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Summary

When a lonely orphan boy answers a mysterious ad to solve mind-bending puzzles, he discovers he is one of only a handful of children who’ve qualified to be part of an elite team of detectives. Part mystery and part coming of age, Trenton Lee Stewart’s middle grade mystery series The Mysterious Benedict Society brings together four resourceful children who learn that together they can conquer evil and save the world.

I recommend it for ages 10 and up.

The Story

Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance have a great deal in common: they are smart, resourceful, lonely, orphaned, and they’ve all passed a series of difficult tasks.  The four children are recruited by the brilliant Mr. Benedict to become members of The Mysterious Benedict Society where they will go undercover to stop the evil Mr. Curtain from taking over the world through mind control. 

To stop Mr. Curtain, they must infiltrate his elite Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened. There they plan to use their detective skills to uncover the methods being used to send subliminal messages to children throughout the world. The fate of the world is in their hands.

Leaving Stonetown Harbor, the group enters the institute to begin their espionage mission. They quickly learn that Mr. Curtain runs a tightly organized, albeit nonsensical organization, where the rule is that there are no rules.  Messengers, Helpers, and Executives are part of a hierarchy Mr.

Curtain uses to manipulate the children into helping him in his world domination.

In order for the four secret agents to uncover Mr. Curtain’s methods, they must go against their nature of telling the truth and resort to cheating, lying, and other means of deception in order to unearth the sinister plans. Combining all their skills, Reynie’ s cleverness, Sticky’s encyclopedia-like memory, Kate’s physical prowess, and Constance’s stubbornness, the children just might outwit Mr. Curtain and save the world before time runs out. If not in The Mysterious Benedict Society,  then in one of the books that follows it.

The Mysterious Benedict Society Series

The Mysterious Benedict Society (Book 1)

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey (Book 2)

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma (Book 3)

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict (Book 4)  - actually, the prequel to the series

The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedict’s Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums- a puzzle book

 Author Trenton Lee Stewart

 is the mastermind behind The Mysterious Benedict Society, which has become a very popular series.  In an NPR interview, Stewart revealed that he’d “always wanted to be involved in the big adventures he found in books like The Chronicles of Narnia and Watership Down.”

Intrigued by the idea of a child solving a puzzle that was more difficult than it appeared, Stewart had the seed for a story that has turned into a beloved mystery series for middle grade readers.  Currently a creative writing teacher, Stewart has written one book for adults. The Mysterious Benedict Society being his first book for children. He lives with his family in Little Rock, Arkansas.

(Sources: The Mysterious Benedict Society Website, NPR Interview, 3/26/12)

My Recommendation

A charming mystery where the underdogs begin their quest to save the world, Trenton Lee Stewart’s The Mysterious Benedict Society is a comical tour de force. Clever clues and puzzles that readers can try to solve while they are reading and an eccentric cast of characters with unique personalities are just two of the reasons this book is popular among readers.  Stewart manifests his own cleverness by putting forth dilemmas for his characters that readers can puzzle through, too.

Unusual characters also bring comic relief to The Mysterious Benedict Society. Mr. Benedict, with his green plaid suit, is prone to narcolepsy, falling into a state of sleep whenever his emotions run high. Other adult agents from the pencil thin Number Two to the sad, but stealthy Milligan are colorful characters who serve as reliable, loving parental models for the four parentless children. All the characters Stewart creates, from Mr. Curtain’s teenage minions to the main characters, have unique personality traits that make them memorable and amusing.

In addition to giving children the ability to solve tricky problems, Stewart emphasizes the importance of working together and valuing individual talents. Mr. Benedict often reminds his young detectives to utilize the skills of each member of the group, including little Constance whose impertinence and sheer stubbornness is often viewed more distracting than helpful. However, ultimately everyone’s abilities will be necessary to conquer the villain and save the world.

A delightful mystery, accompanied by Carson Ellis’s endearing pencil sketches make The Mysterious Benedict Society and the books that follow a real treat for fans of comical suspense. I recommend the book, and series, for ages 10-14. A comprehensive educator’s study guide, which targets ages 8 to 12, is provided by the publisher.  (Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group, 2007. ISBN: 9780316057776)

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.