This book brought back my love for reading. When four kids, Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance try out for a test in a ad, they are the only ones who passed. It's like a Sherlock Holmes book for kids. AMAZING. At least, so far.... Well anyways, up to where I read, The 4 kids form their own group, because they have to work together to stop Mr.Curtain, someone who was evil from the Institute Here's a sample of the "tricks" they put in. My favorite part: CROSS THE ROOM WITHOUT SETTING FOOT ON A BLUE OR BLACK SQUARE. Reynie looked down. On the cement floor just inside the door, where he now stood, was a large red circle. On the other side of the room, by the opposite door, was another red circle. Between these circles the floor resembled a giant checkerboard, with alternating rectangles of blue, black, and yellow. Reynie studied the pattern. There was far more blue and black than yellow. So much more, in fact, that he soon realized it would be impossible to cross the room without stepping on blue or black. The yellow parts were so widely scattered that he doubted even a kangaroo could hop from one to the other. He looked at the sign again, and after a moment’s consideration, he laughed and shook his head. Then he strode confidently across the room, into the other red circle, and out the far door. Sticky and Milligan stood waiting for him beyond the door. They had been watching him secretly through tiny holes in the wall. Sticky looked confused and started to ask Reynie something, but Milligan shushed him. “You boys can watch, but you must be quiet,” he said. He went away to tell Kate it was her turn. Moments later they saw Kate step boldly into Room 7-B. After reading the sign, she studied the floor, considering whether she might manage to leap from yellow to yellow. At last she shook her head, rejecting the idea. Next she looked from one door to the other, gauging the distance. Then, taking the length of rope from her bucket, she fashioned a loop at the end, and with one expert throw lassoed the doorknob at the far side of the room. Fastening the other end to the doorknob behind her, she pulled the rope tight, knotted it securely, and climbed up. “Now, if I only had that paddle,” she said aloud to herself as she walked along the rope, “I could hold it out in front of me for balance.” Indeed, a paddle might have helped, for halfway across the room she nearly fell (the boys caught their breath), but after wobbling back and forth and wheeling her arms around, she recovered. After a few more careful steps, she hopped down into the other red circle. “Wow!” Sticky whispered. “She did it!” But before Kate could join the boys, Milligan appeared and took her back to the starting point to try again, this time without her rope, which he informed her would be returned upon completion of the test. “That’s hardly fair,” Sticky whispered. “Nobody told her she couldn’t use a rope.” Kate, meanwhile, was removing all the items from her bucket and stuffing them into her pockets. When she’d finished, her pockets bulging ridiculously, she unscrewed the handle from her bucket and tucked it through her belt. Then she was ready. Kicking the bucket onto its side, she hopped onto it and began rolling it forward with her feet, like a circus bear balancing on a ball. Rolling first this way, and then that, she zigzagged across the room to the other red circle. Reynie and Sticky looked at each other in awe. Who was this girl? Yet once again, as Kate reattached the bucket handle and emptied her pockets, Milligan entered the room. He returned her to the starting circle, this time taking away her bucket and tools, which she handed over with evident reluctance. She recovered quickly, however. Before Milligan had even closed the door behind him, Kate shrugged and cracked her knuckles, flattened her palms against the cement, and lifted her feet into the air above her. And this was how she crossed the room, walking on her hands, not once setting foot upon the floor. “Never mind,” said Milligan when she opened the door. He handed her bucket back. “You pass.” “What I don’t understand,” Sticky was saying to Reynie as they followed Milligan down a dark stairway, “is how you passed that test. I’m glad, of course, but I don’t see how you did it. I crossed on my hands and knees so my feet didn’t touch any blue or black squares, and Kate did her acrobat tricks..
The Mysterious Benedict Society
By Trenton Lee Stewart
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 4 - 8 | Grades 6 - 8 | V | 5.6 | 118460 |
Dozens of children respond to this peculiar ad in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests, which readers take along with them. Only four children-two boys and two girls-succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and inventive 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. But what they'll find in the hidden underground tunnels of the school is more than your average school supplies. So, if you're gifted, creative, or happen to know Morse Code, they could probably use your help.
Book Reviews (151)
I decided to read this book because I love to read and this looked like a very interesting book . I loved it It was the best book ever!
I think this is just about one of the best (if not the best) books I have EVER read. You will get sucked into it, and finish it in no time - even though it is a very long book. But don't worry, because there are I think about five books in the series! These are just INCREDIBLE books, and I think Trento Lee Stuart did an AMAZING job! This book is a MUST READ!!
I read about half of the book when I was younger and I thought it was a very good book.I really want to finish it.
This interesting book was read to us in class this year. I really liked the bravery of some of the characters.
This book is awesome! I personally think that everyone should read this book, and it is okay if you don't agree with me. All I've read from these series is this book so far, but still! Ah. Hmm........ what else to say? AH! This book is brimming with mystery, so all mystery book lovers HAVE to read this.
Reynie, Kate, Constance and are really different. I repeat, REALLY different. Two of the few things they have in common are that they are very gifted, and they are "alone" (you will understand that if you read this). Anyway, these four kids find an ad in the newspaper that tells them about a test to find "special opportunities". When they pass, they meet Mr. Benedict, who asks them if they would go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where they find many mysteries, problems, and on top of all that, no one can discover what they are actually doing. THis is one of the best books on this planet. It might be boring for the first couple of pages, but it is AWESOME, trust me. If you like slightly funny, mysterious, adventure books, you MUST read this.
I love these series! I only read two of these series, but I certainly want to buy this book!
This series is one of the most best series I have ever read, and trust me, I've read a lot. T.L.S is just wonderfully sublime and I was terribly unhappy when the books finished!
On the first book, I was so surprised to find out that Constance was a toddler! It's a terrific book, and I highly recommend it to eveyone about Grade 4~Grade 9.