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
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