The Mysterious Benedict Society

Mysterious Benedict Society (Mystery Benedict Society, book 1) by Trenton Lee Stewart; 2007; pages 485. Source: Borrowed from library.

Reynie, Kate, Sticky and Constance are four unusual children who meet in the most exceptional circumstances. They have three things in common: they are all remarkably talented, all honest and all alone.

Their mission is a secret. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened where the only rule is that there are no rules. There they must work as a team to save, not only themselves, but the world outside the walls.

After seeing The Mysterious Benedict Society pop up on a few different blogs, and then seeing it at my library, I decided I’m just going to give it a go and check it out. And it didn’t disappoint in the least
The Mysterious Benedict Society was a bit slow to start, but once it finally got going it quickly picked up steam and just sucked me right into the story. I think what sold me on the story was that it was different and how they (the four MCs) weren’t all confident that they would be able to stop what was going on and get out in one piece. In other words, the MCs were just very down to earth if slightly crazy, which made for a very interesting read.
Of the four MCs Reynie was my favorite, he was also the main protagonist in the book, because it was nice/cute to see how hard he fought to keep from letting his friends down.
Raynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance were all a bit quirky, which in my opinion makes for a great cast of characters. The four main characters were cute and annoying at times, yet kind of grownup in their own ways.
I loved the author’s use of subliminal messages to further his evil plan to change/rule the world, it was excellently done.
Favorite part of the book, that would definitely have to be Kate’s unique use of her bucket (yes, I said bucket) to get away from the Executives. It was evilly brilliant.
My least favorite part of the book would have to be that the beginning of the book was a bit slow and it took awhile to get to what the problem actually was and how the four kids fitted in to the story.

The Mysterious Benedict Society is definitely a most read for both young (11-12) and up. It’s a cute yet action packed read with delightful characters and a fascinating plot line. I'm looking forward to starting the sequel, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, which I happened to to pick up at the used bookstore late last year.


The Mysterious Benedict Society earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.