Reviewed by TFK Kid Reporter: Virginia Lambert

Book Title: The Mysterious Benedict Society

Author: Trenton Lee Stewart

Genre: Science Fiction Adventure

Number of pages: 485

Basic Story Line:
Reynie Muldoon, an orphan, finds an ad in the newspaper asking, “Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?” Reynie takes a series of mind-bending tests and meets three other students who passed the tests: Kate Weatherall, George “Sticky” Washington and Constance Contraire. Together they form the Mysterious Benedict Society as secret agents that go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened. Guided by Mr. Benedict, the four children work through various puzzles and clues to discover the source of secret messages. The messages were being sent to people all over the world and taking over people’s minds.

Are the characters believable?
Each character has a distinctive style, look, personality and talents. They are believable because they also react to and have the same feelings towards events that real kids would. Their extreme intelligence, on the other hand, is a little hard to believe, especially considering their age.

Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, I would definitely recommend this book to others, especially kids who enjoy strenuous mental activities! This is one of the few books that captured me from the first sentence. It is an exciting and adventurous read. I can’t wait for the sequel, which comes out in May.

What is not-so-great about this book?
One thing not so great about the book is that it can be confusing at times. You can get lost in it or just not understand why the characters did something. Some of the puzzles are quite difficult and it is not always obvious what they mean.

On a rating of 1 to 10, what you give this book?
I would give this book a 9. While reading this book, you really do enter a different world. It is fun and mysterious, but at some points perplexing. I really loved this book!