The Mysterious Benedict Society

     I have just started a new book called The Mysterious Benedict Society and so far it is good for the 12 pages that I have read.  The novel is about a boy named Raynie who is orphaned. He is an 11 year old boy, is "of average height, of an average complextion, his brown hair [is] of average length, and he wore average clothes,"(pg. 7) and yet he is beyond average.  This boy is very special in smarts and maturity.  He is poilite and kind to everyone he meets and yet, he gets bullied at his orphanage for being different.  Raynie is ment to be at an advanced school, but the orphanage director, Mr. Rutger, "insisted Reynie would be far better here, with a tutor, than at an advanced school,"(pgs. 5-6), and that he believed Raynie was comfortable at the orphanage; when really Raynie only felt alone. 

       Insted of going to an advanced school, Raynie got the privledge of having the nice tutor, Miss Perumal.  They have tea and read the newspaper in the morning and work throughout the day on the rest of his studies.  She is even teaching him Tamil and usually speaks Tamil to him when telling stories.      
        One morning while reading the paper, Raynie catches a headline saying how "things have gotten desperatly out of control...the school systems, the budget, the pollution, the crime, the weather...why, everything, in fact, was a complete mess, and ctizens everywhere were clamoring for a mayor-no, a dramatic-improvement in government,"(pg. 3). Then, he catches a headline adressed to children stating, "ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD LOOKING FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITES?"(pg. 3).  At first Raynie is iffy on the decision and thinks this might interest him, but his tutor convinces him completely by telling him how special and talented he is. 
       By getting a little approval from Mr. Rutger, because Raynie convinced him that he just wants to see what its about and Mr. Rutgar believes there is no harm in that, Raynie gets to take the test.  He is driven in the morning with his tutor to the testing building and is left there with luck and a pencil.  Raynie finishes the test just in time but doubts he did well by overhearing other students talk about their answers.

       That is how far I have gotten, but I predict that Raynie will get 100% on the test.  I believe he has potential and also that the book would really stink if we didn't know what the special opportunities were.  I also predict that the mysterious benedict society is made up of the kids who pass the test and maybe adults who are already enrolled and are trying to make a new society because theirs right now is in chaos. 

         The author of this book is Trenton Lee Stewart and this book is also a New York Times Bestseller.  If you would like to learn more about this interesting novel go to: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/features/mysteriousbenedictsociety/index.html 

There are also two other books in the series called: The Mysterious Benedict Society ans the Prisoners Dilemma and The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey.