The Mysterious Benedict Society

I thought it was a really great book. I originally even thought of reading it because one review I came across said that this might have been the next A Series of Unfortunate Events and I thoroughly enjoyed that series. I'm a fan of authors who take kids seriously than their elders usually do. I was one of those children who knew more than they should and read more than they ought to. It was the reason why I read Stephen King and VC Andrews in grade school, because the children's book authors didn't take kids seriously.

Here I am, years later, reading children's books that finally realize that kids are smarter than we think. The Mysterious Benedict Society is a smart book that is clever enough to keep you entertained but simple enough as to not scare off the reader. I think it gets this balance better than Lemony Snicket (or Daniel Handler) did, because sometimes during the Baudelaire twin's books I wanted to put it down because the formula was getting to be a bit much.

But yes, there are elements there that are very much the same. Genius children orphaned away and then called in to save the day. But, instead of Stewart dragging it out like Snicket did we instead see a book that could very well be a standalone. I'm satisfied with this book even though I know there are 2 more in the series (and indeed, I did buy all three books). It was a really fun, enjoyable read that I find if it's interesting enough to keep my attention it will definitely keep the attention of many children. Good job Stewart, I'm sure Snicket (Handler) would be proud to have his book compared to yours.