Book Review #8 - The Mysterious Benedict Society

Thoughts:

First of all, may I say what absolute perfection this series is?

Of course I may say. This is my post.

*coughs*

I’m sure you can tell your lovely host did not write this by the first three sentences. I kidnapped her and took over her blog (read as she allowed me one post). Now I, (probably not) the one and only Raya Lee shall review a favorite book for you.

Anyways, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart is quite possibly one of my favorite books of all time. I have many a great many favorite books, but it is a favorite among favorites. After all, it is the only book that has It is the only book who has Mr. Benedict, a curious man who falls asleep at inopportune times and wears green plaid suits to hopefully fall asleep at fewer inopportune times. It is the only book who has Sticky (given name George) Washington, a genius boy who often has an urge to polish his spectacles and recite random facts at very inopportune times. It is the only book who has Kate Weatherall, an energetic blonde with undiagnosed ADHD who carries a red bucket and grew up in a circus, resulting in her often leaping before she looks at very inopportune times. It is the only book who has Constance Contraire, a small, unpleasant girl who creates insulting poems (at inopportune times, I might add).

Most importantly, The Mysterious Benedict Society is the only book who has Reynard Muldoon. Reynard—known as Reynie by most—is a rather average boy. He has average brown hair and average brown eyes. He is an average height, has an average fair complexion, has an average tendency to sing in the shower; the list goes on. But Reynie is certainly above average in the way he thinks. When the add above pops into the local newspaper, Reynie finds himself with three unusual children (though he is quite an unusual child himself) infiltrating the best-known school for children. Why? Well I guess you’ll have to read to find out!

Author: Trenton Lee Stewart

Genre: Mystery/Adventure

Series: Yes, The Mysterious Benedict Society is a 4-book series.

Time Period: Unknown, but hinted towards 1950’s-1960’s with some very modern aspects.

Setting: the City of Stonetown

Summary:

“ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD LOOKING FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES?” When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your writs right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. With their newfound friendship at stake, will they be able to pass the most important test of all?"

(Summary is from the back of the book)

Main Characters (in order of appearance): 

Reynard (Reynie) Muldoon—age 11; Sticky Washington—age 11; Kate Weatherall—age 12; Constance Contraire

Writing Style: 

Written in third-person, primarily from Reynie’s perspective, but occasionally switching between characters’ POV’s. For those who care about sentence structure variation and redundancy in wording, you certainly won’t have to worry about that in this book! There are some good descriptions, but the story primarily consists of dialogue and inner dialogue rather than descriptive scenes you might find in other books. What kept me hooked for this story was how the loose ends that got tied up like a nice pair of ice skates by the end of the story without merely explaining what happened.

Character Development: 

It’s amazing to see how each of the characters grow throughout this story, even with it just being the first book! The characters learn the important lesson of teamwork, courage, and friendship, but they each have smaller lessons they learn individually. The four MCs each have their own quirky traits too, which makes you incredibly attached. Even the more minor characters are individually unique, with their own set of talents (or lack thereof).

Plot Development: 

If you get to know me more (which I’m pretty sure you will, as our lovely host has been so kind to offer me future appearances on her blog), you will discover how much I abhor slow books with no action or plot development. Although The Mysterious Benedict Society has a few slow points, especially the beginning, it was interesting enough to hold my attention (which is actually saying a lot). It caught my attention relatively quickly, within the first few chapters, and I kept reading until I suddenly couldn’t put the book down. I thought it was also extremely well-paced without moving too fast or too slow once you got hooked.

Theme of the Book: 

I hate to say it, but this kinda is a “Power of Love and Friendship” kind of story. However, it’s done in an incredibly unique way. The story also highlights the importance of courage, standing up for yourself and your friends, and the importance of the truth.

Spiritual Content: 

Brief mention of astrology/zodiac signs, one character says a very brief prayer.

Warnings: 

One character has psychic abilities, mentions of bad relationships with parents, most characters are orphans, lying and cheating for the greater good, spying, bullying, use of various types of rather strange weapons and machines, scary evil genius guy and henchmen, strange traps, brainwashing/erasing memories, vomiting and kind-of poisoning… Okay this list is getting longer and more concerning… it’s a good book, I promise I’m not (too) mentally ill!

Age Rating: 

9+ for content, but there is some word usage that may leave a 9 year old confused.

Pre Teens:

Young Teens:

Older Teens:

Personal Rating:

This post was written by Raya Lee. Musician. Author. Permanently Exhausted and Overworked Student.