The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey: Difference between revisions
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'''Reynard "Reynie" Muldoon''' is a twelve-year-old living with his tutor, Miss Perumal, who is teaching him Tamil. Exceptionally bright, Reynie looks between the lines, observing and questioning, and gets past most obstacles by finding the "puzzle" within the situation. Reynie is an especially average-looking boy with average brown hair, average pale complexion, average clothes, and average height. |
'''Reynard "Reynie" Muldoon''' is a twelve-year-old living with his tutor, Miss Perumal, who is teaching him Tamil. Exceptionally bright, Reynie looks between the lines, observing and questioning, and gets past most obstacles by finding the "puzzle" within the situation. Reynie is an especially average-looking boy with average brown hair, average pale complexion, average clothes, and average height. |
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'''George "Sticky" Washington''' is also a twelve-year-old boy. He is characterized by his intelligence and ability to remember everything he reads—hence his nickname, for everything sticks in his mind. He strongly prefers this nickname to his given name, George Washington. Sticky ran away from his home after feeling that he is not wanted by his parents, but is now living in is home with his parents again. He has tea-colored skin and is bald because he used hair remover to disguise himself. Sticky also has a bad habit of polishing his spectacles whenever he gets nervous. Sticky also ran away, because his brain needed a rest from contests. His family spent a fortune finding Sticky, |
'''George "Sticky" Washington''' is also a twelve-year-old boy. He is characterized by his intelligence and ability to remember everything he reads—hence his nickname, for everything sticks in his mind. He strongly prefers this nickname to his given name, George Washington. Sticky ran away from his home after feeling that he is not wanted by his parents, but is now living in is home with his parents again. He has tea-colored skin and is bald because he used hair remover to disguise himself. Sticky also has a bad habit of polishing his spectacles whenever he gets nervous. Sticky also ran away, because his brain needed a rest from contests. His family spent a fortune finding Sticky, leavppo[reieriyopieopiyoproyppuoiup[yjuing them very poor. |
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'''Kate Wetherall''' is an energetic thirteen-year-old girl who became an orphan as a young child when her mother died and her father left her. She found out that Mr. Benedict’s spy, Milligan, is her father, and now lives with him on a farm. Kate finds any and all shortcuts in a conflict, and carries a red metal bucket which houses a great many things which she uses to overcome obstacles and evade capture. She is very physically capable and almost fearless, often rushing into things without giving them a second thought. She has long, golden-blonde hair and light blue eyes. |
'''Kate Wetherall''' is an energetic thirteen-year-old girl who became an orphan as a young child when her mother died and her father left her. She found out that Mr. Benedict’s spy, Milligan, is her father, and now lives with him on a farm. Kate finds any and all shortcuts in a conflict, and carries a red metal bucket which houses a great many things which she uses to overcome obstacles and evade capture. She is very physically capable and almost fearless, often rushing into things without giving them a second thought. She has long, golden-blonde hair and light blue eyes. |
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Revision as of 23:16, 4 February 2010
| Author | Trenton Lee Stewart |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Diana Sudyka |
| Cover artist | rw e4r |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's |
| Publisher | Little, Brown |
Publication date | May 1, 2008 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 448 pp |
| ISBN | 978-0-316-05780-6 |
| OCLC | 171287572 |
| LC Class | PZ7.S8513 Mye 2008 |
| Preceded by | The Mysterious Benedict Society |
| Followed by | The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma |
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey is a bestselling[1] children's novel written by Trenton Lee Stewart and illustrated by Diana Sudyka, published in 2008. It is the second book in the series, following The Mysterious Benedict Society.
