The Mysterious Benedict Society - Book Review

The Mysterious Benedict Society

This first book in the Mysterious Benedict Society trilogy was a clever, fun, and touching story of four exceptionally talented children, all of whom are orphans for one reason or another. As I read, I was so excited that I often found myself skipping pages to read ahead without thinking about it, then having to go back to read everything I had skipped. Although many of the book's puzzles are probably common knowledge for older children and adults, I think that young children would definitely benefit from having the puzzles presented in such an atypical format, especially if they stop to try and figure them out on their own before being given the answer. The young characters that Stewart has created are realistic, likable, frustrating, enjoyable, and fascinating all at once.










Reynie is an admirably patient and kind character, especially for a child who has been teased and tormented his whole life for being extremely intelligent. I found myself liking and admiring him, even if his almost always cheerful disposition was a bit unbelievable. I appreciated the scene with the Whisperer near the end when it was shown that Reynie was not above all temptation to take the easy route. Kate was by far my favorite character, precisely because of her unbelievable feats and acrobatics; she won me over almost immediately with her laugh-out-loud antics. Constance was frustrating and annoying, but too funny to hate; when her big secret was revealed at the end, I found myself as thankful as the other three children that she had a good excuse for being so downright grumpy. Sticky's intelligence and lack of confidence were important to the story, but I found myself often more annoyed with him than I was with Constance. His wishy-washiness may have been a bit overdone for my liking.

The time spent in the Learning Institute was full of plot twists, secrets, and challenges that were not only exciting to read about, but they also brought out the best and worst of the four members of the Mysterious Benedict Society. While I enjoyed the main plot of the story, I was happiest when the four main characters were making discoveries using uncommon methods and teamwork, such as when Reynie used bookmarks to get Mr. Curtain to switch to important pages in his journal, and Sticky used Kate's spyglass to quickly memorize the contents of those pages. The burgeoning friendship among the four young members of the Mysterious Benedict Society and their realizations that 1) each of them has something unique to offer and that 2) they will all make mistakes, adds a heartwarming moral to an already thrilling and enjoyable adventure novel.

Favorite Line(s): "'What good is your bucket doing you now?' Jackson jeered. 'I'm glad you asked,' Kate said, bending over the brook to scoop the bucket full of water. Instantly it was as heavy as a bowling ball. Returning to look down into Jackson's icy blue eyes -- he was only a few rungs from the top -- she gave him a friendly wink. And dropped the bucket."


Overall: I recommend this book to anyone who loves puzzles (if that's you, be sure to check out the Professor Layton games for the DS too), fast-paced adventures, or parents wanting to read to children who are a bit too young to read on their own.

(And coming soon, I'll be reviewing the second novel in the MBS series!)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Series Review

I wasn't able to do much reading for pleasure during my four undergraduate years at the University of Georgia. Even when I graduated this past May, I was kept extremely busy with planning a wedding and honeymoon and trying to find a job. After returning from our honeymoon, I was offered a job as a copyeditor at an educational technology firm in Athens and finally I've been able to breathe and start reading again!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians was a fantastic way to break my hiatus from pleasure reading. The series was recommended to me by a friend a few months ago, and once I started reading, I finished all five books in the series in less than a month! I typically judge my attraction to a book by how quickly I read it, since I read faster the more excited I am. I read all 400 pages of The Lightning Thief in one afternoon, and the rest of the books only took one or two days as well! I have even picked up all of the audiobooks and I was considering getting the Camp Half-Blood t-shirt until it sold out. :(

I loved the way Rick Riordan wrote the series from Percy's point of view, and his grasp of what a twelve-year-old boy would think and say seemed remarkably genuine to me. The emotions it evoked were also genuine: I laughed out loud during several parts of the series and I cried several times. I can recall lying on my stomach eagerly flipping from one page to the next with my knees shaking and my heart pounding during the action sequences, which were almost nonstop at times. My husband and I read the series together, and we started vocalizing our predictions to each other, which was a lot of fun and lead to at least a few fun "I told you so!" and "I can't believe you thought of that!" moments.

I've heard the criticism that the story is a repeat of Harry Potter and although that may be true, Harry Potter itself is a repeat of a story that has been told again and again: the story of a child or young adult who leaves home, finds a group of friends to support him or her, and grows to maturity through conflict, both internal and external. This type of story, called a bildungsroman has its origins in ancient folklore and has constantly been told in various forms. Just to say that the Percy Jackson series is a repeat of this type of story does not disqualify it in my mind; Riordan's pleasant writing style and talent for incorporating ancient Greek and Roman myths into a modern day story was enough to keep me engaged throughout the series.











Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief


Perhaps my favorite part of The Lightning Thief was that Hades was not the bad guy. I think that in similar stories, authors are often quick to blame Hades since in our society hell is seen as the worst of the worst and Hades is associated with the devil. I also appreciated the realistic dialogue that occurred between Percy, Annabeth, and Grover; it seemed neither forced nor planned, and I loved the constant tension between Percy and Annabeth. Perhaps the only complaint I had with the story was the slightly-too-perfect happy ending involving Percy's mom Sally. It seemed a little too forced to have her "die" early in the book, only to come back later on because she never actually died, suddenly get rid of Gabe (although it was hilariously done), and start to live her dream of being a writer.

