The Mysterious Benedict Society: "The Trouble With Children or, Why They Are Necessary"
Sticky coughed and mumbled something about needing to use the bathroom.
Mr. Benedict smiled kindly down at him and said, "Sticky, never fear, you aren't compelled to join the team. I hope to explain a bit more about it, and then you'll be given the choice to stay or go. Fair enough?" After a moment's hesitation, Sticky nodded, and then Mr. Benedict added, "Now, do you truly need to use the bathroom, or can you wait a few minutes longer?"
Sticky truly did, but he said, "I can wait."
"Very well. Now, in the interest of further explanation, I'll ask you all another question. What is it the four of you have in common? Can you tell me?"
"We all passed your boring tests," said Constance.
"We're all gifted," said Kate.
"We're all children," said Sticky.
“What is it that you all have in common, hmm?”
Mr. Benedict nodded at each response, then looked at Reynie, who said, "We're all alone."
Mr. Benedict raised his eyebrows. "What makes you think that?"
"For one thing," said Reynie, "the newspaper advertisment wasn't addressed to parents but to children, which makes me think you were looking for kids who might be be alone. And then at the first test there were a lot of parents but later in the Monk Building I saw only a handful of them waiting - and I know at least a few kids who showed up all by themselves. And now here we are. I'm an orphan, and Kate's mother died when she was a baby and then her father left her, and I'm guessing about Constance, but as for Sticky, well - I'm sorry, Sticky, but I think you've been hiding something. I think somehow you're alone, too."
Page 79-80 of the paperback edition of The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart