The Mysterious Benedict Society

I came across this book about a year ago. Andy and I were spending an evening walking around downtown. I found myself, as always, in the children's section at Barnes and Noble. I saw the cover of this book, and it reminded me of The Royal Tenenbaums, one of my favorite movies. I read the back, then the first chapter, sitting on the floor against the bookshelves. I knew right away I would like this book.

This is Trenton Lee Stewart's first children's book. This is not a new book, and Stewart has already come out with two more books about the Mysterious Benedict Society, which I will now have to buy and read this summer. Through a series of tests, four extraordinary children are chosen by Mr. Benedict, to form a secret society. They are to be planted in an evil school as spies, and are to conquer the ringleader, Mr. Curtain. The action kept me interested, but also a love of the characters did. They all have two things in common which brought them together: they are all without parents, or a family of any kind. They are all exceptionally talented in different ways. Reynie, the main character, has an incredible ability to solve puzzles. He's the natural leader of the group. Sticky, has a photographic memory. He can read at an incredible speed, and remember every detail of anything he's read or heard, word for word. Kate is smart, but not incredibly so like Reynie and Sticky. Instead, she is as brave and adventurous as any child could be. She keeps a bucket attached to her by a belt. In it she keeps things like: rope, swiss army knife, a magnet, clear fishing line, a penlight, super strong glue, a slingshot and marbles, etc. Her physical aptitude and agility is her strength. Constance is the fourth member of the group. She is rude, obnoxious, and doesn't seem to have any special ability besides rhyming, though this perception of her is shattered at the end.

I like this book because it's very different. The writing style is dry for a children's book, which I liked. It's also very clever, and would be a difficult read for some young readers. It also has parts that could be scary (children being kidnapped, punishment at school, the dangers of being a secret spy, etc.). For those of you who are parents, I would recommend this book. I would say it's written at a 5th-6th grade level, though it says it's for students grades 5-9. I would let my child read it in 3rd or 4th grade if it was in their reading level. Boys would probably enjoy it a lot more than girls. Enjoy!

(By the way, I'm glad I have the "I'm a teacher, so I have to read kid's books," argument to fall back on, but if I'm honest with you, I love them. So, you adults who think you can't bring yourself to read a book for kids, that it won't be entertaining, etc. just need to try it. You may just find that you love them too. Happy reading!)