The Wide Window: Book the Third (A Series of Unfortunate Events)

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Overview

Dear Reader,

If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted, but their lives, I am sorry to say, are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and this one may be the worst of them all.If you haven't got the stomach for a story that includes a hurricane, a signalling device, hungry leeches, cold cucumber soup, a horrible villain, and a doll named Pretty Penny, then this book will probably fill you with despair.I will continue to record these tragic tales, for that is what I do. You, however, should decide for yourself whether you can possibly endure this miserable story.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

Fortunately for young readers, Lemony Snicket has dedicated his life to informing readers of all the misfortunes that plagued the three Baudelaire orphans -- the unluckiest children to ever live. In The Wide Window, the third book in the series, the Baudelaire children are sent to stay with a distant aunt who lives on a cliff's edge overhanging the aptly named Lake Lachrymose, a foreboding body of water serviced by the Fickle Ferry and filled with sharp-toothed leeches who have deadly appetites.

Of course, the tale wouldn't be complete without the presence of the evilly scheming Count Olaf and one or more of his twisted sidekicks trying to get their hands on the children, or more accurately, on the children's fortune. Once again Olaf is in disguise, though the children recognize him immediately thanks to his unibrow and the bright, evil shine in his eyes. The tell-tale eye tattoo on his ankle seems to be missing, however, since Olaf's disguise this time is as a peg-legged sea captain.

The childrens' newest guardian, Aunt Josephine, is a master of phobias and an expert on grammar. She's frightened of tons of things -- some of them reasonable, such as the deadly leeches in Lachrymose Lake who took the life of her husband, and some of them not so reasonable, such as her fear of using the telephone. One thing she isn't afraid of, however, is correcting improper grammar. And as the Baudelaire children get several impromptu lessons on proper usage, so do readers. In fact, it's Josephine's obsession with language that helps the children uncover Count Olaf's latest scheme.

These stories require a hefty suspension of belief on occasion, but that's part of what makes them so much fun. Illustrator Brett Helquist adds to the pleasure by bringing the characters to life in drawings that often exhibit touches of the same wry humor found in the narrator's voice. (Beth Amos)

Publishers Weekly

Author Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler) reads volumes three and four of his Series of Unfortunate Events saga. A snappy, techno tune by a group called the Gothic Archies serves as toe-tapping introduction to Handler's chipper performance of his humorously melodramatic tales. The first two audiobooks in the series, performed by British actor Tim Curry, were released by Listening Library in March. (May) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

More Reviews (2) Fewer Reviews

Children's Literature

A long car trip with children can bring either agony or joy. In our family travels, audio books have made all the difference. An endless trip flies by with a gripping story and we remember some vacations not only for destinations, but for the stories we heard en route. Highly recommended are Lemony Snicket's "Series of Unfortunate Events." These satirical melodramas relate the adventures of the three gifted Baudelaire orphans as they battle the evil Count Olaf who means to destroy them and gain their fortune. This series, one of children's books' newer reading phenomena, has subtle humor, Roald Dahl-like pathos, and lots of action. The author reads the two newest tapes—Wide Window and The Miserable Mill in the "Series of Unfortunate Events." His reading is slightly less dramatic than Tim Curry of the first two books in the series, but still involving. Children will love both. There are three cassettes, unabridged. 2001, Harper Children's Audio, $20.00. Ages 9 to 12. Reviewer: Susie Wilde

