Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Young readers who have worked their way through Lemony Snicket may well find their next obsession in The Mysterious Benedict Society, a dandy YA debut by novelist Trenton Lee Stewart. This engaging tale has all the elements tweens find intriguing: gifted kids, a dangerous mission, and a secret society where nothing is as it seems. Stewart throws plenty of challenges -- physical, mental, and moral -- in the path of his young protagonists, and readers will have fun solving the riddles and unraveling the clues in this smart, unconventional mystery. Complex, unpredictable, and deeply respectful of children's innate intelligence, The Mysterious Benedict Society is highly recommended for thoughtful preteens.

Review:

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart is a very interesting book as it is reminiscent of a 1920s spy story, though it is set in the present. It has a wide array of strange and intriguing characters, with Reynie Muldoon as the main character. After being initiated into a secret society, Reynie and his friends must discover who is sending sinister messages through media broadcasts and communication devices to everyone in the world.

The Mysterious Benedict Society was a humorous book and allowed the reader to see the strength of the various characters. The tests that the characters had to go through to be accepted into the mysterious society were very unconventional and challenging and lead the characters to think outside of the box.

The book kept up the mystery and suspense without becoming monotonous or frustrating at any point. Enough information was given to satisfy the reader and keep them gripped until the very end. The end was shocking, surprising and full of twists.

The book was well paced and the characters were three-dimensional, except for a few caricatures. The Mysterious Benedict Society is from Reynie Muldoon's perspective, in third person narration. Reynie was the leader, a good puzzle solver, a great mediator between the difficult team members and kept them focussed. Kate Weatherall was entertaining to read about. Her strength was escaping and getting past tricky obstacles. This skill proved to be invaluable in this adventure.

Sticky Washington had an impeccable memory. There wasn't much he didn't remember and he absorbed facts like a sponge. Constance Contraire was an enigma. I wasn't sure what she was good at until the climax where her strength became evident. These four had one thing in common and that was that they were all alone and only had each other.

Mr Benedict is also a mystery for much of the novel. I was unsure whether he was good or had sinister motives. There were also a number of other interesting characters such as Ledroptha Curtain, Number Two, Rhonda Kazembe and Milligan.       

Morse code was used in the book which was quite unexpected but Mr Benedict insisted that that is the reason why they should use it. Mr Curtain's Whispering Machine was a strange contraption which was powerful but limited- in the sense that it was pedantic.

There was one shocking pronouncement at the end of the book which was the age of one of the characters which I felt was unrealistic. However, for the most part, The Mysterious Benedict Society was a well-rounded adventure where all the puzzle pieces fitted perfectly and all the loose ends were tied. Most importantly, there is further scope for plenty more adventures in the future as their journey has just begun.

The Mysterious Benedict Society was a worthwhile book to read as it was full of action, adventure and humour. If you liked Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer, you'll enjoy this. I recommend The Mysterious Benedict Society for a bit of light reading. I look forward to reading the next book, The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Perilous Journey.

Enjoy!
Ledroptha Curtain!:)

P.S. The reason for why Kate carries a bucket is still a mystery. Why doesn't she have a bag? Though- it is pretty useful.

Book Rating: 5/5
Cover Rating: 5/5
Author: Trenton Lee Stewart

Review: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius—and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren't the fairies of bedtime stories—they're dangerous! Full of unexpected twists and turns, Artemis Fowl is a riveting, magical adventure.

Review:

 Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer was a great book. It tells the story of a young, intelligent boy who discovers the existence of a secret world inhabited by fairy folk from legend. This is extraordinary in itself; however, the plot thickens when the twelve year old mastermind, Artemis, decides to exploit the fairy people for his own ends.

First and foremost, Artemis Fowl was entertaining and humorous. I loved how all the characters interacted and how funny and sarcastic some of them, such as Foaly, were. I found the story really unique and Colfer’s ideas fresh and welcome. The fairy people live in underground cities as the surface has been taken over by humans. It was easy to visualise the world that is created in Artemis Fowl. This story focuses on the attempts of the Lower Elements Police (LEPrecon) to foil Artemis’ extortionate plan. Artemis Fowl is well written, the characters are 3D and the setting vividly depicted.

