The Mysterious Benedict Society
- Downloads：6026
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-30 01:31:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Trenton Lee Stewart
- ISBN：0316297607
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
abby
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i haven’t read this in probably 10 years and it’s still as good as the first time
aliyah :]
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mmk this review may be biased due to the fact I read this series OBSESSSIVLY as a child but I can proudly say that this is one of the best written books I've ever read。 yes it is for children however it is literally better written than like？？？？ most of the adult aged books I've read？？？？ its got that lemony snickett quirkiness factor and I love it。 also I noticed it has？？？ a surprising amount of representation？？？？ compared to many other books of the time which is cool。 it also has a BUNCH of clev mmk this review may be biased due to the fact I read this series OBSESSSIVLY as a child but I can proudly say that this is one of the best written books I've ever read。 yes it is for children however it is literally better written than like？？？？ most of the adult aged books I've read？？？？ its got that lemony snickett quirkiness factor and I love it。 also I noticed it has？？？ a surprising amount of representation？？？？ compared to many other books of the time which is cool。 it also has a BUNCH of cleverly disguised social commentary that I'm pretty sure turned me into a communist as a child。 are u trying to tell me that the line "maybe I'm the sort of person who will do anything to hear what I want to believe" isn't extremely topical in 2021？？？ also allllll the stuff with the "emergency" and the TVs is SO on point despite the fact this was written in like the early 2000s。 only thing preventing it from a full 5 star is that it IS a kids book and so often it does the kids book thing where every little bit of information is explained to the audience。 however it still does this less than other kids books I've read which makes me realize these books are why I am also horribly pretentious。 why did I think I was smart enough to pass the tests at age 9。 I would fail those NOW if I took them 。。。more
Martha
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A group of four children — all without parents — are assembled by the mysterious Mr。 Benedict to embark on a mission to disable a mind-control machine at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened。 With elements of adventure and science fiction， the book reminded me of the Wizard of Oz and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as outcast children encounter quirky adults in surreal settings。 The pace was a bit slow， but picked up toward the end。 Even so， I’m not compelled to continue the series。
Jacob Smith
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A wonderful， fast-paced， quirky read。 This is great for kids of all ages！
Allison Albert
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I can't believe I've never even heard of this book before。 what a great storyteller Stewart is。 I can't believe I've never even heard of this book before。 what a great storyteller Stewart is。 。。。more
Kenzie Reeder
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My first book love
Alex
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I don’t normally do written reviews， this one’s just for the Shelf Space Summer 2021 Olympics Readathon。This is what children’s literature should be。 The Mysterious Benedict Society follows four smart kids as they infiltrate a special school and try to find out the truth behind a nefarious plot。 It doesn’t talk down to kids and engages with various topics in a clever way。 I would recommend this book to adults too。
Bethany D。 Chappetta
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So this was a book for my book club。 The book is definitely middle grades。 It was fun and well-written and the mystery was a good one。 I felt it was a bit too long and since it’s the first in the series， the exposition felt a bit much。。。but I enjoyed it and I really enjoyed the characters。 I would definitely recommend it to 7th grade students。
Gourica （semi-haitus because well exams。）
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Nothing about this was extraordinary。 Nothing was special。 It was ok。 Yet， I thoroughly enjoyed reading this。 This was kind of light-reading book that doesn't make you worry or something。 It just makes you more relaxed。The plot was that our main character， Reynard or Reynie， is kind of a prodigy。 One day， when he and his tutor are reading the newspaper， they find an advertisement for special children。 He had to give a test。 So he gives the first one。 Then the second， and the third。 Things seem t Nothing about this was extraordinary。 Nothing was special。 It was ok。 Yet， I thoroughly enjoyed reading this。 This was kind of light-reading book that doesn't make you worry or something。 It just makes you more relaxed。The plot was that our main character， Reynard or Reynie， is kind of a prodigy。 