Trenton L Stewart: The Mysterious Benedict Society: Ending

Rose: Trenton L Stewart: The Mysterious Benedict Society: Ending: “I rate this book (out of 10) because…”

The Mysterious Benedict Society is a well-written, witty tale about four gifted children, Reynard, Sticky, Kate and Constance. They become members of “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and are sent on a mission to investigate L.I.VE, a school that’s brainwashing orphans, run by the dastardly Mr. Ledroptha Curtain. This book is all about friendship, justice and perseverance. I thought it was pretty good overall,but it could have been better. If I had to give this book a rating , I would give it 7.5 out of 10. Why? I’ll explain.

First off, I adored the oddball cast. They were each unique in their own way and there were no filler characters, designed to extend the book. The author actually put thought and time into making them all special and useful in some way. I’m really curious about the character design process of The Mysterious Benedict Society. How did he think of them? Were they inspired by anyone? However, I think the book would have been better with more character growth. It would have made it more realistic and deep. Also, when I read this book, one of the characters, Constance Contraire, a

baby genius who has the intellect of a pre-teen, reminded me of Gilly Hopkins, from The Great Gilly Hopkins. These two girls both have stubborn personalities, high intellects and were both abandoned by their parents. They even resemble each other with their blond locks, stormy blue eyes and ruddy cheeks. I think they would have been enemies who would fight all day because of their argument natures.
Next, the captivating plot was another reason I was drawn to this book. It was interesting and the author’s vivid description really perfected it. A good example of the author’s talent for description is the scene where they first saw the society’s dining room. While reading, I could see a warm, welcoming room with a window facing a blooming garden, letting in plenty of bright light. On a rough wooden table, there were platters of neatly cut sandwiches and plates overflowing, like a cornucopia, with fresh fruit. Using just a few words, the author conveyed to me so many things! Another part I adored was the beginning where they had to take tests to prove that they were gifted. I could really sympathize with Reynard’s troubles because I had similar experiences taking exams and tests. When Rhonda offered to give Reynard the answers to the impossible quiz, I remembered when my best friend offered to help me cheat on a history test (and no Mr, Bendahan, not this year) . I was tempted but I refused, just like how Reyie reacted. I infer that Reynie refused because he wanted to pass the test on his own terms. I think this because I feel that Reynie felt the same about Rhonda`s suggestion of cheating as I did my friend’s offer. If I didn’t pass using my own strength, I would never feel good about getting a brilliant mark because I got it dishonestly. My self-conscience would never allow it. This mark would feel to me the same as failing.
Lastly, my favourite part about the book are the little puzzles and riddles you get to solve along with the characters. It makes me feel like the book and the story are all real and I’m part of the action. I thought they were a great way to think outside of the box. If I was the author, I would have included more of them at the end. I liked the puzzle where they had to get across the floor without having their feet touch any squares. I admired this because it showed me different ways to do a tricky puzzle that I had done the same challenge before at school with my friend. I solved it like Sticky, who crawled across on his knees, and she solved it like Reynie, who just walked across because the floor tiles were rectangles, not squares. Despite our difference in actions, we were both right. The moral of this story is that if you’re doing things differently than others, it doesn’t always mean that someone is doing it wrong.
The reason I only gave The Mysterious Benedict Society a 8 despite my fine impression was the logic of the event and characters.

This really ruined the novel for me. The book was meant to be quirky and mind-blowing, but, the author made it more mind boggling than mind-blowing in the end. For example, how do the children succeed in making such impossible logical leaps to find the answers to abstract, inconceivable riddles? A scene that show that is when they try to decode the message sent in the chapter, Beware of the Gemini. The children had to all but guess the meaning! The society is supposed to solve puzzles and riddles using out of the box thinking, not guessing skills. In the quest for making this story puzzling but clever, the author lost all sense of

logic.
In the beginning, the sense of mystery surrounding the test made it up for me. But later on, I couldn’t sympathize with or comprehend the characters. I couldn’t understand how these children got to these conclusions with almost no training, just relying on their talents. They were always impossibly perfect in planning and carrying out their schemes. If I were the author, I would think about it from a little kid’s point of view and show some of the character’s flaws.
I would recommend this book for kids aged 10 to 13 as light reading, not something worth spending too much time on. However, my friends and classmates tell me that the next book in this series is much better. I predict that it, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, is going to be about the society having a journey overseas, constantly pursued by Mr.Curtain. I think this because on the cover, there’s a boat with society members on it and boats usually signify water travel. I predict that Mr. C will appear again because he escaped in the last book and hasn’t been caught. I think the author will reuse the villain to make the plot more simple. Anyways, despite my slight disappointment with this book, I look forward to reading The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey one day.