"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 reader, 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?
This book is great! Full of mystery, suspense, and laughter! If you're a kid or an adult, and love a good read, this book is for you!
writes,
For some reason when I was ordering Gravity's Rainbow on Amazon I thought of this book immediately. The parallels are quite clear. The Mysterious Benedict Society is a book by, about, and for "lovers of the truth." And even while it entertains it takes that job quite seriously. The attention to detail will spark every reader's imagination-- I kept flipping back to the character descriptions to confirm them, so strong was my mental image. When it mentions as an aside the Nagorno-Karabakh territory, they're talking about an actual place in the world.
While the plot is of course a fantasy, it takes place not in some superhero universe but here on Earth, and you will see excellent descriptions of cult brainwashing, peer pressure, self-doubt, and the joy of taking on a challenge. I'd say a reader as young as 8 would be able to understand and enjoy this book, but I'm 20 and I still felt it spoke directly to me. I can't wait for the sequel!
writes,
The book was fresh and irresistably entertaining from start to the bitter end.
-Amazning!