One day， when he and his tutor are reading the newspaper， they find an advertisement for special children。 He had to give a test。 So he gives the first one。 Then the second， and the third。 Things seem to get so so wierd and strange but still he gives them。 He is met with 3 other people， Kate， Sticky， and Constance。 They pass the tests， and meet the man that is behind everything。 They find out that some crazy man is manipulating people without them knowing and something huge is about to come。 So， naturally， they save the people。 As I said， nothing special。 Still I was intrigued so much in the middle of the book。 Characters The mysterious Benedict Society By this， I mean our 4 main characters。 They call themselves The Mysterious Benedict Society。 Starting with Reynie， he was nice， intelligent， kind， patient and polite。 For Sticky， oh， I love him。 His insecure， fearsome personality really makes up for Reynie's lack of fear despite being a 12 year old。 I loved Sticky。 He too， is intelligent but unlike Reynie， it isn't written across his forehead。 Kate， or the Great Kate Weather Machine （Yes， Kate， you are a genius for making up that name！） was a bit more to the athletic side。 Of course， I love her free-spirited personality。 Now， Constance。 I have mixed feeling， no I had mixed feelings but after knowing how old she was。。。well not too much。 I love her stubborn personality。 After all， that saved the day！ She is so brave。 Now one thing about them， I felt like Constance was just grumbling and grumbling about everything。 I felt like Reynie was doing everything。 A mystery knocks on his brain and Reynie is like "Hey！ I got it！"。 That was well， smart， but Reynard solved everything。 Sticky and Kate helped a lot too， and at last， Constance saved the day。 Cheers！ Wait， there are more charactersMr。 Benedict He seemed suspicious to me at the beginning。 But well， he is still a mystery to me。 Hence nothing much to say。 Rhonda and Number 2， and Miss Perumal I can only say they were friendly and I liked them very much。 Mr。 CurtainSurprise， he is the villain。 He seemed like one， too。 Putting on a smiling face and making schemes for power。 So， I hated him。 The writing See， this one is the thing that made the read pleasant and relaxing。 I loved how it was simple， yet engaging。 There were many plot twists too， some that I saw， some that I didn't。 All in all， I loved reading this book。 。。。more
Tayalaila
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In the first time I thought this book will be boring。 But， I was WRONG at all。 Because， this book will bring you to the adventure of the Benedict Society。 Personally， I get into the story easily。 Even， your POV just as a reader's POV。 It fells like you are being the one of the them。 I don't know how many times I tried to solve codes， and each sentences。 They have various meanings。 And the Benedict Society can solve them。But， you don't have to worry。 Because this book is easy to understand， and a In the first time I thought this book will be boring。 But， I was WRONG at all。 Because， this book will bring you to the adventure of the Benedict Society。 Personally， I get into the story easily。 Even， your POV just as a reader's POV。 It fells like you are being the one of the them。 I don't know how many times I tried to solve codes， and each sentences。 They have various meanings。 And the Benedict Society can solve them。But， you don't have to worry。 Because this book is easy to understand， and also not to a 'heavy' book。***If you really like kind of adventures book， I really recommend this for you。 。。。more
Adya
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I found out about this book after watching the Disney Plus show based on this， and I can NOT believe I was so late to this series。 It's absolutely fantastic and makes for a very compelling， delightful read。 No better word to describe this book than unputdownable！It's a bit like the Umbrella Academy， and has some of the quintessential Lemony Snicket charm。 It's absurd altogether， but so very intelligent at the same time！Wholeheartedly recommend it :D I found out about this book after watching the Disney Plus show based on this， and I can NOT believe I was so late to this series。 It's absolutely fantastic and makes for a very compelling， delightful read。 No better word to describe this book than unputdownable！It's a bit like the Umbrella Academy， and has some of the quintessential Lemony Snicket charm。 It's absurd altogether， but so very intelligent at the same time！Wholeheartedly recommend it :D 。。。more
Kaitlin
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Read it out loud to the kids， we all loved it。
Casey
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my first reread of 2021！ a childhood favorite that is just as charming now as then。
elizabeth grace