School Library Journal

Gr 5-7-This is "Book the Third" in a series about the wealthy and clever but unfortunate Baudelaire children who were orphaned in a tragic fire. Pursued by the evil Count Olaf, who murdered their parents and their last caregiver, 14-year-old Violet, 12-year-old Klaus, and baby Sunny are sent to elderly Aunt Josephine, a strange, fearful widow and grammarian. She lives in a house built on precarious stilts on the side of a hill overlooking Lake Lachrymose, inhabited by killer leeches. Of course, Count Olaf tracks them down and, disguised as a sailboat captain, fools Aunt Josephine-at least for a while. Olaf is ultimately exposed but not before he pushes Aunt Josephine into the leech-infested waters. So, the Baudelaires must find a new caregiver, who will be revealed to readers in "Book the Fourth." The writing is tongue-in-cheek John Bellairs, E. Nesbit, or Edward Eager with a little Norton Juster thrown in. The style is similar to the many books with old houses and rocky shores in Maine or Great Britain including the Edward Goreyesque illustrations. Unfortunately, the book misses the mark. The narrator is humorous but intrusive, explaining words and providing many obvious clues that surface later. Aunt Josephine's constant correction of vocabulary and grammar, while at first humorous, becomes annoying. The book is really not bad; it just tries too hard and there are so many similar books that are much better.-Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780064407687
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 2/2/2000
Edition number: 3
Pages: 224
Sales rank: 33,515
Age range: 9 - 12 Years
Lexile: 1150L (what's this?)
Series: A Series of Unfortunate Events , #3
Product dimensions: 5.00 (w) x 7.00 (h) x 0.87 (d)

Meet the Author

Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket is often despondent, mostly about his published research, which includes A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Composer Is Dead.

Biography

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end -- and, in the case of Lemony Snicket, all unfortunate things must come to an end, too. After seven years and thirteen episodes, the much beloved A Series of Unfortunate Events books are drawing to a close. At least, that's what Snicket's "handler" Daniel Handler says.

But before getting to what promises to be "the most unfortunate event of all," it is first necessary to familiarize oneself with the mysterious man who created a mega-selling series of children's novels pivoting on the premise of placing young people in peril. According to his autobiography Lemony Snicket: the Unauthorized Autobiography, Snicket "grew up near the sea and currently lives beneath it. To his horror and dismay, he has no wife or children, only enemies, associates, and the occasional loyal manservant. His trial has been delayed, so he is free to continue researching and recording the tragic tales of the Baudelaire orphans." Hmmm. Perhaps an autobiography purporting that it may or may not be true isn't the best place to begin.

Instead, let us focus on Daniel Handler, the man who might actually be responsible for composing the Series of Unfortunate Events books according to certain skeptics (which include Handler, himself). Daniel Handler has been asked many times why anyone would want to make a career of chronicling the ghastly trials of a trio of ill-fated orphans. "When I was young, my favorite stories were not the sort of children's books that are constantly being thrust at you when you're little," he explained in an audio essay on Barnes & Noble.com. "I didn't like books where people played on a sports team and won a bunch of games, or went to summer camp and had a wonderful time. I really liked a book where a witch might cut a child's head off or a pack of angry dogs might burst through a door and terrorize a family. So, I guess it should not be surprising that when I turned to children's literature I tried to think of all sorts of interesting things to happen to small children, and all of these things were pretty dreadful."

Handler has long made it clear that his wildly popular series would be limited to thirteen installments. The Penultimate Peril: Book the Twelfth finds the much-beleaguered Baudelaire orphans "enjoying" a family vacation at a menacing hotel, and Handler is wrapping up his saga with The End: Book the Thirteenth, which promises to tie up all remaining threads in the story in an undoubtedly exciting manner.

However, the conclusion of his series is no indication that Handler plans on bringing his writing career to an end. He has also written adult-targeted titles under his own name, including his latest, Adverbs: A Novel. This exploration of love, which Publishers Weekly deemed "lovely" and "lilting," may forgo the trademark Lemony Snicket wry morbidity, but Handler ensures readers that the book isn't without its own unfortunate events. "It's a fairly miserable story, as any story about love will be," he says. "People try to find love -- some of them find it, some of them don't, some of them have an unhappy time even if they do find it -- but it is considerably more cheerful than any of my so-called children's books."

Good To Know

Daniel Handler has a potentially embarrassing confession to make: he is an avowed accordion player. Handler says that when he told his parents about his decidedly uncool musical pursuits, they reacted "as if I had taken up heroin."

