The Mysterious Benedict Society

By Trenton Lee Stewart

Published in 2008

Book 1 of the series, 512 pages

Age range: 8-13

Synopsis: An orphaned boy sees a strange advertisement in the newspaper calling for gifted children who are seeking adventure. Knowing him to be gifted, the boy’s tutor encourages him to respond to the ad. There follows a series of tests for the respondents, with children being eliminated after each test until the group is dwindled to just four children who are then invited to meet mastermind Mr. Benedict. Mr. Benedict is convinced that the world is in imminent danger and that only kids are able to go on a secret mission to stop the evil Mr. Curtain from brainwashing all of humanity.

Review: This is a great book trek! I love a book with surprise twists and this book has plenty. Another huge plus is that the story contains lots of little puzzles that the reader can try to figure out along with the characters. There were some parts that lagged, however, and I felt that some scenes could have been eliminated that didn’t really add to the plot or character development. My 12-year old son read this easily and is now engrossed in the 2nd book of the series, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey. As much as I enjoyed this book, I’m not terribly anxious to continue the series. I think I’ll wait to see if my son recommends it.

Rating: 3 boots

Notes: There is an awesome website that fans of this series will love: http://www.mysteriousbenedictsociety.com.