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it's as delightful & mysterious & precious as you expect it to be。 it's the very kind of adventure where， having finished， you almost wish you hadn't begun， for now there will be no more such suspense， such adventure to discover & happily page through。 no more nervously solving riddles in your head， scanning pages for answers， flopping back on the bed with overwhelming delight when it all came together & made sense。 I wholeheartedly enjoyed。 my favorite thing about it was the decided flavor of a it's as delightful & mysterious & precious as you expect it to be。 it's the very kind of adventure where， having finished， you almost wish you hadn't begun， for now there will be no more such suspense， such adventure to discover & happily page through。 no more nervously solving riddles in your head， scanning pages for answers， flopping back on the bed with overwhelming delight when it all came together & made sense。 I wholeheartedly enjoyed。 my favorite thing about it was the decided flavor of a 10 year old brain。 there were riddles & codes & plot twists， but the author didn't twist a group of 12 year olds into Sherlock Holmes （even if they are waaaay smart）。 if he had， all the 10-year-old-whispered-story-under-the-bedclothes savor would have been zapped out in a word。 I would've shut the book and contently walked away。 fortunately， we weren't given Sherlock Holmes。 instead: simple， burning heartache。 tingling excitement at adventure vs。 heavy dread of said adventure。 frustrating grown-ups。 fighting to be patient。 racking your brain for answers， answers hidden in names， in marbles， in celling vents & Waiting Rooms。 fear（and of course， what it means to brave）。 the author is awfully clever， but not in any way you wouldn't expect of a 12 year old。 and /that/， my friends， is a gift。their personalities were s o l i d。 I loved each and every one of them， I loved they all had their distinct roles。 oddly enough， I think I liked Sticky & Constance best。 （I just knew Constance had a role to play before the end， and wow that made me happy :D）anyway。 I could talk about this story for hours。 bottom line: this is my standard of an adventure。 a little mystery， a little fear， a little mind-bending villainy & a society of 12 year olds with a red bucket & some spectacles。。。。。what's not to love？p。s。 okay but that last little bit about Constance， that tRIPPED me up， ngl。 anybody else？ cause， w o a h） 。。。more
Leigh Ann
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Okay， so this novel is intriguing from the first， and fun to think about the puzzles and tests alongside the characters， but the plot and character development are fairly weak。 For me there was no emotional impact。 I didn't feel the characters had any growth; even Reynie's development was supposed to be that he learned to be brave， but he was actually one of the bravest characters throughout the book。 It would have made more of an impact if Sticky had needed to become brave。 I didn't like Consta Okay， so this novel is intriguing from the first， and fun to think about the puzzles and tests alongside the characters， but the plot and character development are fairly weak。 For me there was no emotional impact。 I didn't feel the characters had any growth; even Reynie's development was supposed to be that he learned to be brave， but he was actually one of the bravest characters throughout the book。 It would have made more of an impact if Sticky had needed to become brave。 I didn't like Constance at all， even after the plot twist at the end， which wasn't particularly satisfying because we're still left with more questions than answers about her。 Two things really stand out to me: It's thoroughly surprising that Mr Benedict & co。 didn't do any recon before sending children into the institute。 Doesn't really make sense， especially if Mr Curtain sits in plain sight every day， that they wouldn't have known beforehand at least to expect that particular revelation。 Now， here's an egregious oversight: If secret messages are transmitted in every spoken language， why doesn't Mr Benedict gather up a team of deaf children/people？ Because he wants them to be secret agents at the institution where the brainwashing is being done。 Fair enough; the institute probably wouldn't admit deaf children。 But there's no discussion of deaf people at all and whether they are immune to these broadcasts （delivered through audio channels like radio， tv， etc。）。 If a deaf person is in proximity to a radio but cannot hear it， is the message （which again is in spoken language） transmitted？ When the power is increased， the messages are transmitted directly into the brain， which could account for deaf people–but it is made clear that the broadcast causes the person to "hear voices，" which would not typically happen with the deaf。 Most books do omit disabled characters in general， but here it especially stands out to me because deaf people would be ideal spies。 A deaf adult as a Helper？ Chef's kiss。 The author really dropped the ball on this one。 。。。more
Katie Killingsworth
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After a trailer for an upcoming television series peaked my interest， I picked up this book from the library and enjoyed it immensely！ It caught my interest from the start and kept my interest throughout！ I appreciated that it was clean and is a book I will certainly encourage my kiddos to try out someday。 I found the various names throughout the book rather amusing， too。