Favorite Line(s): "[My mother] told me Gabe had left mysteriously--disappeared off the face of the planet, in fact. . . . On a completely unrelated subject, she'd sold her first life-sized concrete sculpture, entitled The Poker Player to a collector, through an art gallery in Soho."


Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

In The Sea of Monsters, we are introduced to Tyson and I liked him almost immediately. I really loved the way Percy stuck up for him, even to Annabeth, and I was desperately hoping throughout the whole story that Tyson would turn out to be a good guy. I was extremely satisfied with Riordan's handling of the Polyphemus battle scene, which solidified my respect for Tyson's character. I also found myself starting to like Clarisse, which, after the first book, I assumed would be impossible. My favorite scene, though, was when Percy saves Annabeth from the sirens; again, the emotion and tension between Percy and Annabeth was intense without seeming too overdone, and Annabeth's admission of her own fatal flaw (hubris) was well placed.

Favorite Line(s): "But when the fire died, Tyson was still standing there, completely unharmed. . . . The bull must've been as surprised as I was, because before it could unleash a second blast, Tyson balled his fists and slammed them into the bull's face. 'BAD COW!'"


Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse

Within the first few chapters of The Titan's Curse, when Annabeth is kidnapped, I thought that I would not enjoy this entry in the Olympians series. Annabeth has been my favorite character almost from the moment she was introduced and I thought that without the tension between her and Percy, the book would fall flat. Thankfully, I was proven very wrong. Each of the new characters Riordan introduced in this entry are interesting and filled with unique personalities. I loved Thalia's arrogant stubbornness, Zoe's independence and courage, Bianca's sisterly guilt, and Nico's confusion and anger at Percy. The deaths of Bianca and Zoe caused more than a few tears, while the reunion between Percy and Annabeth appealed to that part of me that is still a teenage girl cheering for the protagonist to get the girl.

Favorite Line(s): "[Annabeth] touched the new streak of gray in my hair that matched hers exactly--our painful souvenir from holding Atlas's burden. . . . I said, 'I, uh, was thinking we got interrupted at Westover Hall. And . . . I think I owe you a dance.' She smiled slowly. 'All right, Seaweed Brain.' So I took her hand, and I don't know what everybody else heard, but to me it sounded like a slow dance: a little sad, but maybe a little hopeful too."


Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth

If I had to pick a least favorite book in the Olympians series, it would be The Battle of the Labyrinth. Although this entry in the series was still well-written, engaging, and very very fun to read, it didn't appeal to me in the same way as the previous three. I liked how Percy struggled with Calypso's offer to make him immortal (an offer that would be repeated in the next book) and I liked the development of Nico di Angelo from an angry 10-year-old into a powerful and slightly intimidating 11-year-old son of Hades. The tension and conflict between Rachel and Annabeth was also entertaining, all the more so because of Percy's almost complete ignorance as to why Annabeth disliked Rachel. Beyond that, I was just happy to finish The Battle of the Labyrinth in order to move on to the final book in the series.

Favorite Line(s): "[Nico] dropped the rest of the Cokes into the grave and pulled out a white paper bag decorated with cartoons. I hadn't seen one in years, but I recognized it--a McDonald's Happy Meal. He turned it upside down and shook the fries and hamburger into the grave. 'In my day, we used animal blood,' the ghost mumbled. . . . 'I will treat them with respect,' Nico said. 'At least let me keep the toy,' the ghost said."


Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian

The Last Olympian was a fantastic way to end the adventures of Percy Jackson and his friends, although I'm still holding out hope that maybe Riordan will write more about Camp Half-Blood one day in the future. This entry in the series was almost nonstop action, leaving me reading well past my normal bedtime in order to find out the story's ending. It's almost impossible for me to pick an absolute favorite part--I cried when Selena sacrificed herself to bring the children of Ares into the war against Kronos and when Annabeth realized what must happen to Luke. I laughed when Chiron showed up with the Party Ponies and when Annabeth realized that Percy has chosen to remain mortal (okay, so there were a couple of tears mixed in as well). I was very satisfied that Percy stood up to the gods of Olympus and made them promise to recognize all minor gods and to claim their children. I'll admit it, though; I'm a complete sucker for happy endings and successful relationships, so I have to say that when Percy finally tells Annabeth how he feels about her, I literally laughed out-loud and did a mid-air fist pump. :)

Favorite Line(s): "'Perseus Jackson--if you wish it--you shall be made a god.' . . . I glanced back. Annabeth was trying not to meet my eyes. Her face was pale. I flashed back to two years ago, when I'd thought she was going to take the pledge to Artemis and become a Hunter. I'd been on the edge of a panic attack, thinking that I'd lose her. Now, she looked pretty much the same way. . . . 'No,' I said. . . . The gods were glaring at me, but Annabeth had her hands over her mouth. Her eyes were shining. And that kind of made up for it."

"Then [Annabeth] laughed for real, and she put her hands around my neck. 'I am never, ever going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it.' When she kissed me, I had the feeling my brain was melting right through my body. I could've stayed that way forever, except a voice behind us growled, 'Well, it's about time!'"



Overall: I highly recommend Percy Jackson and the Olympians to anyone who loves Harry Potter, Greek/Roman mythology, young adult fantasy novels, or anyone who just wants to read something with a lot of action and a happy ending.