His interest in music does not end with the accordion. Close friend and leader of indie-rock band The Magnetic Fields Steven Merritt has written an original song for each audio book version of the Series of Unfortunate Events books. Merritt and Handler will be releasing a CD of all 13 "dreadful" songs when the final installment of the series is published in late 2006. Handler also lent his accordion-laying talents to The Magnetic Fields' critically acclaimed album 69 Love Songs.

Handler's persistence may rival that of the never-say-die Baudelaire orphans. His first novel, The Basic Eight, was rejected 37 times before it was finally published.

He enjoys the work of novelist Haruki Murakami so much that Handler devoted an entire essay to the subject in the plainly and guilelessly entitled Village Voice review, "I Love Murakami."

According to a former high school classmate writing in the local paper, Handler was "voted not only Class Clown, but also Best Actor, Chatterbox, and Teacher's Pet."

A few fun facts from our interview with Handler:

"I can cook anything."

"I know one very good card trick."

"I auditioned for an enormous role in the film Gigli."

1. Also Known As:
  
  In some parts, people get to know him through his handler, Daniel Handler.
2. Hometown:
  
  Snicket is something of a nomad. Handler lives in San Francisco, California.
1. Date of Birth:
  
  February 28, 1970
2. Place of Birth:
  
  Handler was born in San Francisco in 1970, and says Snicket's family has roots in a land that's now underwater.
1. Education:
  
  Handler is a 1992 graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut.
2. Website:
  
  http://www.lemonysnicket.com

Read an Excerpt

A Series of Unfortunate Events #3: The Wide Window

Chapter One

The stretch of road that leads out of the city, past Hazy Harbor and into the town of Tedia, is perhaps the most unpleasant in the world. It is called Lousy Lane. Lousy Lane runs through fields that are a sickly gray color, in which a handful of scraggly trees produce apples so sour that one only has to look at them to feel ill. Lousy Lane traverses the Grim River, a body of water that is nine-tenths mud and that contains extremely unnerving fish, and it encircles a horseradish factory, so the entire area smells bitter and strong.

I am sorry to tell you that this story begins with the Baudelaire orphans traveling along this most displeasing road, and that from this moment on, the story only gets worse. Of all the people in the world who have miserable lives-and, as I′m sure you know, there are quite a few-the Baudelaire youngsters take the cake, a phrase which here means that more horrible things have happened to them than just about anybody. Their misfortune began with an enormous fire that destroyed their home and killed both their loving parents, which is enough sadness to last anyone a lifetime, but in the case of these three children it was only the bad beginning. After the fire, the siblings were sent to live with a distant relative named Count Olaf, a terrible and greedy man. The Baudelaire parents had left behind an enormous fortune, which would go to the children when Violet came of age, and Count Olaf was so obsessed with getting his filthy hands on the money that he hatched a devious plan thatgives me nightmares to this day. He was caught just in time, but he escaped and vowed to get ahold of the Baudelaire fortune sometime in the future. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny still had nightmares about Count Olaf′s shiny, shiny eyes, and about his one scraggly eyebrow, and most of all about the tattoo of an eye he had on his ankle. It seemed like that eye was watching the Baudelaire orphans wherever they went.

So I must tell you that if you have opened this book in the hope of finding out that the children lived happily ever after, you might as well shut it and read something else. Because Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, sitting in a small, cramped car and staring out the windows at Lousy Lane, were heading toward even more misery and woe. The Grim River and the horseradish factory were only the first of a sequence of tragic and unpleasant episodes that bring a frown to my face and a tear to my eye whenever I think about them.

The driver of the car was Mr. Poe, a family friend who worked at a bank and always had a cough. He was in charge of overseeing the orphans′ affairs, so it was he who decided that the children would be placed in the care of a distant relative in the country after all the unpleasantness with Count Olaf.

"I′m sorry if you′re uncomfortable," Mr. Poe said, coughing into a white handkerchief, "but this new car of mine doesn′t fit too many people. We couldn′t even fit any of your suitcases. In a week or so I′ll drive back here and bring them to you."