Camille
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This is a 500 page book for kids--it was recommended to me by my 9 year old grandson。 I can see why kids would stick with it。 It's a good 'right vs。 wrong' engaging read， and it includes some pretty sophisticated parallels with would-be national leaders who seek control using falsity while promising to solve all problems and assuage all fear。 This is a 500 page book for kids--it was recommended to me by my 9 year old grandson。 I can see why kids would stick with it。 It's a good 'right vs。 wrong' engaging read， and it includes some pretty sophisticated parallels with would-be national leaders who seek control using falsity while promising to solve all problems and assuage all fear。 。。。more
Sana
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Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities？"When this strange ad appears in the newspaper， dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious， mind-bending tests led by the peculiar Mr。 Benedict。 But in the end， only four children succeed。 Their challenge is to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete。 To accomplish it， they will have to go undercover at a prestigious boarding school， that is hiding many dangerous things。As Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities？"When this strange ad appears in the newspaper， dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious， mind-bending tests led by the peculiar Mr。 Benedict。 But in the end， only four children succeed。 Their challenge is to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete。 To accomplish it， they will have to go undercover at a prestigious boarding school， that is hiding many dangerous things。As the main characters face physical and mental trials beyond their wildest imaginations， they have no choice but to turn to each other for support。 But with their newfound friendship at stake， will they be able to pass the most important test of all？My Rating - 5/5 starsThis book series has had a very special place in my heart since I read it when fifth grade。 I honestly don’t think I'll be able to properly rate this series because of all the nostalgia surrounding it for me personally- there’s just something so beautiful and heartwarming about reading a childhood favorite and loving it just as much as you did back then when you were little！But I do believe that this book series is one of the absolute best ones， and can even be compared to other vastly popular middle grade books such as 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' and the Percy Jackson series。The plot is mysterious， unpredictable， and full of action and problem solving。 The characters are complex and full of wit and creativity。 I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone because of its originality and charm！There is a Disney+ series coming out on this show， so stay tuned for watching that！ 。。。more
Urvigo
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This story is definitely awesome。
Pottercorn
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This book is so great！！ It is about a group of children who have to go on a dangerous secret mission to stop the evil Ledroptha Curtain。 The four children are Kate Wetherall， Reynie Muldoon， Sticky Washington， and Constance Contraire。 Kate is an extremely talented and resourceful girl， who is amazing at any feat of physical still。 Reynie is a clever boy who has a knack for puzzles。 Sticky is a brilliant quiz champion who can remember everything that he has ever heard or read。 Constance is a smal This book is so great！！ It is about a group of children who have to go on a dangerous secret mission to stop the evil Ledroptha Curtain。 The four children are Kate Wetherall， Reynie Muldoon， Sticky Washington， and Constance Contraire。 Kate is an extremely talented and resourceful girl， who is amazing at any feat of physical still。 Reynie is a clever boy who has a knack for puzzles。 Sticky is a brilliant quiz champion who can remember everything that he has ever heard or read。 Constance is a small， whiny girl， who seems to have nothing going for her except her stubborn annoyingness。 These seemingly different children all have one thing in common。 They are all alone in some way。This is a stunningly crafted novel that is intriguing for people young and old。 I personally read it when I was in second grade （I have always been an avid reader）， but my mom read it not long after， and she loved it just as much。 There are great plot twists， clever characters， and a detailed plots， all equalling a beautiful novel。 。。。more
Rachel Palm
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I loved this book！ It is a great bedtime read。 The characters are interesting， and I may have cried a little bit at the end。 Family matters， everyone。 It really does！
Nancy
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I thoroughly enjoyed this one。 Such a fun read。
Yael Hanadari-Levy
