The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
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Book Reviews of The Mysterious Benedict Society
Book Review: A Page Turner
Summary: 5 Stars
The Mysterious Benedict Society
By Trenton Lee Stewart
Mr. Benedict is a genius who is trying to stop a very serious crime ring. With no way to get into the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, he devises a plan to find the most intelligent children.
Children come from all over to take Mr. Benedict's test. They are tested in obedience, following directions, honesty etc. Although hundreds of children take the test, there are only four children who can pass it.
All of these children are either homeless, or orphans. They will infiltrate the school on an island in the middle of the sea. They will communicate with Mr. Benedict, through a secret code. If they choose to take on this mission, their very lives may be in peril.
These children learn to depend on each other. They learn to be brave, while learning just how smart and needed they are.
Children and adults alike will be entranced by The Mysterious Benedict Society.
I highly recommend this unusual tale of responsibility and never letting your friends down.
Jill Ammon Vanderwood
Author:
Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)
Book Review: There should be an option of 6 stars...
Summary: 5 Stars
Amazing, out-of-this-world stuff! Adventure, witty descriptions, comical actions. Lee perfectly paced the story and gave characters depth where I grew to love each and every one of them. Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance faced dangers that left me wondering whether luck shall befall them or not. Written in a very entertaining way, I never had a moment where I wished it weren't dinnertime or bedtime.
I had been looking for a book that would grasp me and not let me go. This was it. I marveled (and still do) at the author's talent for putting together such a wonderful and creative story. From the moment at Border's Bookstore I saw the cover and read the back description, I felt like this was for me. I'm ever so glad I took the risk of buying an unknown book (as in this risk you have about a 1 in 3 chance you'll like it).
If you are a person reading this review whether child or adult, I promise you, The Mysterious Benedict Society won't let you down. From beginning to end (and literally to the last page), the adventure and purity of storytelling will reach out to you, so when you're done you'll say "Wow," and write a review full of praise.
P.S. Pay close attention to the names. They're all really quite interesting.
Book Review: My 13-year-old son asked me to read it...
Summary: 5 Stars
... which hasn't happened since the Harry Potter series. So I read and enjoyed it! It's an adventure story, with clues uncovered, puzzles to solve, and danger. My son compared both the plot and the characters to Madeleine L'Engle's "Wrinkle in Time". I agree, although its plot isn't quite as... transcendental. My immediate response to the book was an appreciation for its definition of "genius". At the start of the story, our main character, an 11-year-old orphan boy who is ostracized by classmates because of his obvious intelligence, is being tested along with other kids in a search for children of exceptional brightness. Creatively unfolding for us, as we join the main character in his testing and as we meet those others who have passed, is that genius will be represented quite differently in each child. We end up with a team of four children who join a team of three adults, one of them is Mr. Benedict, so wildly described as to remind me of Roald Dahl, and whose most important trait is their strength of character. It is up to these children to stop the bad guy who has been sending subliminal messages (through television) and plans to make himself M.A.S.T.E.R. (Minister and Secretary of All the Earth's Regions)!Book Review: very suspenseful
Summary: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed this suspenseful book. It leaves you wanting more. I read this book because I was going to be in a book club camp that requires you to read certain books. One of those books happened to be, The Mysterious Benedict Society. Knowing I only had a week to read this book I had to get reading. At first, I didn't think I could read a 500 page book, but I was up to the challenge. Day by day, I would go to my library at my house and read. Each day I got hooked in more. At last I finished the book. I felt sad and happy. I felt happy because, duh, I just finished a 500 page book in less than a week! I was sad because I didn't want the book to end. Thank goodness for books because there's always an adventure to leap into. Where will that adventure take you? Who knows, but that's the fun part, not knowing.
This is a book about friendship, determination and intelligence. The characters in this book take many journeys and become friends along the way. The vocabulary is rich and challenging which makes the book all the more fun to read. I encourage you to keep a dictionary handy. If you're looking for a suspenseful book, this is the book to read! Enjoy and happy reading, my friends!
Book Review: Wonderful!
Summary: 5 Stars
We read this book based on a recommendation from a reading list.
We are homeshcoolers, and we read a LOT of books. I read it aloud to my 7 and 4 year-olds. This is the first time I saw my 7 year-old really light up with book to the degree that she could not wait for the next chapter and begged me to read on. It was a bit over the head of my 4 year-old, so he was not quite as interested, mainly because we read for hours at a time on a couple of days. (!) Couldn't help ourselves. There were some surprises at the end, one of them I could see coming all through the book, and another was quite a surprise for me! THAT was fun!
This was a long book to read aloud, but it was worth every minute. I truly enjoyed the book as much as my daughter. It is well written and engaging, with no "flinchy" moments for me as I read to my children (good and evil are well-defined and assumed, and no post-modern preachiness). It had just the right amount of suspense and nerve-rattling moments without being too scary for a child to handle.
Love, love, loved it.
We'll read it again when my 4 year-old is a bit older. I want to read it again myself.