Plot
The story begins at Kate Wetherall's farm, where all the children plan to stay for a few days before setting off to Stonetown to visit Mr. Benedict, who is planning to send them on an international treasure hunt to test their skills. When they arrive at Mr. Benedict's house, they receive bad news from Rhonda that Mr. Benedict and Number Two have been kidnapped by Ledroptha Curtain, the villain of the previous book and twin brother of Mr. Benedict. In his ransom letter, Mr. Curtain describes a certain "rare plant" and says he needs to know who the person "extremely close" to Mr. Benedict is, because that person has information about this mysterious plant. If this information is not provided to him, Mr. Benedict and Number Two will be in "grave danger". Constance reveals that Mr. Benedict gave her a letter before he was kidnapped, and told her to open it when the other children arrived. The envelope contains a message of greeting from Mr. Benedict, and a nonsensical riddle. In this riddle, they discover, the words are in alphabetical order. they are in turn led to a dictionary, and then a journal, in which is another nonsensical riddle. The children discern it to mean TAKE THE SHORTCUT. The children sneak off on the M/V SHORTCUT, the “fastest ship in the world” and find more information that takes them to a castle in Portugal. from there, hidden evidence directs them to a library in Thernbaakagen. There they learn that the “mysterious plant” is an extremely rare growth called duskwort. It has the power, when burnt, to put entire villages to sleep for hours on end. It also is a possible antidote to Mr. Benedict’s narcolepsy. Researching the duskwort, they find that no one knows what it looks like. They travel to a hotel, but are found by two of Mr. Curtain’s henchmen, called the Ten Men. However, they are rescued by Milligan, who accompanies them to find more evidence. They finally find the location of the duskwort, an abandoned island. On the island they find a delirious Number Two, who tells them where Mr. Benedict is: the top of the mountain of the island. They are ambushed by a group of Ten Men. Milligan comes to the rescue, and takes on the Ten Men. The children travel to the top of the mountain, while Milligan is backed off a fifty-foot cliff and falls onto a bed of rocks. They Discover Mr. Benedict chained to the wall in a cave. He begs them to destroy the duskwort. upon the children saying they don’t know what it looks like, he jumps up and reveals himself to be Mr. Curtain, and locks the children to the wall with the real Mr. Benedict. Mr. Curtain leaves after Mr. Benedict tells him where the duskwort is. Mr. Benedict cleverly tricks S.Q. Pedalian into unlocking their handcuffs, and they get away. Mr. Benedict falls asleep from narcolepsy, and the children are forced to carry him down the mountain. They find Milligan (extremely injured) and Mr. Benedict comes to. They race to the forest. Ten Men are surrounding them everywhere, in addition to Mr. Curtain’s amphibious vehicle being hot on their trail. Just when all seems lost, the mighty figure of the SHORTCUT races into the bay at top speed. It grounds on the shore, pinning Ten Men to the ground, and allowing the children to climb on board. after a final standoff, Mr. Curtain escapes, and the children, Mr. Benedict, and Number Two are reunited with their families.
Characters
Reynard "Reynie" Muldoon is a twelve-year-old living with his tutor, Miss Perumal, who is teaching him Tamil. Exceptionally bright, Reynie looks between the lines, observing and questioning, and gets past most obstacles by finding the "puzzle" within the situation. Reynie is an especially average-looking boy with average brown hair, average pale complexion, average clothes, and average height.
George "Sticky" Washington is also a twelve-year-old boy. He is characterized by his intelligence and ability to remember everything he reads—hence his nickname, for everything sticks in his mind. He strongly prefers this nickname to his given name, George Washington. Sticky ran away from his home after feeling that he is not wanted by his parents, but is now living in is home with his parents again. He has tea-colored skin and is bald because he used hair remover to disguise himself. Sticky also has a bad habit of polishing his spectacles whenever he gets nervous. Sticky also ran away, because his brain needed a rest from contests. His family spent a fortune finding Sticky, leavppo[reieriyopieopiyoproyppuoiup[yjuing them very poor.
Kate Wetherall is an energetic thirteen-year-old girl who became an orphan as a young child when her mother died and her father left her. She found out that Mr. Benedict’s spy, Milligan, is her father, and now lives with him on a farm. Kate finds any and all shortcuts in a conflict, and carries a red metal bucket which houses a great many things which she uses to overcome obstacles and evade capture. She is very physically capable and almost fearless, often rushing into things without giving them a second thought. She has long, golden-blonde hair and light blue eyes.