Importantly, Artemis Fowl also had times when it dealt with serious issues. The novel explores the way in which the most thought out plans can change in an instant and the consequences which result from making certain decisions. Artemis is so focused on restoring his family fortune and finding his missing father that he loses sight of how other people might be affected by his actions. Artemis is also forced to consider how important money really is if he doesn’t have happiness.

There are many interesting characters in the book such as Captain Holly Short, Commander Root, Butler, Foaly and Mulch Diggums. The varied characters made the book really exciting. It would be too difficult to choose a favourite character as I liked them all.

The word fairy is a collective term used to refer to an assortment of unusual beings including elves, gnomes, pixies, sprites, goblins, dwarves and centaurs. These beings have various powers but they also have certain rules which they cannot break such as not being able to enter a dwelling without permission. They also have much more advanced technology which is extremely sophisticated which gives them an added advantage over humans.

Artemis Fowl was a very interesting book and I enjoyed it a great deal.  It is well worth a read as it is laugh-out-loud funny. Those who enjoy reading about villains as a main character will love this as well as those who enjoyed H.I.V.E by Mark Walden. I can’t wait to read the next books in the series.

Book Rating: 5/5

Cover Rating: 4/5

Author: Eoin Colfer

Review: Life As We Knew It (Last Survivors #1) by Susan Pfeffer

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.


Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all--hope--in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world.


Review:

Life as we Knew It by Susan Pfeffer was a deeply moving struggle for survival. The book opens as Miranda, the sixteen year old protagonist, watches with her family as an asteroid crashes into the moon and displaces it out of its orbit and towards Earth. This increases the moon’s gravitational pull and sets off tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanoes. Life as we Knew It, written in a diary format, is the story of how Miranda and her family survive in the aftermath of this terrible disaster.

I really enjoyed Life as we Knew It because it showed how lives could be changed in a single moment and the plans that people once had for their futures could become impossible. I found it realistic in the sense that it focussed on the day to day worries of having enough food and water; things that are taken for granted. I enjoyed reflecting on this issue as I was fasting at the time I was reading this book as it was Ramadhan. Though Miranda's family have stockpiled everything they need, they ration everything so that it can last as long as possible. They are better off than others however and I wish that more less-fortunate people had been shown.

One of the saddest moments for me is when Miranda is so (understandably) hungry that she goes into the seemingly overflowing pantry and eats from a pack of chocolate chip cookies. The resulting confrontation with her mother was terrible to read as Miranda’s actions not only hurt herself, but the rest of her family. However, by the end of the book, Miranda has grown up and she becomes selfless.

I liked all the characters. Miranda was lucky to have such a brilliant family. The focus of the book was on food and family, however her friends do play a part. Miranda’s friend Sammi leaves the area with an older man to try to find a better place and her other friend Megan prays to God to help save them all. I found Megan’s story really troubling as she was starving herself and thought this issue could have been explored further. Also, the Church wasn’t shown in a good light.

I think that the asteroid hitting the moon should have been taken more seriously by the world. Asteroids probably hit the moon often, but this one was really big and could be seen with the naked eye. The scientists should have had some clue as to what could (and did) happen and made sure there were contingency plans in place. Of course, it wouldn’t save everyone, but some good would have come out of it.

Also, I really thought people would try to break into Miranda's home and steal food but this did not happen. Furthermore, it seemed unrealistic that people would allow the family of the deceased to go through the relative's house first and take everything they wanted, as when you are starving and on the verge of death, manners are the furthest thing from your mind.  

 Other than that, I really enjoyed reading Life as we Knew It and look forward to reading the next book, The Dead and The Gone. I would recommend this to those who like to read post-apocalyptic books, diary format books and books about the environment. You could also read this if you liked Children of the Dust.

Book Rating: 5/5
Concept: 5/5
Cover Rating: 5/5

Author: Susan Pfeffer