The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

When I left my last job a few years ago I threw the galley of this book into a box and brought it home.   It has been sitting on my shelf ever since.   Periodically I would read an article about it or hear a discussion and think to myself I should read it but I never got around to it.  Well a few weeks ago I was packing for my yearly sojourn down the Jersey Shore when I impulsively picked it up and packed it with my beach stuff.   The first day on the beach I opened it not expecting to be drawn in as quickly as I was.   I couldn't believe that I had put reading this wonderful book off for so long.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart with illustrations by Carson Ellis is one of the most original books I have read in a long time.   I know I am coming late to the table on this but as they say "better late than never"....this book gave me a feeling of childhood.  It has such a retro feel to it but at the same time is very timely.   I also loved the characters.....Reynie is the kind of kid we can't imagine exists but probably and sadly does somewhere.   Kate, Sticky and even Constance are so intriguing and unique that I wished I could meet them.  It was so great that even while some parts were predictable (which isn't always a bad thing) some parts were totally unexpected.   For all the characters quirkiness they had very real reactions to very strange circumstances.   I also love the illustrations because they have an "Edward Gorey" feel to them which fits the book perfectly.

This is a great book for the reluctant or voracious reader.   It makes a good read along book too....

I can't wait to read the sequels: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey  & the newest one The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma.  

I love when I discover a treasure of a book....especially when it was right before my eyes all along.