The Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart
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Book Reviews of The Mysterious Benedict Society
Book Review: 2nd grader is crazy about this book
Summary: 5 Stars
Review of "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" This is the question asked in The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. It is a book full of twists, mysteries, and puzzles to figure out.
Reynie is a great puzzle solver, Sticky knows pretty much everything because he reads faster that his head can even decipher it and has a photographic memory, Kate is the athletic person of the bunch who ran away to the circus when she was 7, and Constance, well, let's just say that she is very, very stubborn. These are the children that make up the Mysterious Benedict Society. Dozens of children answer an advertisement in the newspaper to take the test, but only these 4 make it through the 4 stages of the test. After passing the test, they meet Mr. Benedict and learn that messages are being subliminally transmitted on electronic devices to take over the world. He asks them to join him in this dangerous mission to uncover who is committing this crime. They agree to join him and the adventure begins.
In an interview, Trenton Lee Stewart, the author of The Mysterious Benedict Society, cannot describe his favorite pizza, but he surely will pick chocolate chip cookie dough over apple pie as his favorite dessert. When he was little he read comic books about Spiderman, he still thinks that Spiderman is his favorite superhero. He read a lot as a child, some of his favorites were The Hobbit, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, and Watership Down, but he doesn't remember what he reads as well as Sticky does. He says the idea for this novel came from his belief that children are often seen, rarely heard, and always underestimated!
I used to be scared of long books, but this 485 page, one of a kind, book eliminated that fear. I loved pretty much all of the main characters, except Constance, she is not like me at all because she is really bad mannered. Kate was my favorite because she is like me, very athletic, nice and good mannered.
I would recommend you read The Mysterious Benedict Society if you like daring adventure or solving difficult mysteries. I loved it so much I am reading the sequel, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey.
Book Review: A stupendously smart story of singularly-super spy sprogs
Summary: 5 Stars
The Mysterious Benedict Society begins with a whole lot of children appearing at the appointed place in response to a newspaper ad asking, "Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities." After a series of unusual tests (my favorite part of the book), only four remain. The foursome is destined to become a team of spies at The Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, run by mastermind genius Ledroptha Curtain. Their mission is to secretly investigate Curtain and his mind-altering device, while masquerading as regular students. Armed with little beyond brains, a bit of brawn, and a bucket, the kids are dropped off at the island school. They learn about its student leaders, the Messengers and Executives, who are given special privileges involving (beware of upcoming spoilers) the Whisperer, a machine invented by Curtain that filters his messages through the minds of certain pupils, which are then transferred directly into the brains of others by way of TV, radio and phone signals. They, in turn, trigger memories of longer, more specific doublespeak-like messages. Children must be used because (p 101) "Where adult thoughts would lumber into the mind like an elephant, children's creep in on cat feet and find a shadowy place to hide." Sticky, Reynie, Kate and Constance keep their leader, Mr. Benedict (thus the group's name), and his two odd intellectual assistants apprised of the situation by using riddles transmitted by Morse code. Keeping ahead of Curtain's minions and the evil Recruiters while trying to learn the mysteries of the Whisperer and its workings leads to several close calls (and a lot of entertainment for the reader). A mind is a terrible thing to waste. And it won't be as long as Mr. Benedict and his team are on the case. The Mysterious Benedict Society is a smart book about a varied group of pre-teens that push past their fears to solve a mental mystery, supporting the contention that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Its humor, challenging vocabulary, and original plot make it an excellent choice for nine to eleven-year-old science fiction and mystery fans. Also good: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, and The Giver by Lois Lowery.Book Review: Beautiful and Grand from Beginning to End
Summary: 5 Stars
I was a little skeptic upon reading The Mysterious Benedict Society due to its longevity and supposed difficulty to read. But I was very impressed upon reading it. The book contained many clever riddles that (along with the characters) you must solve, and many surprising plot twists. The unpredictability of this book made guessing what would happen next nearly impossible because literally anything could happen. It was delightful from start to finish because this book openly engaged me, and sometimes I felt as if I was a part of the "society" the main protagonist were in!
A character in this book that was very notable was Kate. She's an orphaned girl who joins then quits the circus, and also relies heavily on her bucket to carry her many particularly random tools around. She starts off a little wild in the beginning; being very stubbornly independent. But she opens up to the rest of the gang, and ends up using her bucket of tools to nearly save her and her friends lives numerous times. She learns that she must depend on other people to help her out because she cannot do everything by herself.
