Posted in Book Reviews
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
“Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?”
Thus reads an advertisement in the newspaper. Scads of children show up to take the test mentioned in the ad, but only four children pass all the tests. Reynie Muldoon, who is exceptionally talented at solving puzzles; Sticky Washington, a boy with a memory in which everything “sticks”; Kate Weatherall, whose talents center around the bucket she carries; and Constance Contraire—well, let’s just say that Constance is very, very stubborn.
Mr. Benedict has chosen these four children for a special (and dangerous) task: to infiltrate the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened. The organization poses a threat to the world, and it’s up to the children to find out how it can be stopped.
First off, let me say right up front that I adored this book. Most of the time a book comes down to characters for me, and these hooked me right off the bat. I love the kinds of books where you can pick a random line out of the book, read it out loud, and know right away who is saying it, just because it fits their character. That was what this book was like. The characters were so well established that I could predict how they would react in a given situation.
Another thing that I liked about this book was that it was a great adventure story. I love adventure—but sometimes stories like that can have shallow characters. This book had the absolute best of both worlds.
Here’s one of my favorite moments from the book. Mr. Benedict is reading some of the answers from the incorrigible Constance Contraire’s test:
He scanned the pages. “Oh, here’s a clever one. Do you remember this question from the test? It reads, ‘What is wrong with this statement?’ And do you know what Constance wrote in reply? She wrote, ‘What is wrong with you?’” At this, Mr. Benedict burst into laughter—a squeaky, rapid, stuttering expulsion that sounded rather like a dolphin.
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