The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Mysterious Benedict Society

By Trenton Lee Stewart

126 ratings 151 reviews 197 followers
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 4 - 8Grades 6 - 8V5.6118460

Dozens of children respond to this peculiar ad in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests, which readers take along with them. Only four children-two boys and two girls-succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and inventive children could complete. 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. But what they'll find in the hidden underground tunnels of the school is more than your average school supplies. So, if you're gifted, creative, or happen to know Morse Code, they could probably use your help.
 

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780316003957
ISBN-10: 0316003956
Published on 4/1/2008
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 512

Book Reviews (150)

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I love this book. I read it in school.

Reynie sees an ad in the newspaper and decides to check it out. It is strange because it seems to be addressed to children, not their parents. It says that if you pass these very hard and strange tests, you will get "special opportunities". Little did Reynie know that he wasn't just signing up for some sort of special class, but a spy adventure..... with Kate, an athletic girl who has been abandoned by her father, George "Sticky" Washington, a bald, nervous, runaway with photographic memory who can read in several languages, and Constance Contraire, a very short, grumpy, girl who has a talent for poetry.

This is an engaging book about four teens who go on a mission to save the world from the evil scientist, who will use radio waves to destroy the world. I think it's pretty good!

MBSlover MBSlover

This is the best book I have ever read!! I would definitely recommend this to any one! I love all of Stewart's other books as well!! It has just enough suspense that it keeps you flipping the pages, but it doesn't keep you awake at night because you are so scared. Over all this is a perfect book!!!!

Sorry if I spoil the book... The Mysterious Benedict Society The main characters in The Mysterious Society are Kate, George Washington (aka Sticky), Constance, and last but not least Reynie the main character. In this book Reynie is an orphan and has a tutor they are studying, but then saw a billboard saying "Are you an odd kid looking for a new challenge/adventure?" And of course he was so he took up the challenge. It turns out that they have to pass a series of tests. Reynie passes the first test and has to wait for the next in a couch. Then Sticky comes along and talks to him,they become good friends. Then Kate comes along and talks to the awkward boys, somehow they become best friends and all make it to the end. That's when they meet Constance, they all become good friends like family even though Constance is very grumpy (you will find out why later.) At the end of the test they all meet a kind man named Mr. Benedict who was the man who made the test. Then they realise that Reynie is not the only orphen there! In fact all of them are orphans, even Constance! They also meet the assistants Number 1, Rhonda, and Milligan. They get put on a mission to find a voice or device that hypnotizes people. But they find out a whole new story… they get sent to a building that is owned by Mr. Benedict's long lost evil twin brother! But to find out about the machine they are "forced" to stay. They make enemies, Julian, Jason, and Melisa. And also some new friends, S.Q. , and Clara. There are messengers and helpers, Messengers are at a higher level and have more trust and responsibility than helpers.Reynie and Sticky manage to become helpers, they have enough trust to learn about the machine known as the WHISPER. They learn that it sucks up memories of children and use their voices to record the messages or voice recording. They need a code to tell Mr. Benedict information, though.. Hey! Why not morse code? An old code that not many people use now. They use it and communicate important information to one another at night. They find out tons of stuff like how they all got separated from their parents. They find out Mr. Curtin’s (Mr. Benedict's evil twin brother) plan to destroy all children's minds and rule the world. They manage to discover almost everything, even with just a little bit of teamwork. They ruin his plan by resisting the WHISPER and by calling Mr. Benedict for help. Then at the end of the story They find out that Constance is stubborn because she is only TWO YEARS OLD!!! Then all of them except Sticky and Kate get adopted! Reynie gets adopted by his tutor, Constance is adopted by Mr. Benedict and Kate and Sticky find their long lost parents! I loved this book and it was so fun to read!!!

This is an amazing review!

💜👍 this is like the best book series ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please read this s series it is the like best best best!!

Anonymous Anonymous

4th grade- I've read the whole series, and I love it :)

Reynie Muldoon has always been the odd one out. Strange, awkward, and clever beyond his years, his only friend is his dear old tutor, Miss Perumal. But that all changes when an advertisement is posted: "Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" Curious, Reynie decides to grasp this chance and participate in a series of contests, which become stranger and stranger as they are carried out. But in the end, Reynie passes all these tests with sheer determination and cool logic; and he is invited to a life unlike any he's ever known. Beautiful, mysterious, and inherently dangerous, Reynie meets a peculiar Mr. Benedict, who fears for the world's safety. As secrets are spilled and the parts of the puzzle are pieced together, Reynie - along with three other children who passed Mr. Benedict's tests, named Kate Wetherall, Sticky Washington, and Constance Contraire - realize that their mission is much more fatal than it seems. Because the only way to succeed in saving the world is to venture into their enemy's base - and stay for months as spies. Winding, suspenseful, and utterly perfect, The Mysterious Benedict Society is a spectacularly-written novel following the adventures of four children who break the mold yet are the world's only hope.

I haven't read it yet

I just started reading this series for the second time, but I don't really remember what happens. So far, the 4 children that passed Mr. Benedict's test have become friends and been sent off to the school that the evil guy runs. It turns out that the evil guy is twins with Mr. Benedict, but neither of them knew they had a twin.

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