Reviews

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

labunnywtf's review against another edition

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3.0



Added to my TBR on April 15, 2009

I think I added it because my friend Darla gave it a high rating. Maybe. It's hard to tell what motivated me almost 10 years ago. I've let this TBR go for way too long. It's feral now.

What an exceptionally strange book. It's the younger side of YA, but I must admit, I don't know if the age range works for the way this is written. Maybe I can't understand because I'm so old now. I wouldn't mind giving this to my godson and seeing what he thinks of it.

The characters are TERRIBLY fun. Even the "bad guys", who seemingly have no redeeming qualities, are exciting and interesting. I would've liked more back story on them. We got a decent amount of backstory on all the kids except for Constance. Which, once we got the big reveal at the end (didn't see that coming, terribly amused), kind of makes sense.

The plot itself is incredibly thin, which was disappointing. The book starts with so many puzzles and twisty questions that I got excited this was what we were going to be dealing with. Once they got to the school, though, it devolved quickly into spying that told us nothing and rules that weren't rules and some form of brain washing that was never quite explained properly.

I'm not really interested in continuing on with the series, but this one was pleasant enough. I still don't think it's one that the middle school YA set would appreciate.

watermelon_apple's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny informative lighthearted mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

jokiwi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I had a dream about this book last night and hoo boy was it tense and stressful!  A lot of this book is very stressful and exciting!  Eleven-year-old me also deeply empathized with Reynie's approaches to problem-solving.  Also, I screamed out loud towards the end of the novel, scaring everyone in my house (but also making my kiddo who'd wanted me to read the book grin real big).  It was VERY GOOD.  But I did have to pace myself with it.  

dreamcat's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

lillyshearman's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

What a gorgeous feel good novel filled with joy! Fantastic cast of characters and I loved the development of their friendships. 4 out of 5 stars!

ember12's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

I really liked this book. It had me hooked the whole book.

ava_ba's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was SAUR cute

danne789's review against another edition

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4.0

I enjoyed this. I think if I had read it when I was younger, I would have devoured the entire series. The characters are all unique and fun - with the exception of Constance. She was not likable, but that was "explained" at the end. I still didn't love it. But the book as a whole was good enough to overlook it. The children dealt with real fears and problems which I felt were resolved in such a heartwarming way. There was fun suspense, fun mystery, and the perfect amount of silliness. The book didn't end with a cliffhanger per se, but it did set up well for the sequel. Definitely a fun read.

keitacolada's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

hannahnoelle531's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75