The Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart
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Book Reviews of The Mysterious Benedict Society
Book Review: Clever plot, lovable characters, great message -
Summary: 4 Stars
I stumbled upon this novel while I was wondering through the children's section of my local bookstore looking for a gift for my nephew. Since he's only two, I couldn't justified buying it for him (yet), but it seemed intriguing enough to add to my pile. I'm really glad I made that decision because The Mysterious Benedict Society has the makings of another Potter-esque series for young adult readers and grown-ups alike.
Reynie Muldoon is a genius. At 11-years-old he's completed all of the required courses through the high school level and he's constantly on the lookout for new challenges. It's because of this that he answers a classified ad in the newspaper advertising special opportunities for gifted children. From there, he goes on to meet three other extraordinary young people and a back-up cast of talented adults, all dedicated to tracking down and stopping the source of "The Emergency".
This is a really thought-provoking story that doesn't take the intelligence of children for granted. In fact, it allows that intelligence to blossom through the insertion of subtle riddles and tests for the reader as you go along.
For adults, there are times when the answers to these riddles may seem obvious - When that happens, be sure to remind yourself that you are reading a children's book! It's easy to forget sometimes because the writing style pulls no punches and never "dumbs down" to accomodate a younger audience. Personally, I think this is great because I'm a complete advocate for challenging young minds.
The set-up of this story does take some time (the first 150 pages or so) and sometimes seems a little tedious when reading. It's because of this that I only awarded 4 stars, as opposed to 5. However, push through and you won't be sorry. I did and now I'm really looking forward to seeing what adventures lie in store for Reynie and the rest of the Mysterious Benedict Society.
Book Review: Read this book!
Summary: 5 Stars
`Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?' This is the beginning of The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart. Four young, talented children will embark on a dangerous secret mission, using their wits, personalities, and resourcefulness to solve the problem presented to them by Mr. Benedict, the mysterious man behind the tests that picked them out of the crowd. Reynie Muldoon, Sticky Washington, Kate Wetherall, and Constance Contraire are the four children who are all gifted and talented in their own ways. These four children will need to save the world. Only special children like them could ever succeed with this daunting task. Being gifted and talented doesn't mean that the children aren't human; they share all of the human emotions and moods. Saving the world isn't going to be a cakewalk; not with the occasional fear, anger, and uncertainty. However, things can get cheery when they share laughter and happiness. I think that the pure and very real emotions shared in this book is one of the reasons I liked it the most. Furthermore, all the mystery and challenges they face make this a somewhat dark story.
I absolutely loved this book, with the plot and characters all being very detailed and complex. I'm very glad that a good friend recommended the book to me, because I can't wait to read the sequel. For fans of mystery, suspense, and adventure; I definitely recommend this book. Great for ages eleven and up. For reader's who like books by J.K. Rowling and Lemony Snicket, this book is a good choice, because of it's complex story lines, inventive characters, and a classic twist to the battle between good and evil. This book isn't just for kids though. Adults can take interest in the story too. I believe that this book incorporates all the different genres and has a little of everything, just to keep the reader hooked. The city of Stonetown has never been so interesting.
Book Review: Disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars
Okay, granted, I'm about 20+ years above the target demographic for this book, but usually I find that a good kids book is enjoyable for adults as well. Not so with this first in the Mysterious Benedict Society series. My ten year old nephew is actually a fan of the series though, so that may count for more than the review of some old geezer.
From my point of view, the book starts out as pretty engaging, with the premise of finding special children to combat a mysterious mad scientist who wants to take over the world. Each of the children is fabulously talented in some way.
Okay, so now the kids have been selected, their mission spelled out to them... let the action begin! It's at this point that the story fails completely. Beyond the fact that it's completely and utterly unrealistic even within the context of the novel (Harry Potter may have involved magic, but once you accept that, everything else made sense), it's BORING.
Lee Stewart tried to make the ending action-packed, and succeeded a bit more in that, but in doing so lost all sense of continuity. Basically, there's a completely unexplained deus ex machina that if it was possible could have happened 500 pages earlier, and a lot of people somehow knowing things that the rest of the novel had set up that they couldn't possibly know. And finally a completely impossible reveal at the end.
Personally, I would have rated this at best a two star, but since my nephew is so fond of it, have to say it's at least "OK."
The nice thing is that all the themes are child friendly, there's no adult situations or language, and it seems to have positive messages. The language is of a moderately high level, so appropriate for smart ten year olds.
Book Review: A book for the geeky kids :-)
Summary: 4 Stars
Have you ever found yourself feeling alone? Out of place? Too smart to be cool? If so, maybe you have what it takes to be a member of the Mysterious Benedict Society.
Reynie Muldoon is all of these things and more. When he answers an ad promising a special opportunity, little did Reynie realize that he would save the world - a task only children could accomplish!
I purchased this book (kindle edition) to read to my almost-10 year old son. Unfortunately, the long descriptions and slow pace seemed to thrill me more than him. As my son was adopted, I thought the premise would entice him (the children were all orphans or without parents) - and in that respect it really did (good for him to see it as a positive). However, I felt this book would capture the attention of kids that can relate to Reynie's feelings of being alone and "different" - and in that respect, I think it was speaking to my nerd-like bookworm tendencies. As a child, I would have loved this book for seeing brainiacs as the protagonists.
I felt the characters very believable and enjoyed their antics, especially Kate. While there is little action, there are some very tense moments that kept me on edge. And, it was (at least for me) a page turner. The feel good ending was a little too convenient, but there were some VERY surprising reveals.
If you have a boy's boy who tends to like dragon books and the like, maybe this is a pass. The lack of action seemed to be his complaint, although he said he liked it - just didn't love it. Otherwise, if you have a bookworm on your hands, it's a great read.
Note on the kindle edition: as of the date of this review, the code to figure out Mr. Benedict's first name is missing.
Book Review: Fun for Young and Old Alike! Reviewed by the Book Junkie
Summary: 5 Stars
I originally discovered "The Mysterious Benedict Society" on a list of books for people who like "Harry Potter." What a fabulous discovery! I loved the story, the characters, the settings, the dialog--everything about the book. The book tells a tale of four children who, after many challenges, adventures, close calls, and last-minute rescues, save the world from the evil mastermind Mr. Curtain.
The story begins when Reynie Muldoon, an orphan who is clever enough to need a special tutor to engage his mind, reads a newspaper ad for "a gifted child looking for special opportunities". Responding to the ad, Reynie takes a series of tests to find out if those special opportunities might be for him. On completing the tests, Reynie and his three new friends Sticky, Kate, and Constance, meet Mr. Benedict, the author of the ad. Mr. Benedict tells the children of a great danger to the world: Mr. Curtain, who plans to take over the world via a machine that plants thoughts in people's minds. Furthermore, Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance are the only ones who can stop the evil plot. To that end, the children enroll in the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened--a school run by Mr. Curtain for the purpose of disguising his plot and for the easy access to children he can trick into working on his project.
With many riddles, puzzles, codes, and plot twists, "The Mysterious Benedict Society" is a brilliant page-turner. If you like Roald Dahl, you'll like this. The book is nicely written and fun to read. It has elements of science fiction, adventure story, school story, mystery, and probably several other genres. This is an excellent story populated by wonderful characters. It's definitely worth reading!