File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents (All the Wrong Questions)
Gr 4–6—In his signature Snickety style, the author of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" (HarperCollins) and creator of that oddball little town known as Stain'd by the Sea offers 13 case files reminiscent of Donald Sobol's Two-Minute Mysteries (Scholastic, 1969). Set in the same locale as the previous installments in the "All the Wrong Questions" titles and starring a young Lemony Snicket investigating strange occurrences as part of his apprenticeship for a shady "secret organization," this companion book can be enjoyed by die-hard fans as well as readers new to the series. Each mini-mystery—just a few pages long—is chock-full of wordplay, clever dialogue, noir references, and red herrings. The short chapters end with a cliff-hanger and kids may consult "Sub-file B" at the back of the work to see how the brilliant young detective solved the crime. Black-and-white illustrations highlight key details and provide a few subtle clues along the way. Though there is a narrative thread connecting the individual tales, readers can also delve into the separate cases one-by-one with equal enjoyment. By the end, not all mysteries are solved, nor all questions answered; whodunit aficionados will want to revisit again and again.—Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal