The Mysterious Benedict Society
and the Perilous Journey
by Trenton Lee Stewart

    THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY AND THE PERILOUS JOURNEY by Trenton Lee Stewart
    Illustrated by:  Diana Sudyka
    Category:  Action-Adventure
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  5/1/08
    Publisher:  Little, Brown
    Reviewed by:  Tasha
    Rating:  5 Stars


    It’s been a year since the Mysterious Benedict Society was last together. Reynie was adopted by his dear tutor, Miss
    Perumal, Constance was adopted by Mr. Benedict himself, Kate was reunited with her long lost father, Milligan, and
    Sticky returned to his parents.

    Now Mr. Benedict has planned a special surprise for the children in honor of their one year anniversary and as a
    chance for the four friends to see each other again. Everything goes wrong when Mr. Benedict and one of his trusty
    companions, Number Two, go missing. The children know that this is the dastardly deed of Mr. Curtain, the same
    man that caused all of the trouble in the children’s last story. With no other option, the children set off on yet another
    adventure, this time to save the man that they have come to love. With clues left by Mr. Benedict before he was
    captured and the aid of many friends, the children set off on a great journey in search for Mr. Benedict while being
    pursued by many of Mr. Curtain’s henchmen.

    I really enjoyed this book. It definitely lived up to the first book and may have even surpassed it. The magic of the first
    book returned and I fell in love with the author’s style. His choice of words was great and the character development
    in this book was much better. The only issue I had with this book is the pace wasn’t consistent. I felt like at some
    points I was completely riveted to the book and couldn’t put it down, but there were other times where I just couldn’t
    get into the story.

    I really liked the way the characters came together in this book. They all had personality and were very likeable. I
    also loved the adventure the kids went on. They traveled the globe and I was able to learn quite a few things from
    their different adventures. Another great thing about this book is that it’s not necessary to read the first book in the
    series. While there are a few pieces of information that aren’t included, they’re not crucial to the story and this book
    can totally stand on its own.

    While this was a middle grade novel, I think older readers will also enjoy it.  I know I did. Overall, I really liked this
    book and I recommend it to all.