The book thoughout preaches about your own uniqueness (without being corny) by showcasing all of the protagonists talents, and making feel more understanding of my, and other peoples', uniqueness. Reynie excels at leadership, he can spot riddles and is a big-hearted peace-maker. Sticky has a vast almost unfathomable knowledge and can memorize anything regardless of length. Kate, as mentioned above, can use her bucket of tools to get her and her friends out of danger; she also does not fall under pressure easily. Constance is rather tricky, she will refuse to do anything or actually work, so she is often seen as deadmeat to her friends, but her stubbornness will soon to be proven one of the most important keys of the book.
The book was close to flawlessness being that it had a hook the entire novel, witty humor, and even an almost tear-jerking climax. I would stay up for nights just waiting to see what would happen next and only to come across a magnificent plot-twist. I highly recommend this book for young people because of its beautiful story flow, and because it is an intellectually stimulating novel.
Book Review: Mysterious Benedict Society
Summary: 4 Stars
"The missing aren't missing, they're only departed, all minds keep all thoughts - so like gold - closely guarded." There is an add in the newspaper, calling for exceptionally smart children. When Raynie goes to figure out what it is all about, he finds out it is to take a test, he does it. He gets accepted for the project, which turns out to be to save mankind from having everyone's memory erased, so the world can be taken over.
From the first page, The Mysterious Benedict Society (TMBS) is a capturing story, full of adventure and fun. It's an interesting story, of four very smart kids, that end up having to save the world. In a way that's really cool, but its also kind of cheesy. The book is really good, but at times it is a bit childish. If you are okay with that sometimes, than it is a fine book for you. But if you are more into serious realistic books, it may not be.
There are four main characters in it, Raynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance. They are all very different, and I think almost anyone can relate to at least one of them. When you read about these characters and their interactions, it is very relatable to real life. They have some interesting and abnormal qualities about them but in a lot of ways they are like anyone else.
This book is full of mystery (hence the title) and is very in-depth. Trenton Lee Stewart wrote this book very well, as he kept you involved and wanting to read more. There are sometimes puzzles in the book, which the kids have to complete, and usually you can't help yourself from trying to figure them out yourself. Sometimes you cant though!
I would highly recommend this book if you like a story about mystery, friendship, and adventure. One thing that I really enjoy about this book is that in a way it motivates you. That may sound kind of weird, but it does. These kids are all perceived as nerds at the beginning, but they actually do something huge by being so smart, and are thought as different people, who helped the human race. Over all, I really enjoyed The Mysterious Benedict Society, and you might as well. There is also a sequel and a prequel, which I have not read yet, but will in the near future.
Book Review: Plenty of mental and physical adventure to please readers of all ages
Summary: 4 Stars
This book revolves around the trials and tribulations of four orphans who, after completing a serious of challenging and unorthodox tests, are tasked with a highly dangerous mission, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. In order to prevail (supposing that they do indeed find themselves triumphant), they must face their greatest fears and learn to trust one another and come together as a team. Each child brings an important skill to the team (though the importance of some of these skills are not revealed until very late in the book), and it is only united that they can hope to be successful. There is plenty of action and adventure throughout the book, but for all the physical skirmishes, the book is also filled with puzzles, riddles, and mental strategizing. As such, I think it would appeal to a wide variety of children (because it is kid lit), but certainly adults as well. Strong core themes of friendship, family, bravery, truth, and intellectual freedom run throughout the novel, although the latter one might be a bit esoteric/advanced for most child readers; still, Stewart handles all of the issues in a fairly elegant way, and avoids being pedantic. I found the first part of the book where everything is shrouded in mystery stronger than the latter part of the novel, where things do lose steam a bit and the plot seems to meander.
Overall, I didn't exactly feel as though this book held the same magic of the Harry Potter books (no pun intended!) despite the comparisons, but I did enjoy it, and read it quickly (despite its length). The characters were all sympathetic, but not necessarily as well-developed or sympathetic as those in the Potter novels (for instance, Mr. Benedict, is a far cry from Albus Dumbledore). It was a solid first novel (it appears there will be a series), but everything added up to a very good, but not necessarily great, book. Perhaps subsequent books will allow for more meaningful development for all four characters. I won't be rushing out to read the next one (as I did with Chamber of Secrets, after finishing Philosopher's Stone), but I certainly intend to eventually read the next book and the next adventure.