Cover Image

The mysterious Benedict Society

by Stewart, Trenton Lee.

Format: Book on CD 2007
Availability: Available at 3 Libraries 3 of 8 copies

Available (3)
Location Collection Call #
Bethel Park Public Library Juvenile Audio/Visual juv CD STEWART Trenton
Location  Bethel Park Public Library
 
Collection  Juvenile Audio/Visual
 
Call Number  juv CD STEWART Trenton
 
 
Cooper-Siegel Community Library Childrens' Audio Visual j CD BOOK STE
Location  Cooper-Siegel Community Library
 
Collection  Childrens' Audio Visual
 
Call Number  j CD BOOK STE
 
 
Moon Township Public Library Juvenile Audiovisual J CDB STEWART 721
Location  Moon Township Public Library
 
Collection  Juvenile Audiovisual
 
Call Number  J CDB STEWART 721
 
 
 
Unavailable (5)
Location Collection Status
C.C. Mellor Memorial Library Juvenile Audio Books CHECKED OUT
Location  C.C. Mellor Memorial Library
 
Collection  Juvenile Audio Books
 
Status  CHECKED OUT
 
 
CLP - Main Library First Floor Children's Department - Fiction Collection CHECKED OUT
Location  CLP - Main Library
 
Collection  First Floor Children's Department - Fiction Collection
 
Status  CHECKED OUT
 
 
CLP - Squirrel Hill Children's Audiovisual Collection CHECKED OUT
Location  CLP - Squirrel Hill
 
Collection  Children's Audiovisual Collection
 
Status  CHECKED OUT
 
 
Cooper-Siegel Community Library Young Adult CHECKED OUT
Location  Cooper-Siegel Community Library
 
Collection  Young Adult
 
Status  CHECKED OUT
 
 
Monroeville Public Library Juvenile Audio IN TRANSIT
Location  Monroeville Public Library
 
Collection  Juvenile Audio
 
Status  IN TRANSIT
 
 

Summary
In the first installment of the Mystery Benedict Society series, after she successfully completes a series of mind-bending tests posted in the newspaper, Reynie Muldoon joins three other gifted children to make up the Mysterious Benedict Society. Assigned a top secret mission, the four children must learn to rely on each as they infiltrate the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened and prepare to battle against the evil Mr. Curtain.
ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD Looking for special opportunities?

When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear listener, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.

As our heroes face physical and mental trials beyond their wildest imaginations, they have no choice but to turn to each other for support. But with their newfound friendship at stake, will they be able to pass the most important test of all?

Welcome to the Mysterious Benedict Society.


"Del Roy's narration is inspired. His serious tone communicates his respect for the skills and talents of the youngsters in the story, as well as the listeners who are playing along."-- AudioFile
Published Reviews
Booklist Review: "Are you a gifted child looking for Special Opportunities? This curious newspaper ad catches the eye of orphan Reynie Muldoon. After taking exams that test both mind and spirit, Reynie is selected along with four other contestants--Sticky Washington, a nervous child with a photographic memory; irrepressible Kate Weatherhill; and a tiny child who lives up to her name, Constance Contraire. The children soon learn they've been chosen by mysterious Mr. Benedict for an important mission: they are to infiltrate the isolated Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, from which messages of distrust and compliance are being broadcast into the minds of the world's citizens. Debut novelist Stewart takes some familiar conventions--among them, an orphan struggling against evil forces (Harry Potter, anyone?)--and makes them his own. But like the Potter books, his story goes beyond mere adventures, delving into serious issues, such as the way sloganeering can undermine society--or control it. Through its interesting characters, the book also tackles personal concerns: abandonment, family, loyalty, and facing one's fears. The novel could have been shortened, but Stewart writes with such attention to the intricacies of plot and personality, his story rarely feels slow; only a significant disclosure about Constance seems forced. Smart kids who like Blue Balliet's books are the natural audience for this; but, read aloud, the novel will attract many others as well. Illustrations to come. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2007 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "Stewart's (Flood Summer, for adults) first book for young people begins with a bang. Gifted 11-year-old orphan Reynie Muldoon is sharing the newspaper with his tutor when she excitedly points out an ad: "Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" She encourages him to take the series of tests cited in the ad, and the entire process resembles the otherworldly experience of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with puzzles within puzzles and tests within tests-some mental, some ethical, some physical. Ultimately three children pass the first test and go on to the next: Reynie, Sticky (born George) Washington and Kate Wetherall-all of them essentially orphans. A fourth, the "very, very small" Constance Contraire, joins them later, and Mr. Benedict describes why he has brought them together. Initially, readers-like the four children-may be unsure of what to think about this mysterious gent: Is he hero or villain? Mr. Benedict has recruited them to foil an evil plan, devised by a mysterious "Sender," to brainwash the population via secret messages-delivered by children-embedded in television and radio programs. The plot-driven novel follows many adventures among the four, whose unique talents all come into play; readers will likely warm to each of them. A couple of concluding twists involving Kate and Connie may throw readers a bit, but these do not detract from the book's entertainment value or from the author's sound overall structure. Though the book is lengthy, readers will likely enjoy getting lost in this fully imagined realm. Ages 8-12. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved"
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
Series The Mysterious Benedict Society series
#1 - The Mysterious Benedict Society
#2 - The Mysterious Benedict Society and the perilous journey
#3 - The Mysterious Benedict Society and the prisoner's dilemma
Subjects Adventure stories.
Schools -- Juvenile fiction.
Adventure and adventurers -- Fiction.
Schools -- Fiction.
Science fiction.
Audiobooks.
Publisher New York :Listening Library,2007
Edition Unabridged.
Contributors Roy, Del.
Listening Library.
Participants/Performers Read by Del Roy.
Language English
Notes Unabridged.
Compact disc.
Description 11 audio discs (13 hr., 17 min.) : digital ; 4 3/4 in.
ISBN 9780307284396
0307284395
9780739348598
0739348590
Other Classic View