Constance Contraire is the fourth child of the group. Though she at first does not appear to have any special abilities, her bravery and stubbornness ultimately prove to be a great asset because of her special attention to detail. Constance can detect patterns in things, and though it may seem like she is psychic, Constance merely recognized patterns and unknowingly can predict the near future. She has wispy blonde hair and very clear blue eyes. Constance is only three years old which explains her frequent napping and obstinacy.
Mr. Benedict is a middle-aged man who recruits the children that later call themselves the Mysterious Benedict Society. He is the one who discovered the plans of his twin brother, Ledroptha Curtain. However, none of his colleagues believed him and called him crazy. Mr. Benedict suffers from narcolepsy, which causes him to fall asleep when experiencing strong emotions (usually laughter).
Mr. Curtain is Mr. Benedict's evil twin brother, who has kidnapped Mr. Benedict and Number Two in the attempt of taking over the world. He wears silver glasses and green plaid suits, and usually makes his way around in a motorized wheelchair. Like his brother, he suffers from narcolepsy, but his condition is triggered by anger as opposed to laughter.
Rhonda is Mr. Benedict's adopted daughter. She comes from a country in Africa. She is also, like Number Two (Shown Below) an assistant to Mr. Benedict, though she does sleep.
Number Two is Mr. Benedict's assistant and adopted daughter. She never sleeps, and as such needs a high food intake. Her name is revealed as Pencilla in the last book. She also dresses like a pencil,she has red hair,a yellowish complexion and always wears yellow.
Milligan was a spy captured by Mr. Curtain. Though his memories were erased by Mr. Curtain, he managed to escape and eventually became Mr. Benedict's bodyguard. However, when the four children are in danger and he desperately needs to save them, that triggers his memory and is revealed to be Kate's father.
Reception
In a starred review, School Library Journal described the book as "not just a rip-roaring adventure ... but also a warm and satisfying tale about friendship."[2] Kirkus Reviews was less positive, saying that the book "may wear down less patient readers", citing the prose and needless elaborations in several areas.[3] Horn Book Magazine disagreed, saying that "Stewart keeps interest high throughout".[4] They especially praised the "first-rate brainteasers",[4] with School Library Journal also commenting that it had "plenty of clever twists".[2]
The beginning of the novel came in for particular criticism, with Horn Book Magazine complaining of "a few treacly initial scenes"[4] and School Library Journal saying that "[t]he action takes a while to get going".[2] However, comparing it overall to its predecessor, Horn Book Magazine felt that it was "a worthy successor"[4] - although Kirkus Reviews said that it "has more of an air of trading on the previous one's cleverness than building on it."[3]
Sequel
A sequel for this book (and a third book in the series) was published October 6, 2009. The title is The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma, according to the Little Brown and Company Spring-Fall 2009 Rights Guide. [5]
References
- ^ "Best Sellers : Children's Books". New York Times. 2008-05-25. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
- ^ a b c "The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart". School Library Journal. 2008-04-30. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
- ^ a b "Editorial Reviews, as archived on BarnesAndNoble.com". Kirkus Reviews. 2008-04-15. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
- ^ a b c d "Trenton Lee Stewart: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey". Horn Book Magazine. 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
- ^ "Little Brown and Company Spring-Fall 2009 Rights Guide (Microsoft Word Document".
External links
Publisher page ^ "Best Sellers : Children's Books". New York Times. 2008-05-25. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/books/bestseller/0525bestchildren.html. Retrieved 2008-06-17. ^ a b c "The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart". School Library Journal. 2008-04-30. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6555446.html. Retrieved 2008-06-17. ^ a b "Editorial Reviews, as archived on BarnesAndNoble.com". Kirkus Reviews. 2008-04-15. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Mysterious-Benedict-Society-and-the-Perilous-Journey/Trenton-Lee-Stewart/e/9780316057806. Retrieved 2008-06-17. ^ a b c d "Trenton Lee Stewart: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey.". Horn Book Magazine. 2008-05-01. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-34520927_ITM. Retrieved 2008-06-17. ^ "Little Brown and Company Spring-Fall 2009 Rights Guide (Microsoft Word Document". http://www.bardonchinese.com/right%20list/LittleBrownSpring09Fall09RightsGuide.doc.