Archive for June, 2009

For a great summer read, try The Mysterious Benedict Societyby Trenton Lee Stewart.  It’s an easy read because of it’s entertainment and adventure.  It is also the right length: just long enough to continue to enjoy it for several days while not being a giant book no one could get through.  What I love most about this story are the child heroes  and the steadfast faith of the adults in our heroes.

This novel begins with an examination to find kids who will be the Mysterious Benedict Society’s newest recruits.  Only four kids successfully pass the series of tests and enter the Society.  As it turns out the Mysterious Benedict Society is a secret agency out to destroy a very evil man named Mr Curtain and his minions who are out to take over the world through chaos and confusion.  The children are asked to put themselves at extreme peril by becoming spies to infiltrate the bad guys. 

Mr. Curtain runs the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened that claims to re-educate kids to make them better functioning adults.  In reality it is an institute that brain-washes all its students so that they may become Mr. Curtain’s army.  The children of the Mysterious Benedict Society enter the Institute as students in order to take out Mr. Curtain and his army.  Located on an isolated island, the kids must fight all by themselves and must work together and utilize each others’ strengths and weaknesses to save the day.  The story that ensues is one of narrow escapes and close encounters as the kids work their way through the evil organization and destroy Mr. Curtain.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Mysterious Benedict Society.  I thought it well written because it possesses all the great elements of storytelling.  It has unlikely heroes, a truly bad guy, and a great conspiracy theory.  Additionally, I love that the adults in the Society are fully aware of what they are asking of the children.  They openly admit that if the adults could take out the Institute, they would.  And because they are asking for such dangerous actions the adults have a wonderful amount of faith in the kids and their abilities.  The adults are strong people who display courage and strength, thus making The Mysterious Benedict Society singular in its treatment of adult characters.

This book is perfect for ages 10 and up for those who read on their own.  For those who need help reading, it makes a great story time book as well.

Trenton Lee Stewart has also written a sequel to the Mysterious Benedict Society!  The second book in this series is called The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey.  In this latest addition, Mr. Benedict, head of the Mysterious Benedict Society, gets kidnapped and the kids must follow his clues all over the world in order to save him.  Once again, the kids work together as a team to save Mr. Benedict.  Their adventures abroad are typical of the Society’s escapades, making it yet another enjoyable summer read.

News! Stewart is coming out with a third book for the Mysterious Benedict Society called The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma.  It comes out October 6th, 2009 and you can call us today to reserve your copy!  Have a great summer!

I am deviating from my usual review of a young adult book this week.  This week I must give high praise to Lemony Snicket and his newest story The Composer Is Dead.  Not only has Mr. Snicket surprised me with his knowledge of the orchestra and famous composers but the illustrations are fabulously full of character.  I have also listened to the included CD and it is marvelous as well.  And I am rather surprised that Lemony Snicket has come out of obscurity to narrate the story himself! (It is rather out of character for Mr. Snicket to perform such a public service).

As someone who once was in the orchestra herself, I really appreciate a story that explores the world of classical music.  The story explains each section, instrument by instrument in a manner that is informative (and full of funny orchestra jokes and allusions).  The story centers around an inspector’s investigation of a murder: the composer’s.  In the process the inspector finds alibis for all the usual suspects, except for the conductor.

“Of course,” said the Inspector, “the Conductor! You’ve been murdering composers for years!  In fact, wherever there’s a conductor, you’re sure to find a dead composer!”

But to discover who the murder is and how the orchestra deals with the result, you’re going to have to buy the book and find out for yourself!

This past weekend, we at Clothes Pony and Dandelion Toys had a huge book event where local famous authors came to share their stories!  We had Lauren Myracle, Ingrid Law the author of Saavy (see the book review blog here!), Mark Hoog, Nathan Kumar Scott, and Theresa Funke.  It was so cool to meet these nationally acclaimed authors who live right here in Fort Collins! 

Lauren Myracle read an excerpt from her book Eleven which is a story about Winnie and her experiences as an eleven year-old.  Winnie’s biggest adjustment comes from her changing friendships.  Her best friend Amanda is changing and Winnie is having a hard time adapting.  Amanda is now into boys and being noticed whereas Winnie just want things to stay the same.  She wants Amanda to not be weird about playing elaborate imaginative games.  In addition, Winnie has a growing relationship with Dinah.  Dinah is a sweet girl who is young for her age (she still collects kitten stickers and smells a little like a strawberry pop-tart) but Winnie is learning to enjoy her company.  The resulting struggle comes from Winnie’s torn alliances.  Amanda doesn’t like Dinah because she is socially awkward but Winnie wants Dinah to feel comfortable.  The whole story is one we all remember: growing up and finding that things can’t always remain the same. 

When I was reading this book I found myself having sudden flashbacks from my own life.  I was shocked to remember some of those more embarrassing experiences.  I also had a friend named Amanda and she was much more mature than I at eleven.  And the same awkward moments that Winnie experiences with Amanda, I did too! (It was usually about boys; a topic that I didn’t really want to talk about, especially because I would end up using the word “cooties” and then get mercilessly made fun of).  The fact that Lauren Myracle could recall those stories was surprising.  Eleven clearly articulated what it is like to grow older and the frustrating tension one feels between childhood and young adulthood. 

Lauren Myracle has also written the next few years of Winnie’s life in Twelve and Thirteen.  And Lauren just told us that she is in the process of finishing Fourteen!  Myracle just won the Children’s Choice Book Award for her book Thirteen and we are so happy and proud for her.