Book Synopsis:
Nine-year-old Nicholas Benedict has more problems than most children his age. Not only is he an orphan with an unfortunate nose, but he also has narcolepsy, a condition that gives him terrible nightmares and makes him fall asleep at the worst possible moments.
Now he's being sent to a new orphanage, where he will encounter vicious bullies, selfish adults, strange circumstances – and a mystery that could change his life forever. Luckily, he does have one thing in his favor: He's a a genius.
On his quest to solve the mystery, Nicholas finds enemies around every corner, but also friends in unexpected places – and discovers along the way that the greatest puzzle of all is himself.
My Review:
4/5 stars. There were so many things I loved about this book. It was a charming story that was full of lessons and character development. It was naturally very funny without even trying to be. It had an ending that couldn't help but make me smile. On the other hand, though, the plot was extremely slow-paced, almost painfully so. It also didn't have the same team dynamic and energy as the original Mysterious Benedict Society series.
I'll start with the negatives. Like I mentioned above, the plot of the book dragged on. It only took me about a week to read this book, but it was a slog at times. The main mystery didn't pick up until about halfway through, and even once it got going it was very gradual. The book ended up being about way more than just the mystery, but it still could've benefitted from quicker pacing.
The main character, Nicholas, is extremely smart to an unrealistic level. In the original MBS series, the characters were highly advanced, but it felt a little more real because they all had unique skillsets and worked together. In this book, Nicholas was like a combination of all four characters from the MBS, and it was almost cartoonish. I know it's a kids' book, but the story is less enjoyable when the main character can do everything on his own.
Similarly, my favorite part of the main series was the dynamic of the team and how everyone worked together, using their individual talents. This book was primarily a solo adventure, so it didn't have that. Nicholas made two best friends, but they weren't super involved in moving the plot forward.
Moving on to what I really enjoyed, I noticed early on how funny this book was. I loved all of Trenton Lee Stewart's funny little interjections and the way he describes small details. This was the case in the original series, but I noticed it a lot more in this book. It's not funny because of jokes characters make or things that happen, but in the writing and descriptions of things that happen.
Nicholas' arc and character growth was what I liked most. He starts off not believing that adults can be kind and loving, that they are always greedy and selfish, and this was sad to me. In the end, he realizes that selfless people do exist. He also realizes that he himself had been selfish, and I love how he changes. This whole plot thread warmed my heart.
Some people might say the ending wrapped everything up too perfectly, but I think it fit for the kind of story it was. After so much had gone badly for the characters, it was nice to see positive changes.
This book is technically a prequel, but you don't have to have read the original series to understand it. It's a story that stands on its own. There is a brief reference to the main series at the very end of the book, but that's it.
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