“If you children stay nice and still,” said the tall man, flashing a sympathetic smile, “I promise this won’t hurt a bit.”
The Mysterious Benedict Society
“Oh, come on, let’s tell the truth for once,” said the other. “Just for kicks.”
The tall man rolled his eyes. “Alright, the truth is that this will hurt. A lot. But if you hold still,” he said, shaking his arms to clear the watches from his suit cuffs, “I promise it won’t hurt long.”
The Mysterious Benedict Society may one of the longest books I have ever read. It comes in at a whopping 126,000 words, and carries an estimated 10-11 hours of read time. It keeps your attention the whole time.
Table of Contents
Plot
“ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD LOOKING FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITES?”
When this ad appears in the newspaper, Reynie can’t help but enter the series of peculiar challenges and tests. But so do many other children. Only four can succeed.
The “special opportunity”? These four children must go on a secret mission, one of most dire importance and high stakes. Only the most gifted and resourceful youth could accomplish a mission of such consequence.
I found this a very enjoyable book. The plot is full of mysteries (I know, I wouldn’t have guessed it either) and puzzles you can try to solve right alongside the characters.
It all comes to a head in a thrilling and satisfying climax.
Characters
Reynie Muldoon, and every other character in the book, is unique and memorable. Reynie is talented at solving logical puzzles. His friend Sticky Washington is a walking dictionary. Kate Wethers is resourceful and intuitive, and Constance Contrair is…stubborn.
I enjoyed how each of the characters have their own personality, yet they work well together as a team. Most of the time, anyways.
Theme and Spiritual Application
There are good themes of ingenuity, problem solving, and family, but no reference to God.
A big theme of the book is, “Who is your family?” Every character is an orphan or runaway, so they have no blood family. The book makes the case that family is more than genetic.
Another main theme is that children are capable of great things. All the main characters are twelve or younger. Granted, these are gifted children. The Mysterious Benedict Society argues children are, in some cases, more able than adults.
Overall
The tone of the book is more of a classic style, something you might expect to read in Huckleberry Finn or Around the World in Eighty Days. It sets a humorous atmosphere to the story.
The Mysterious Benedict Society has become another of my favorite books, and will be due for a re-read in several months. Until then, I have the rest of the series to read.
If you’re interested in the book, you can find it on Amazon here, and find the series website here.
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1 Comment
The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict - The Benefield Bookmark · December 17, 2021 at 8:03 pm
[…] Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart is a prequel to the four-book Mysterious Benedict Society series. It follows nine-year-old Nicholas Benedict as he discovers a thrilling mystery—and […]