The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Teen Book Club
The Bad Beginning Discussion Questions
- What do you think of the narration, is it 1st or 3rd person?
- Is it helpful when the narrator defines the words within the story?
- What do you think of Violet?
- What do you think of Klaus?
- Does Sunny have a clear personality?
- Does it seem odd that his first thought when he hears that his parents died in a fire that burned their house down is that he won’t be able to read the thousands of books in the library?
- Did the time living at the Poes seem odd?
- Why do you think that Violet believed they would be living in Justice Strauss’s nice house?
- What do you think of Count Olaf?
- Why do you think that all three children have to share one room in a rather large house?
- What did you think of the dinner fiasco?
- Why don’t the children let the judge know when the abuse rose to the physical level?
- Did you suspect that Count Olaf was up to no good when he told Violet that she had to be in play where she should would pretend to marry him?
- Why do you think Justice Strauss would be starstruck about being in a play with the creepy guy from next door?
- Was it silly of Klaus to tell Count Olaf that he figured out his plan to get Violet’s money through marriage?
- What kind of monster keeps a baby hostage to force a fourteen year old girl to marry him?
- Were you surprised that Violet’s grappling hook was caught by the man with the hook hand?
- Do the walkie talkies seem odd?
- Does the book feel like it’s set in the modern world?
- Why do you think Violet signed her real name?
- Was the trick with using her left hand a good one?
- Did you hope the children could stay with Justice Strauss?
- Did you like the book?
- Would you read more in the series?
Created by Michelle Haring