Books The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey (Mysterious Benedict Society)
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - Stereotypical but Entertaining
I read the first and second Benedict Society books as an assignment from a book club I belong to. They weren't my favorite among the "To Read" list, but they did provide for some entertainment.

I'll begin with the characters. Reynie and Constance were the only ones that were slightly original. I have the biggest problem with Kate. She was to an extreme the stereotypical "tomboy girl". Okay, so maybe her bucket was a little quirky and fun, but other than that, Kate's character was fore-head slapping unoriginal. Same thing for Sticky. Now I know the author was trying to point out all the characters different talents and how each of them contributed to the Society in their own way, and while I know there are many different talents and types of intelligences, there are very few people who are either "one way or the other" like these characters were. There are not very many people who only have one thing that they're good at or have only one type of intelligence (musical, verbal, physical, logical...) instead of a mix. This, among other things, made the characters feel flat.

My second complaint were the puzzles. These kids are supposed to be "talented", but I found myself figuring out the clues pages - and sometimes chapters - before the kids.

And finally, Constance. I found her even more annoying after she developed her special ability. If I were Reynie and she shouted "He's got it!" every time I figured something out, well, I can't imagine how incredibly irritating that would be.

Other than that, it was an entertaining and quirky read, though probably intended for a younger audience.

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Rating: - Even better than the first
I enjoyed reading the Mysterious Benedict Society with my 10 year old daughter. We both found this book to be even better. It's full of suspense, humor, and adventure. This book is a bit more realistic than the first. It's a great introduction to suspense novels for children who aren't quite ready for a Harry Potter style book. However it is interesting and suspenseful enough to entertain more sophisticated readers, again pulling from each individual's unique talents. The 'ten men' are sinister, but nothing that should bother any but the most sensitive young ones. The character development is great, as is the descriptions of the many locations this book takes us. I'm hoping for a third book.

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Rating: - Another wonderful story to read to your children
About 2 years ago Iread the original Mysterious Benedict Society to my sons and they enjoyed it. Now they are 9 and 10, and I think this sequel was an even better story to share with them. In the original book, there is a series of challenges, puzzles or tests that had to be solved by the protagonists. My boys really enjoyed trying to puzzle these out. After that it was something less of an audience participation mystery. In the Perilous Journey there are clues that Mr. Benedict has hidden for his proteges, that they have to solve if they are going to save him and Number 2 from the clutches of Ledroptha Curtain, Mr. Benedict's nefarious brother. These are spread evenly throughout the book, and with some good old fashioned puzzling and talking we were able to solve them all. My sons really loved this part because it made them feel like they could join the Mysterious Benedict Society themselves. Now I am impatiently awaiting a third installment (and Mr. Curtain's escape virtually assures of another sequel), and looking for other childre's books based on mysteries with clues a young reader can solve for themselves. The only qualm I have with this book at all is that in order to finally escape, Mr. Benedict had to badly trick SQ Pedalian, perhaps ruining his sense of trust, and we never did find out if he was rescued from the island (surely Mr. Benedict would have tried!) or was swept up into Mr. Curtain's circle again. Poor SQ! My sons really liked his bumbling friendliness. I hope Mr. Stewart is gentle with him in the next book.

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Rating: - Nice, refreshing read
If you like a refreshing, relaxing read, a bit of whimsey, this might be what you'd want to pick up. Following the the footsteps of first Mysterious Benedict Society book, the youngsters set out on a journey across the ocean to try to solve a puzzle left for them by Mr.Benedict before his kidnapping by his evil twin.