The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Mysterious Benedict Society is a gripping juvenile adventure that is all things wit, intrigue, ingenuity, suspense, and satisfaction. It is the entertaining and surprisingly heartwarming story of how a misfit, well-meaning, and unlikely crew save civilization from tyranny and control using their unique strengths and growing ability to work together. Through a series of tests (of both intellect and character), four children are brought together into the mysterious home of Mr. Benedict and are presented with an unsettling reality: using a renowned institute for intelligent children, a villainous genius is attempting to wit his way into world domination through mind control. Unable to infiltrate the institute himself, Mr. Benedict recruits the children who passed his tests—with unsettling realities, circumstances, and struggles of their own—to use the skills that brought them together to uncover the mystery and unravel the scheme before it’s too late. An infinite number of dangers and challenges await them at the institute, and they will only succeed if they learn to both capitalize on their different abilities and set aside their different opinions in the name of reaching a common noble goal. This modern-day fellowship is more than a puzzling and satisfying adventure—it’s a story of losing oneself in the interest of others and yet finding oneself in the wake of challenges marked by teamwork, problem-solving, and standing up for what is right when no one else will stand with you. Real enough to be believable and just outlandish enough to be sensational, the Mysterious Benedict Society delivers everything your child wants (read: you want) out of an adventure.

Why I loved this book

Writing Style

Stewart’s style pulls readers in and exemplifies numerous aspects of professional writing: engaging, down-to-earth, grade-appropriately complex, and concisely descriptive. You’re not going to find any breathtakingly beautiful descriptions of people. places, or things on these pages, but his raw, vivid, and clever ways of describing things match the mood of the story and leave nothing to be desired. Something I particularly appreciated about Stewart’s writing was his use of similes to describe things. 

And I don’t mean sharp as a tack or cool as a cucumber. 

I mean wooden floors that “groaned and creaked like a ship at sea” and “nerves being plucked like banjo strings.”

Truly a great way to teach kids not only what similes are, but get them writing their own creative comparisons.

Additionally, every chapter and section begins and ends with the perfect blend of flair and purpose, a top-tier exemplar for teaching writing concepts such as hooking your readers and ending with a bang. 

Characters

If you’re looking for a story with believable, relatable, intertwining character arcs, look no further. This story’s four heroes all have something to gain, to lose, and to learn throughout their journey and it satisfies the story’s inherent need for purpose. Reynie Muldoon wants to belong, Sticky Washington wants to be loved, Kate Weatherall wants to be independent, and Constance Contraire—well, nobody’s quite sure what she wants. These characters are relatable. They’re insecure. They squabble. They have pride and opinions and aren’t always the best at making compromises, but in the end they prove that humility and cooperation are the traits that count when circumstances go awry.

Humor

I laughed out loud a few times during this read (and smiled out loud, if you will, an innumerable amount). This story lends itself more to the word clever  than to the word funny, but between the word puzzles and witty banter readers are bound to find themselves chuckling with appreciation throughout this book. 

Story

As an aspiring writer myself, plot has always been a stumbling block. Crafting my own characters and character arcs comes naturally to me, but orchestrating a coherent and plenteous plot by which these character arcs are reached is an elusive skill—filling in detailed, scene-by-scene steps that unfold into a story that can be summarized into a beginning, middle, and ending. I always struggle answering the question, “What happens next?” Stewart has no such qualms. Each chapter is a new, important development that both builds on the plot and the character arcs the plot is shaping. There are 39 chapters in this book but seriously, something happens in every chapter. The plot is creative, engaging, believable, and detailed, unfolding into a story you’ll be both touched and inspired by at the end of it.

Emma Scale 

10/10—could not be better! I adored reading this book. It’s written for middle schoolers, but I was a junior in college when I was first introduced to it, and I loved it from the synopsis up. It has everything you need in a good story and nothing that you don’t need. I would recommend it to anyone in 6th grade or higher (due to the complexity and length) looking for a compelling adventure with good humor, sweet interactions, and a gripping climax along the way.