the mysterious benedict society by trenton lee stewart
i was excited when i saw the a.r.c. of the mysterious benedict society, because with the cover they are so obviously going for gorey. and the back copy is compelling and it's good and thick, so you can sink right into it, but it isn't fantasy, as so often the big thick juvenile books are (not that i have anything against fantasy. not all of it, anyway.) it promises puzzles and mystery and a special school and orphans and all of those classic elements that often lead to goodness in the realm of children's literature. and it doesn't disappoint - not entirely. it wasn't quite as good and transporting as i'd hoped it would be, but it was still darn entertaining.
the story begins as one, very intelligent orphan spots an ad in a newspaper, inviting gifted children to come and take a very special test. those that pass - and there will only be four of them - are invited to participate on a secret, incredibly important mission, wherein they must infiltrate a school run by an evil genius and save the world from disaster. the kids are realistically drawn, especially our main protagonist, reynie, and i liked the way that stewart shapes the story in a very classic way, with all the touchstones, but set in a very modern, technological world. i can envision lots of kids being very excited to read this book and it will be very easy to encourage them to do so, with the set-up and the jacket copy and the urge all kids have to be special on a global scale. it's very fun, although i do wish that there had been more of the promised puzzles.
the story begins as one, very intelligent orphan spots an ad in a newspaper, inviting gifted children to come and take a very special test. those that pass - and there will only be four of them - are invited to participate on a secret, incredibly important mission, wherein they must infiltrate a school run by an evil genius and save the world from disaster. the kids are realistically drawn, especially our main protagonist, reynie, and i liked the way that stewart shapes the story in a very classic way, with all the touchstones, but set in a very modern, technological world. i can envision lots of kids being very excited to read this book and it will be very easy to encourage them to do so, with the set-up and the jacket copy and the urge all kids have to be special on a global scale. it's very fun, although i do wish that there had been more of the promised puzzles.