Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

Stewart, Trenton Lee. 2008. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey. Illustrations by Diana Sukyka.

First sentence: On a bright September morning, when most children his age were in school fretting over fractions and decimal points, a boy named Reynie Muldoon was walking down a dusty road.

Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance are back for their second adventure. It's been a full year since Mr. Benedict has brought down Mr. Curtain and his evil plan for world domination through the Whisperer device. And the four kids--who all became fast friends after much testing in the first book--are celebrating with a reunion and a trip. But would a book about a simple but joyful reunion have the phrase "Perilous Journey" in it? I didn't think so either.

Mr. Benedict and Number Two have been kidnapped by Dr. Curtain, and it is up to these four children--with some adult help along the way--to save him and stop Mr. Curtain's evil scheme from succeeding. What is Mr. Curtain after this time? A plant called Duskwort that could quite possibly be used to cure Narcolepsy...OR even more likely to be misused to drug entire cities to sleep.

I enjoyed this second book. It was fun. It was exciting. It was full of twists and turns. It was a never-ending adventure until the last page. If you enjoyed the first one, chances are you'll like this one as well.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews