The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey - Book Review

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

The second book in The Mysterious Benedict Society series was just as fun to read as the first. I was thrilled to read more about the developing friendship between the four main characters, Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance, and to follow along as they solved more puzzles in an attempt to save their friends. In this installment, the four kids must solve puzzles created by the kidnapped Mr. Benedict in order to save their benefactor and his assistant from Benedict's twin brother, Mr. Curtain. Reynie begins to have doubts about trusting people, which almost alienates him from his three companions; Sticky has perhaps gained a little too much confidence; Kate must learn how to become a responsible daughter; and Constance's true gifts are finally revealed. This second book is packed with adventure and more excitement than the first book, which made for a suspenseful and enjoyable read. Even at 440 pages, it went quickly and I couldn't wait to get to the next book in the series.








Although it seems a bit unrealistic that the four children could have boarded a ship, traveled to Portugal, the Netherlands, and finally to a deserted island without attracting enough attention to be stopped, I was happy that the four young members of The Mysterious Benedict Society were traveling without much assistance from adults, who are written as rather boring characters in this series. Even Milligan (my favorite adult character), despite all of his amazing stunts and miraculous just-in-time rescues, is still Kate's father and his first priority is keeping the kids safe, away from harm, and therefore away from the action. I appreciate Stewart's realistic portrayal of parents, but I was still rooting for the four main characters to disobey the orders from their adult guardians--no doubt many younger readers will feel the same way, which may put parents of these younger readers in a difficult position.

I was also glad that the antagonists were the same people from the first book, negating the need to go into a detailed explanation of who they are and what they want to do. Mr. Curtain still wants to take over the world (perhaps a bit cliché, but it's worked for hundreds of years as a basic plot point), but this time he wants to use an ancient rare plant that can put an entire city to sleep and may also hold the cure for his narcolepsy. The plot details were just different enough to make the story interesting, but similar enough to the first story that the reader is already familiar with the background of most of the characters.

I appreciated Stewart's brief mention of the complicated relationship between Mr. Benedict and Mr. Curtain: although one is obviously evil and the other is practically a saint, they are still brothers and are both dealing with accepting this new-found fact. Milligan teaches Kate that despite the evil that Mr. Curtain and the Ten Men are willing to do, she should not reciprocate, a hard lesson that many people never learn. When Captain Noland grounds his ship to save everyone on the island, Reynie learns that he can't judge the majority of humanity based on the faults of Mr. Curtain and his accomplices. Sticky may have fallen asleep at his post and gotten ambushed by the Ten Men, but his friends forgive him and he strengthens the resolve of the group at a key moment. S.Q. Pedalian, although strangely attached to Mr. Curtain, still seems to be a good person, and Mr. Benedict suffers from a large amount of guilt after tricking S.Q. into letting him escape. If there is one thing that Stewart excels at, it is writing about relationships, which are almost always complicated and messy.

Favorite Line(s): "Kate was not like Mr. Curtain and his nasty associates. Not at all. Back on that rooftop in Thernbaakagen Milligan had told her as much, and she saw now what he meant. Seeing those men there, helpless to stop her from doing what they themselves would never hesitate to do, Kate realized -- with a certain degree of disappointment but also a degree of pride -- that she could never do it, could never do something that would make her more like her enemy and less like her father. . . . As the Salamander rumbled away, Mr. Curtain smiled and blew Kate a kiss. Kate made sure he saw her wipe it off."

Overall: I recommend this book to anyone who loves puzzles, fast-paced adventures, or parents wanting to read to children who are a bit too young to read on their own. If you liked the first book in this series, I think you'll definitely enjoy this installment too.

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