"Oh, here's a clever one. Do you remember this question from the first test? It reads, 'What is wrong with this statement?' And do you know what Constance wrote in reply? She wrote, 'What's wrong with you?' " - From The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Have you ever pitied poor orphaned kids? Have you ever looked down upon them and thought them dumb? Well, this "Real flashlight-under-the-bedclothes material," (The Horn Book Magazine) book was written by Trenton Lee Stewart and I think Horn Book Magazine hit this description right on the nail.

The Mysterious Benedict Society is one book that made me laugh out loud, bite my nails in suspense, and yell bad things at the villainy villain. It is the first book in an amazing young adult series featuring four orphans who took a grueling and mind-flexing test to get in to a private school...for extremely intelligent children. These children have no idea what this private school has waiting for them when they arrive.

The first thing the four children notice is that it isn't a private school, it's actually just a crazy man, Mr. Benedict, who wants them to help him complete a mission: sneak inside a top-notch private school and stop the school from using kids to control minds.

This book is more targeted towards brainy kids because with over five hundred pages, this book is not a light read for some...well, most kids. This thick book produces moral lessons and makes you think, but is also packed with humor. The only con of this book is some parts seemed a little slow to me.

The four main characters take on adventure-after-perilous-adventure in two other books. The second book in the series is The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey and the third is titled The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma.

At the end of the first book is a message in Morse code. There are various references to Morse code hidden throughout the books, and, if my memory is correct, a reference on how to use Morse code. In the end of the first book, it says that if you want to know Mr. Benedict's first name you will need to decode the Morse code and figure it out. If you want a book that will make your imagination soar, The Mysterious Benedict Society is one book that you absolutely, positively, HAVE to read.

After I read this book, I recommended it to as many people as I could after I finished reading it. It had a very addictive quality to it, and I read it in one sitting. If you want something to read after you've read and re-read and re-re-read the Harry Potter series, this is a great alternative. No matter what, I could not put this book down. And I bet you won't be able to either.