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The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

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Manufacturer: Little, Brown Young Readers
List Price: $16.99
Our Price: $6.30
You Save: $ 10.69 ( 63% )
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The fabulous foursome readers embraced as The Mysterious Benedict Society is back with a new mission, significantly closer to home. After reuniting for a celebratory scavenger hunt, Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance are forced to go on an unexpected search--a search to find Mr. Benedict. It seems that while he was preparing the kids' adventure, he stepped right into a trap orchestrated by his evil twin Mr. Curtain.

With only one week to find a captured Mr. Benedict, the gifted foursome faces their greatest challenge of all--a challenge that will reinforce the reasons they were brought together in the first place and will require them to fight for the very namesake that united them.


DESCRIPTION:

Binding: Hardcover
EAN: 9780316057806
ISBN: 0316057800
Label: Little, Brown Young Readers
Manufacturer: Little, Brown Young Readers
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 448
Publication Date: 2008-05-01
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Studio: Little, Brown Young Readers


SIMILAR ITEMS:

• The Mysterious Benedict Society
• The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 5)
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret
• The Penderwicks on Gardam Street


CUSTOMER REVIEWS:

Customer Rating:
Summary: Even Better Than Its Predecessor
Comment: In the second book of "The Mysterious Benedict Society" series, Stewart has given his four remarkably clever orphans families. However, this does not mean the adventure is over for Reynie, Sticky, Constance, and Kate. In an effort to keep the children challenged and connected, Nicholas Benedict arranges for them to embark on a new quest that unfortunately goes awry at the hands of the evil Mr. Curtain. This forces the children to work together like never before as they race against the clock to save their friends and quite possibly, the world. In this novel, Stewart provides a plot that builds upon, and in some ways outstrips, its predecessor.

While still a children's book, there seems to be a little more maturity and a little less predictability here, resulting in a strong piece of writing overall. Most interesting to me was the character development, especially of the four children. They are a little older and a little wiser, which allows us to probe their hearts and minds further than before - especially the two girls. The themes of good v. evil, the choices we make, friendship etc. that are so popular in children's literature become something very personal to each of the children and give this novel a new dimension. These books truly are wonderful and I am looking forward to the publication of a third.

Customer Rating:
Summary: A good sequal to the first book
Comment: I read this book in doubt because it seems like when a really good book comes out, the second book is never as good. This book was the same but it was better than I expected. I missed Mr. Benedict being a big character and I didn't like how the parents were such big characters. Over all the book was good. I really liked the whole scaveger hunt idea and traveling the world instead of just their little town was cool too.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Clever Adventure!
Comment: Travel, adventure, clues, hereos, mystery. This book was 10 times better than the first and I gave that one five stars!

Customer Rating:
Summary: More of the same faults make the book even more boring than No.1
Comment: "The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey" promises an interesting plot (a scavenger hunt turns serious when Mr. Benedict is abducted and the kids decide to follow and free him). It also promises more character development of the characters introduced in the first book. Unfortunately it does not deliver:

Trenton Lee Stewart enjoys telling the reader everything, instead of showing us what is going on and gives lengthy statements at every possible opportunity about how the characters feel at that moment and why they act like they act, etc. - well, booooring! I would like to notice these things myself instead of being told in excruciating detail. This is not the way to flesh out your characters. It makes them even flatter.
This book reads more like text book on the topic than an adventure novel. It was a fault of the first book - but here the fault is even more pronounced and the plot is comparatively weaker.

Other problems: As in the first book, interesting characters are introduced, but nothing is done with them, e.g. Why does the ship captain behave so oddly? The author tries and fails to set up believable character conflicts for each of the characters - Reynie just got adopted, which surely means that not all people can be evil?

All in all the book makes for a boring read - I cannot recommend it.
Mr. Stewart might yet manage to write a good kids' book if he manages to stop telling us everything and instead tries to "paint with words".

Customer Rating:
Summary: Perilous Plots
Comment: Reynie, Sticky and Kate are all on their way to Mr. Benedict's house to meet up with him and Constance for a reunion. When they get there, chaos abounds as Mr. Benedict and Number Two have gone missing, and the house is swarming with investigators, some of whom may not be trustworthy.

When the children find out that they were to go on a trip that Mr. Benedict had planned for them, they are a little sad that they won't be going, but when it comes to light that they may be just the people to save Mr. Benedict and Number Two, they make a pact to do just that.

Following the clues Mr. Benedict leaves for the children is a big part of the adventure of this book, but when you add in the evil Ten Men and the plot of Mr. Curtain, you know that the children are going to be facing danger at every turn!

Notes on the Cover:
I love the ship and the children doing their thing on it, but the problem with it is that while on the ship, the children are basically kept to their room. I find it a little unfaithful to the text, as the children are on the ship at a couple of points, but what they seem to be doing on it just doesn't feel accurate to me.

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