"Thank you," said Violet, who at fourteen was the oldest of the Baudelaire children. Anyone who knew Violet well could see that her mind was not really on what Mr. Poe was saying, because her long hair was tied up in a ribbon to keep it out of her eyes. Violet was an inventor, and when she was thinking up inventions she liked to tie her hair up this way. It helped her think clearly about the various gears, wires, and ropes involved in most of her creations."After living so long in the city," Mr. Poe continued, "I think you will find the countryside to be a pleasant change. Oh, here is the turn. We′re almost there."

"Good," Klaus said quietly. Klaus, like many people on car rides, was very bored, and he was sad not to have a book with him. Klaus loved to read, and at approximately twelve years of age had read more books than many people read in their whole lives. Sometimes he read well into the night, and in the morning could be found fast asleep, with a book in his hand and his glasses still on.

"I think you′ll like Dr. Montgomery, too," Mr. Poe said. "He has traveled a great deal, so he has plenty of stories to tell. I′ve heard his house is filled with things he′s brought from all the places he′s been."

"Bax!" Sunny shrieked. Sunny, the youngest of the Baudelaire orphans, often talked like this, as infants tend to do. In fact, besides biting things with her four very sharp teeth, speaking in fragments was how Sunny spent most of her time. It was often difficult to tell what she meant to say. At this moment she probably meant something along the lines of "I′m nervous about meeting a new relative." All three children were.

"How exactly is Dr. Montgomery related to us?" Klaus asked.

"Dr. Montgomery is-let me see-your late father′s cousin′s wife′s brother. I think that′s right. He′s a scientist of some sort, and receives a great deal of money from the government."

As a banker, Mr. Poe was always interested in money.

"What should we call him?" Klaus asked.

"You should call him Dr. Montgomery," Mr. Poe replied, "unless he tells you to call him Montgomery. Both his first and last names are Montgomery, so it doesn′t really make much difference."

"His name is Montgomery Montgomery?" Klaus said, smiling.

"Yes, and I′m sure he′s very sensitive about that, so don′t ridicule him," Mr. Poe said, coughing again into his handkerchief. "′Ridicule′ means ′tease.′"

Klaus sighed. "I know what ′ridicule′ means," he said. He did not add that of course he also knew not to make fun of someone′s name. Occasionally, people thought that because the orphans were unfortunate, they were also dim-witted.

A Series of Unfortunate Events #3: The Wide Window. Copyright (c) by Lemony Snicket . Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

First Chapter

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Wide Window Movie Tie-in Edition

Chapter One

If you didn't know much about the Baudelaire orphans, and you saw them sitting on their suitcases at Damocles Dock, you might think that they were bound for an exciting adventure. After all, the three children had just disembarked from the Fickle Ferry, which had driven them across Lake Lachrymose to live with their Aunt Josephine, and in most cases such a situation would lead to thrillingly good times.

But of course you would be dead wrong. For although Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire were about to experience events that would be both exciting and memorable, they would not be exciting and memorable like having your fortune told or going to a rodeo. Their adventure would be exciting and memorable like being chased by a werewolf through a field of thorny bushes at midnight with nobody around to help you. If you are interested in reading a story filled with thrillingly good times, I am sorry to inform you that you are most certainly reading the wrong book, because the Baudelaires experience very few good times over the course of their gloomy and miserable lives. It is a terrible thing, their misfortune, so terrible that I can scarcely bring myself to write about it. So if you do not want to read a story of tragedy and sadness, this is your very last chance to put this book down, because the misery of the Baudelaire orphans begins in the very next paragraph.

"Look what I have for you," Mr. Poe said, grinning from ear to ear and holding out a small paper bag. "Peppermints!" Mr. Poe was a banker who had been placed in charge of handling the affairs of the Baudelaire orphans after their parents died. Mr. Poe was kindhearted, but it is not enough in this world to be kindhearted, particularly if you are responsible for keeping children out of danger. Mr. Poe had known the three children since they were born, and could never remember that they were allergic to peppermints.