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rereading before the show comes out （don’t mess this up Disney+） and oh my god it holds upppppp！！！！！ it’s still so fun and clever and good。。。 i’m so glad i read this as a kid。 seriously。 incredible brilliant showstopping。 not to call out any other Very Famous Dbooks but ummm this is truly the best of its kind。。。 nobody did it better。。。 nobodyanyway this was so enjoyable to come back to。 i missed those precocious little kids from back when i was one of them。 read this book， y’all， regardless of y rereading before the show comes out （don’t mess this up Disney+） and oh my god it holds upppppp！！！！！ it’s still so fun and clever and good。。。 i’m so glad i read this as a kid。 seriously。 incredible brilliant showstopping。 not to call out any other Very Famous Dbooks but ummm this is truly the best of its kind。。。 nobody did it better。。。 nobodyanyway this was so enjoyable to come back to。 i missed those precocious little kids from back when i was one of them。 read this book， y’all， regardless of your age。 。。。more
Misty Wilson read。fine。print
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#bookreview #readfineprintreviews This book is slowly working its way into the realm of “children’s classic” territory and after reading it， I think it deserves the title。•As a child， I was a huge fan of the book Harriet the Spy。 When I say huge fan， I’m talking I had a spy notebook and I literally STAKED OUT A STRANGE NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE。 I peeked through their patio door from their backyard！ Anyhoo— I’m just saying I enjoyed a good spy story😂。 And， The Mysterious Benedict Society has all the fun #bookreview #readfineprintreviews This book is slowly working its way into the realm of “children’s classic” territory and after reading it， I think it deserves the title。•As a child， I was a huge fan of the book Harriet the Spy。 When I say huge fan， I’m talking I had a spy notebook and I literally STAKED OUT A STRANGE NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE。 I peeked through their patio door from their backyard！ Anyhoo— I’m just saying I enjoyed a good spy story😂。 And， The Mysterious Benedict Society has all the fun spy stuff， like secret codes and disguises and secret identities。•The books’ characters are also excellent。 Each one is so unique and as an ensemble they work perfectly！ But the best thing about this book for me， is the way it slyly addresses deeper themes like fear and control and intelligence and giftedness and families and。。。 well you see I could just continue on with the list。 And that’s why it deserves the title of classic。•The series debuts on Disney Plus soon and I can’t wait。 Read the book first， people！😂 。。。more
Katie （Story of a Booknerd）
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Loved this novel。 It an interesting childhood favorite。 Highly recommend it if you like A Series of Unfortunate Events。
Leah Butler
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WOW！！ This book was so endearing。 The characters were relatable， despite being much more talented than I was。 I flew through this book with ease due to the pacing which was perfection。 it’s been a while since i’ve read a book this great :）
Signe
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My daughter's fav。 book series。 I see why she loves it！ My daughter's fav。 book series。 I see why she loves it！ 。。。more
D。 Marie
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This book left me astonded。 Or was it astondished？This is definitely going on my FAVORITE shelf！！ Trento Lee Stewart did an amazing job on this book。 I loved meeting Kate Weatherall， Sticky Washington， Constance Contraire， and Reynie Muldoon。 I love Kate's bucket， and even Sticky's nervous way of polishing his glasses。 Constance's poems get to me very time。。。 and Reynie， well。。。 who wouldn't like him？I have to say that， even though it was 485 pages long and I finished it in less than two days， I This book left me astonded。 Or was it astondished？This is definitely going on my FAVORITE shelf！！ Trento Lee Stewart did an amazing job on this book。 I loved meeting Kate Weatherall， Sticky Washington， Constance Contraire， and Reynie Muldoon。 I love Kate's bucket， and even Sticky's nervous way of polishing his glasses。 Constance's poems get to me very time。。。 and Reynie， well。。。 who wouldn't like him？I have to say that， even though it was 485 pages long and I finished it in less than two days， I was able to completely soak in every inch of this book。NOTE: A few years ago， my family and I listened to it as an audiobook。 。 。 but that didn't go so well for me。 。 。 ;）。 So glad I gave it a second chance， all because of Millie Florence， who is in love with this series。 No， I do not know her personally， bur I was at an event she was at before ;） 。。。more
Molly
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I read this aloud with my almost 10 year old daughter and we both really enjoyed it！ The four main characters were the kind of kids I’ve always loved to read about — resourceful， courageous and intelligent （in different but equally important ways）。 The unraveling mysteries， creative problem solving， and witty humor made for an engrossing read。
Kathryn
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