Who Could That Be at This Hour?

Well, that was fast. OK, sure it’s technically a children’s book. And the type is fairly large. And the margins are fairly large. But still. I’ve been so busy lately it seems I don’t have a lot of time to read, so this was the perfect book to pick.

Who Could That Be at This Hour?* is the first in Lemony Snicket’s new series, All the Wrong Questions. This time, our hero is Mr. Snicket himself. So far, anyway.

I loved his Series of Unfortunate Events,* and so was very happy to find out there was a new series. And so far, it does not disappoint. Snicket is a 13-year-old apprentice to an inept chaperone, working on solving a mystery. I won’t give you details, because you should really read the book yourself. If you liked ASOUE for more than just the story of the Baudelaire siblings, for the style and grace of the writing, then you’ll surely like this new series (at least the first book).

Just as an aside, I love the way he can really simplify things without over-simplifying them to the point where it’s condescending. Maybe it’s his humor. His gentlemanly prose. I dunno. But like this: “It reminds me of a book my father used to read to me…a bunch of elves and things get into a huge war over a piece of jewellery that everybody wants but nobody can wear” (237). Nice one.

Go forth and read, my friends.