"Thank you, Mr. Poe," Violet said, and took the paper bag and peered inside. Like most fourteen-year-olds, Violet was too well mannered to mention that if she ate a peppermint she would break out in hives, a phrase which here means "be covered in red, itchy rashes for a few hours." Besides, she was too occupied with inventing thoughts to pay much attention to Mr. Poe. Anyone who knew Violet would know that when her hair was tied up in a ribbon to keep it out of her eyes, the way it was now, her thoughts were filled with wheels, gears, levers, and other necessary things for inventions. At this particular moment she was thinking of how she could improve the engine of the Fickle Ferry so it wouldn't belch smoke into the gray sky.

"That's very kind of you," said Klaus, the middle Baudelaire child, smiling at Mr. Poe and thinking that if he had even one lick of a peppermint, his tongue would swell up and he would scarcely be able to speak. Klaus took his glasses off and wished that Mr. Poe had bought him a book or a newspaper instead. Klaus was a voracious reader, and when he had learned about his allergy at a birthday party when he was eight, he had immediately read all his parents' books about allergies. Even four years later he could recite the chemical formulas that caused his tongue to swell up.

"Toi!" Sunny shrieked. The youngest Baudelaire was only an infant, and like many infants, she spoke mostly in words that were tricky to understand. By "Toi!" she probably meant "I have never eaten a peppermint because I suspect that I, like my siblings, am allergic to them," but it was hard to tell. She may also have meant "I wish I could bite a peppermint, because I like to bite things with my four sharp teeth, but I don't want to risk an allergic reaction."

"You can eat them on your cab ride to Mrs. Anwhistle's house," Mr. Poe said, coughing into his white handkerchief. Mr. Poe always seemed to have a cold and the Baudelaire orphans were accustomed to receiving information from him between bouts of hacking and wheezing. "She apologizes for not meeting you at the dock, but she says she's frightened of it."

"Why would she be frightened of a dock?" Klaus asked, looking around at the wooden piers and sailboats.

"She's frightened of anything to do with Lake Lachrymose," Mr. Poe said, "but she didn't say why. Perhaps it has to do with her husband's death. Your Aunt Josephine--she's not really your aunt, of course; she's your second cousin's sister-in-law, but asked that you call her Aunt Josephine--your Aunt Josephine lost her husband recently, and it may be possible that he drowned or died in a boat accident. It didn't seem polite to ask how she became a dowager. Well, let's put you in a taxi."

"What does that word mean?" Violet asked.

Mr. Poe looked at Violet and raised his eyebrows. "I'm surprised at you, Violet," he said. "A girl of your age should know that a taxi is a car which will drive you someplace for a fee. Now, let's gather your luggage and walk to the curb."

"‘Dowager,'" Klaus whispered to Violet, "is a fancy word for ‘widow.'""Thank you," she whispered back, picking up her suitcase in one hand and Sunny in the other. Mr. Poe was waving his handkerchief in the air to signal a taxi to stop, and in no time at all the cabdriver piled all of the Baudelaire suitcases into the trunk and Mr. Poe piled the Baudelaire children into the back seat.

"I will say good-bye to you here," Mr. Poe said. "The banking day has already begun, and I'm afraid if I go with you out to Aunt Josephine's I will never get anything done.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Wide Window Movie Tie-in Edition. Copyright © by Lemony Snicket. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

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4282442

Posted February 22, 2011

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the books get scarer and scarer! i love sloving the mysteries beffore i find the answer. if you are a great reader like me, you wouldnt care that it is sad; just that it is a GREAT book! must read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted January 21, 2012

AMAZING

I was amazed how well this book was written. The nice part is when he jumps in and speaks to you the reader. Its not sad just at the end. The book keeps you on the edge your seat and is great for any age readers. ENJOY!

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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TeensReadToo

Posted November 19, 2008

more from this reviewer

Reviewed by Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius" 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.

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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417-513

Posted February 27, 2011

AWESOMENESSS!

