The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart: Reviewed by Tanmay P.

For my F.R.B. this term I read The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner’s Dilemma. This is the third book in the series where it begins where the main characters Reynie, Constance, Sticky (whose real name is George), and Kate are in a dilemma. They have a challenge where Constance and Reynie are in a jail cell and Sticky and Kate are in a separate jail sell. They have options they need to choose which can either save them from the punishment, give everyone an equal punishment or they can deceive them and make them face the punishment. This all an exercise and a normal lesson. The jail cells are in Mr. Benedict’s mansion type house, and the punishment is a week or few weeks of the kitchen duty of washing the dishes. This is the base of the story that happens later on in the story. So they keep on with their normal lives but the government wants to take away the whisperer form Mr. Benedict. The whisperer is a machine that can make people over come their fears if they use it. The whisperer can also read peoples minds brainwash them and travel through their memories. This is possible if the user or operator is in range of the person they want to brainwash or read their mind of. If the operator can see the person they are in range. The whisperer can also send messages. The whisperer was invented by Mr. Benedict’s evil brother Mr. Ledroptha Curtain. Reynie, Sticky, Constance, and Kate have their own special abilities. Reynie and Sticky are very very smart. Reynie can solve puzzles riddles and many difficult things. Sticky can read things so fast and memorize every single word of what he read. He is also smart and remembers things that happened a long time ago and give information in very detail. Kate is the strongest fastest and has the most physical ability in the group. She has the most stamina and is the most daring. Constance is the youngest in the group but can read minds and send messages telepathically. In the second book she was able to damage the whisperer by resisting its powers. Its weird because she is only four years old in the book. They call themselves the Mysterious Benedict society.

In the story they are living with Mr. Benedict’s society where one day Constance mysteriously disappears. They have to search for her when at night all of the power in Stone town is out. The Society has to go to a safe place. When the adults return they take are heading to the safe place Mr. Benedict falls asleep because of his narcolepsy. The society then sets out to look for Constance. They go to the Library because Constance had hid in one when she was really little in secrecy to get away from the adoption center. Apparently they found her their in the Library. They had to escape Ten Men who were associates of Mr. Curtain who were called Ten Man because they had ten ways to hurt you. They had to make sure they didn’t get captured by them but apparently Kate walked right into a trap. They are then captured and taken to a prison. They some how need to figure out where they are and somehow let Mr. Benedict know them where they are. This is where the exercise at the beginning of the book is needed. They also need Constance’s powers. They luckily are able to figure out where they are. Mr. Benedict and every one comes to rescue them and fight the Ten Men. Milligan Kate’s father and Mr. Benedict’s secret agent need to fight all the Ten Men and take every one to safety. McCracken the leader of the Ten Men captures the children and takes them down into the battle area. Milligan who was left dangling off the side of the prison manages to get back on the roof of the prison. McCracken is about to hurt the children so he needs something to throw. Mean while Mr. Curtain has made his whisperer portable and is coming in the battlefield. Milligan couldn’t find anything to throw and was very helpless so he threw himself.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart is a very exciting series. I think this series is the best one I have read. I would recommend this series to people that like adventure books.