to the market, however, who should appear once again with yet another despicable plan to steal the Baudelaire fortune but Count Olaf--this time in the disguise of Captain Sham, a man with an eye patch and peg leg who has opened a boating company of his own. Josephine, of course, is at once enamored of the dashing Captain, and Mr. Poe, as always, is not convinced by the children's claim that Captain Sham and Count Olaf are one and the same. What follows is another does of typical Baudelaire fair--diabolical plans, a terrible hurricane named Herman, a bizarre restaurant named the Anxious Clown, a boat ride across a leech-filled lake, a rescue at Curdled Cave, and another meet-up with Count Olaf's nasty associates.

THE WIDE WINDOW is another winning story in the tales of the Baudelaire orphans. The story took me about an hour and a half to read, and is suitable for children around ages 9 and up. Again, however, you'll need to base your decision of its suitability based on the maturity of your children, as this book is just as dark as the first two.
katethegreat avatar reviewed The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3) on + 69 more book reviews
Another fine story in the Series of Unfortuntate Events.
reviewed The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bk 3) on + 35 more book reviews
The third in the series. Great fun for kids.


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