When i read this book, it was like watching a movie! All that was missing was the popcorn and soda!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted January 21, 2012

Amazing

Loved it

3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted January 18, 2012

Yah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Total 5 star book!If you dont like this series you are a loser.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted January 11, 2012

Best books ever published2

hi i return to do best books ever published2 in this book the wide window the orphans go to live with there aunt josephine but as usual count olaf finds them and then aunt josephine goes to hide in a cave then they find her and then count olaf finds them and aunt josephine is tossed over board off of count olafs ship . See you next time on best books ecer published

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted January 24, 2012

Poopie

I want it

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted January 15, 2012

Lol read this

Great book you know how snicket calls it 'miserable' cuz i was reading the reptile room (book 2 of 13) and i felt miserable. Read the whole series and make me nomiserable... jk but its a great series im rereading it

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted January 13, 2012

Read

Read this or you can't read

2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted December 26, 2011

Ok i guess

It could have been better. I would have liked it to be a little more relistic though. I mean why would their aunt even talk to Olaf? Also leetches? I dont think there are any leetches where they were anyway. I wasnt really a fan of this book.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted December 23, 2011

:(

Sad

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Football78

Posted October 10, 2011

it's a good book

In the book "The Wide Window" There were three kids who lost their mother and father in a fire. They need a place to live, and the banker Mr. Poe suggested that they should live with their Aunt Josephine. The three kids thought that that was a good idea. The kid's names are : Klaus, Violet, and Sunny. Aunt Josephine was afraid of the lake that was beside her house. She was afraid that a hurricane would knock her house over, and wash it away. One evening all the kids and Aunt Josephine was eating dinner, and a man came to the door and Aunt Josephine and him talked for a while and then they didn't see Aunt Josephine for the rest of the night. The next morning the man was still there and he made them breakfast. The kids asked where their Aunt was and he said that she went out for a little bit. After a while the kids got worried because she wasn't coming home. The kids went to her door and found a note on her door knob. It said that she had jumped out the wide window in the library. She left a hint to where she was at. She said that she was in a cave on the other side of the lake. They go looking for Aunt Josephine and then they find her. They stay with her in the cave for a little while, and try and convince her to come back home.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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7810737

Posted May 2, 2011

incredible

once u read it u just cant put it down. this series is the most amazing series ive ever read!!! TRY IT FOR YOUR SELF.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted January 18, 2010

I Also Recommend:

THE WIDE WINDOW IS A GREAT BOOK

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS BOOKS!!!! THIS IS A GREAT STORY!!! It has great pictures throughout the book, Lemony Snicket wrote it like it really happened, Violet, Klaus and Sunny get into some of THE WORST situations yet, and the story is great! It is SO absorbing, fast-paced, and thrilling. When Snicket writes, I can see it in my head, like it's a movie. It is great to read just for fun, for reading skills, and sharing with your friends. I like the way Snicket writes, because when he uses unusual words (which he does a lot) he tells you what they mean, and he has a very observant perspective of everything. GREAT BOOK! A BOOK THAT YOU HAVE TO READ!(very unfortunate)

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted April 12, 2012

Sandra

Im ten years old and in fourth grade and i have to say THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!!! Lemony Snicket has great taste!!! Nobody can write a book like him. I ultra recomend this book. They say it's sooo horible. It is not!!! My favorite book in the series. BUY IT!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted February 17, 2012

Ok book

Not the best unfortunate event

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted February 1, 2012

Awesome

Anthony was here!!!!!!

1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Winnie_the_PoohVP

Posted April 30, 2011

this book is ok... i guess....

i have read this book about three to four times and when i last read it i realized how pathetic and redundant it really is. I mean about every page it tells us how sad and angry the baudelair children are after their parents left them yadayadayada..... WE GET THE POINT! The same goes to the next three or four books but then after that they get a little bit more exciting.... :) Most of the plot line is very redundant and has been in a lot of books. To tell the truth i have read much better books....

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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6029854

Posted April 12, 2011

Beast

This book is amazing. I enjoy the series and recomend them.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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The Wide Window: Book the Third (A Series of Unfortunate Events)

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Poopie

Lol read this

Read

Ok i guess

:(

it's a good book

incredible

THE WIDE WINDOW IS A GREAT BOOK

Sandra

Ok book

Awesome

this book is ok... i guess....

Beast