The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events #4), by Lemony Snicket
published 2000 - read 2004

This book features some of the best useless authority figures in the series.  I think these books are designed mainly to make children distrust adults - even the one well-meaning and sincerely-intentioned grownup here is too cowed by his status as a yes-man to do anything remotely helpful for the orphans.  Other than that, this book is a bit of a holding pattern, although it's fun how the mechanics of the plot get Klaus out of the picture for a while and require Violet to take charge.

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