''The Mysterious Benedict Society'' is a quartet of

children's books A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...

by Trenton Lee Stewart chronicling the adventures of four children, initially gathered together by the eccentric Mr. Benedict. The first children's novels written by Stewart, each of the first three books were published annually from 2007 to 2009, with the fourth installment following a decade later. A prequel novel detailing the

backstory A backstory, background story, back-story, or background is a set of events invented for a plot, presented as preceding and leading up to that plot. It is a literary device of a narrative history all chronologically earlier than the narrative o ...

of Nicholas Benedict was released in 2012.

Series overview

''The Mysterious Benedict Society''

Four young children, who are each gifted in different areas, are bound by a common factor: they are either orphans or unwanted by their parents. The children become involved with the strange Nicholas Benedict and his guild of assistants who are trying to stop Benedict's twin, Ledroptha Curtain, from taking over the world via brainwashing. The children team up against the villain and his evil assistants, the Ten Men.

''The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey''

''The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma''

''The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages''

''The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict''

Characters

* Reynie Muldoon is the main character of the series; an average-looking but logical boy who is a natural leader of his friend group. The core four texts follow Reynie closely. Reynie is an orphan; Ms. Perumal serves as his teacher and tutor during his time in the orphanage, and later adopts him as her son. Mystic Inscho portrays Reynie in the television series adaptation. * George Washington is an extraordinarily smart boy with

eidetic memory Eidetic memory ( ; more commonly called photographic memory or total recall) is the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision—at least for a brief period of time—after seeing it only onceThe terms ''eidetic memory'' and ''pho ...

, meaning he can remember everything he sets his eyes on. Because of this, he is called "Sticky".

Seth Carr Seth Banee Carr (born August 16, 2007) is an American actor from Anaheim, California. He is known for his role as young Killmonger in the film '' Black Panther'' (2018) and for his first leading role on Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American ...

portrays Sticky in the television series adaptation. * Kate Wetherall is an athletic and adventurous girl who never goes anywhere without her red bucket of tools, which she uses quite often. She is also able to determine any distance of any room. Emmy De Oliveira portrays Kate in the television series adaptation. * Constance Contraire is a young girl who is incredibly stubborn and can read people's minds and (later) send mental messages to people.

Marta Kessler Marta may refer to: People * Marta (given name), a feminine given name * Märta, a feminine given name * Marta (surname) : István Márta composer * Marta (footballer) (born 1986), Brazilian professional footballer Places * Marta (river) ...

portrays Constance in the television series adaptation.

Television adaptation

Written by

Matt Manfredi Matt Manfredi is an American screenwriter. Early life and education Manfredi is from Palos Verdes, California,Phil Hay, with

Tony Hale Anthony Russell Hale (born September 30, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his role in the Fox comedy series '' Arrested Development'' as Buster Bluth. Hale played Gary Walsh on the HBO comedy ''Veep'' from 2012 until ...

cast as Mister Benedict and Mister Curtain, the series aired on

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

and Disney Channel, with the first of eight episodes premiering June 25, 2021. Additional cast members include

Kristen Schaal Kristen Joy Schaal (; born January 24, 1978) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is best known for her voice roles as Louise Belcher on ''Bob's Burgers'' and Mabel Pines on ''Gravity Falls''. She's also known for playing Mel on '' ...

as Number Two,

MaameYaa Boafo MaameYaa Boafo (pronounced "Mah-Mih-Yah Bwafoh") is a Pakistan-born Ghanaian actress and comedian. Biography Boafo was born in Pakistan. She is of Ashanti (Ghanaian) ethnicity. She was raised in Sudan, Ethiopia, Geneva and Kenya, but is a citiz ...

as Rhonda Kazembe,

Ryan Hurst Ryan Douglas Hurst (born June 19, 1976) is an American actor, known for his roles as Gerry Bertier in ''Remember the Titans'' (2000), Sgt. Ernie Savage in ''We Were Soldiers'' (2002), Tom Clarke in '' Taken'' (2002), Opie Winston in the FX dram ...

as Milligan, Gia Sandhu as Ms. Perumal, Mystic Inscho as Reynie Muldoon,

as Sticky Washington, Emmy DeOliveira as Kate Wetherall, and Marta Kessler as Constance Contraire. The series creators have suggested any subsequent season would mix elements from multiple novels, rather than adapt each book as its own season.

Reception

The series has sold over three million copies. Many critics praised the enigmatic plot and puzzles included in the storyline of ''The Mysterious Benedict Society''; journalist

Michele Norris Michele L. Norris ( ; born September 7, 1961) is an American journalist who has worked as an opinion columnist with ''The Washington Post'' since 2019. From 2002 until 2011, she was co-host of the National Public Radio (NPR) evening news progra ...

, writing for

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, said, "Almost everything inside this book is an enigma." Additionally, the ethical decisions and moral lessons contained within the book were praised. Kirkus Reviews said that the book was "rich in moral and ethical issues." In a starred review for ''The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Jounrey'', ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'' described the book as "not just a rip-roaring adventure ... but also a warm and satisfying tale about friendship." '' Kirkus Reviews'' was less positive, saying that the book "may wear down less patient readers", citing the prose and needless elaborations in several areas. ''

Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...

'' disagreed, saying that "Stewart keeps interest high throughout". They especially praised the "first-rate brainteasers", with ''School Library Journal'' also commenting that it had "plenty of clever twists". For ''The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma'',

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

stated "Displaying much of the charm of the first book, this would make a fitting end to the series, but the Society's legion of fans probably wouldn't say no to more." while the

wrote "the story lacks the facile agility of its predecessors. On the other hand, the opening gambit is fresh and frightfully funny ... If this is the last Society installment, readers had better, as Reynie says, 'acquire a taste for the bittersweet.'" Kirkus Reviews called the book ''The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages'' "Clever as ever—if slow off the mark—and positively laden with tics, quirks, and puns." The American Booksellers Association named ''Riddle of Ages'' one of their ABC Best Books for Young Readers in 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mysterious Benedict Society Series of children's books The Mysterious Benedict Society