Author: Maria Chzhen
Date: 23 June 2020
"The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey" is the second book in Trenton Lee Stewart's "Mysterious Benedict Society" series. If you haven't read my review of the first book "The Mysterious Benedict Society," then you should read it now since this article will contain many spoilers.
The second book doesn't come as a disappointment. If we look at Google Books rating, we can see that 99% of all people who read it liked it. The author Trenton Lee Stewart did an excellent job! The book was written and published in 2008.
The storyline happens approximately one year later after the events of the first book. Reynie Muldoon, the main character, hurries to see his friends Sticky, Kate Wetherall and 3-year-old Constance Contraire. They reunite with Mr. Benedict and each other after a long time. Mr. Benedict even prepared a scavenger hunt for them to remember the good old times. Unfortunately for the kids, and obviously for us, all the fun had to be delayed. Mr. Curtain, Mr. Benedict's evil twin brother, decided that it would be the best idea in the world to kidnap Mr. Benedict. That is how Mr. Benedict and his assistant Number Two got abducted. The kids know who is behind it all. Side note: Mr. Nicholas Benedict probably knew his twin brother would kidnap him, so he made a route of the Scavenger Hunt designed to... find Mr. Curtain's place?
The kids find the first clue and decide to follow the ship that would leave to Portugal from the port near their house. I can't even imagine what would happen if they misunderstood at least one clue like this and ruined everything for themselves. Imagine for yourself, you and your friends decide to follow the kidnapped man's map to find him. You wouldn't know for sure if it was him who wrote it. After reading it, you decide that it talks about going on a ship that departs in 30 minutes to Portugal, a country you have never been to. I am not saying the book is terrible. It is just... unrealistic. Those questions didn't prevent me from enjoying the book and being really into it.
There are some pretty good questions and riddles in it, and it was fun solving them. There is a whole other book by Trenton Lee Stewart just for mysteries called "The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums."
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