They join lots of other children in a series of quirky tests. “Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?” This is the newspaper advertisement that attracts our four heroes. She’s as crabby as her name implies, and readers will think, “What’s with her?” They’ll find out in a wonderful surprise near the end. Kate is bold and athletic and on her belt wears a bucket filled with an assortment of items, including a horseshoe magnet, fishing line, a bottle of extra-strength glue, a slingshot and a spyglass disguised as a kaleidoscope.Ĭonstance is so short and pudgy that Reynie thinks she resembles a fire hydrant. Sticky is bald and nervous, but he can remember anything. And once again, a group of bright, enterprising kids become friends while skulking around, dashing from enemies, puzzling over mysteries and, I almost forgot, saving the world.Īnd who wouldn’t want to share an adventure with the crew of Reynie Muldoon, Sticky Washington, Kate Wetherall and Constance Contraire? Reynie is the group’s puzzler, and the story gives him-and the reader-plenty of mental knots to untie. But there is a sense of delight similar to the early Potters. There are no pointy hats or magic wands here, and certainly no Hogwarts. And this is thanks, partly, to The Mysterious Benedict Society.

No more snide comments from Professor Snape.īut I’m happy to report that I’m on my way back. “Life goes on.”īut it’s a sad fact: I don’t have any new adventures to look forward to at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the last few months, I’ve been living in denial.

The mysterious benedict society book 4