February 5, 2011

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Mysterious Benedict Society
Trenton Lee Stewart

This was a clever and entertaining tale. A bit ominous in size but written for a younger audience, it concerns four particularly gifted children who pass a series of tests, thereby becoming a part of a mission to sabotage the work of an evil scientist and save the world. The characters were well-done, and though at times the plot was improbable or unrealistic, it was charming as what it was meant to be: a child's tale. The beginning takes on a bit of a Lemony-Snicket-style mysteriousness, but doesn't retain it very long. Happily, the novel is perfectly clean, and while I rather enjoyed it, it probably was intended for ages 8-12 or so. In my opinion, "The Mysterious Benedict Society" was an exciting, entertaining, and enjoyable tale.

6 comments:

Esther Grace said...

I'm glad that you've discovered its wonder, too! The Mysterious Benedict Society is absolutely awesome. It's an adventure where virtue and truth must overcome lies and contradiction ... quite allegorical, isn't it?

whisper said...

Huzzah! A fellow fan of the book. :) Allegorical, indeed. I enjoyed how the characters were flawed and that they occasionally succumbed to the mind-twisting evil of the villain's machine, but ultimately sanity and truth prevailed. :) Good stuff, good stuff.

Unknown said...

Good, brief, and precise book review. I should try to make my reviews more to-the-point sometimes. :-)

whisper said...

Thank you for your kind words; I am honored that you enjoyed the review. *glances back up at it* But often long is better; heh, in fact, that's one of my life philosophies. >_> Personally, I enjoy your book reviews at just the length and detail they are.

Unknown said...

Oh, I'm very glad to hear that! I was wondering in the back of my mind, with a little bit of concern, whether or not my reviews were more interesting long or simply more boring. I'm glad to know it's the former. :)

whisper said...

Indeed; indeed. Glad to have somewhat set your mind at ease. :)
-whisper

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