#trenton lee stewart

[kaleb-is-definitely-sane]

Trenton Lee Stewart was like: Neurodivegence is a superpower. Fuck capitalism. Killing people is wrong when there are alternatives. Immigrants are heroes. Women are awesome. Black people are freaking gorgeous. People are good at heart.

And then turned that into a book series. And succeeded.

[summersofsalt]

kate!

[tenmillionthfirefly]

[mollyhats]

If you liked The Mysterious Benedict Society, try...

Book rec post!

If you liked The Mysterious Benedict Society for...

...found family of kid spies, try

City Spies by James Ponti

Brooklyn, a hacker, is recruited into a family of orphans who handle missions for MI6 under the protective eye of the eccentric "Mother," an agent who started accidentally collecting orphans while searching for his own lost children. If you love TMBS for a bunch of kids (and peculiar adults) forming a tight-knit family against a background of espionage, this book is perfect for you!

...the world of Stonetown and it's slightly off-kilter worldbuilding, try

The Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Milo lives in a smuggler's hotel with his parents, but he expects a quiet family Christmas--until guests start piling in, each with their own secrets and hidden agendas. Milo and his new friend Meddy decide to investigate, using a TTRPG as their guide. The connection to TMBS is harder to pin down here, but there's a definite vibe. They feel like they could take place in the same world.

...the puzzles, riddles, and games, try

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

Before the grand opening of a new library, Kyle and several of his classmates are invited to a lock-in---but little do they know, they're in for a wild night of escape room puzzles that will require all of their gifts to solve. If you love the riddles and tricks of TMBS, as well as the ways the Society uses their different strengths to get through all kinds of puzzles, this is a great choice.

...a lonely kid passing strange trials to enter a new world and family, try

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Morrigan was cursed to die on her 12th birthday, but instead she's swept away to a magical world and offered a chance to participate in a series of trials to join the prestigious Wundrous Society and be safe from the curse. But there's so much she doesn't know, and the things she learns about this strange new world might pale in comparison to what she learns about herself. The trials she faces feel very similar to Mr. Benedict's, and there's plenty else to continue the comparison once we get past them (in either book): quirky mentors, lonely orphans, world-shaking plots, a strange school.

[bookquotesfrombooks]

“Indeed, confident assurances and promises of fortune, when whispered into the right ears, often serve as substitutes for thinking at all.”

Trenton Lee Stewart

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma

[judging-by-its-cover]

The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart. Book covers (Official)

Artists: Carson Ellis (first book), Diana Sudyka (second, third, companion, prequel), Manuela Montoya Escobar (fourth book)

《 If artist found / any info needs correction, please let me know! 》

[the-algebra-thing]

the mysterious benedict society seems to contain a combination of my favorite elements that I don't see often, if I've seen it at all. it's not afraid to be silly, kind of like jeremy cabbage; a lot of character and place names are on the nose or just sound funny, like jackson and jillson when they first get to the institute. the institute is also named a bit fantastically: the learning institute for the very enlightened. its acronym, LIVE, in reverse spells EVIL. it's full of shit like this, and it doesn't shy from tropes like twins separated at birth or anything like that, either. and the thing is that it doesn't have to because it is not ABOUT those things, it's about children and adults and, above all, control. it isn't cagey about those themes; it presents them front and center, which is also refreshing.

I suppose this all could be perceived as because it's for kids rather than some sophisticated writing style reason, but the central idea of the story is one of my core beliefs, which is that children are very smart when you allow them to be, and the more you let them practice this and stretch and explore, the more powerful they become. enough so that as an adult it is still a riveting experience, and as enlightening—albeit in new ways—as it was when I was in elementary school. which is the flip side of what I've already said: it's not afraid to be silly and say things directly, or to put them simply. but it also dares to be complex; I remember when I first read this book feeling so alive with the feeling of conspiracy against complex evil plot it inspires. I honestly feel about the same way now. the story is full of big words with enough context clues to work them out, and the plot is constructed with an even hand that doesn't obfuscate about its secrets, just leads you to them when the time does come.

idk it's so fucking cool and I am also just a sucker for books that address the power imbalance kids experience so. these are my current thoughts

[lyssified]

........guys is there a fandom for extraordinary education of nicholas benedict

[seirve]

watched my neighbor totoro for the first time and could NOT stop thinking about this

constance as mei and number 2 as satsuki (they look similar and are actually sisters)

vs kate as satuski (she gives constance piggie back rides and they act much like sisters)

[lonesome-greenery]

as a kid, there were a few writers that I really enjoyed reading from:

brian jacques

c.s. lewis

trenton lee stewart

k.a. applegate

kate di camillo

tony di terlizzi

and i can pretty clearly see how these guys have influenced my writing

jacquesian school of writing -> describe the important things in vivid detail, give your characters accents and different ways of speaking, include songs and innocuous details, food is an important part of the world and don't think your characters can get away with not having at least one meal scene, treat every character with at least a modicum of compassion even if they're "pure evil"

lewis school of writing -> sometimes you just have to outright say something and it can't all be subtextual, leave certain things up to the reader's imagination, if you can write in a matter of fact way then people might just end up believing that your writing has at least a kernel of truth to it even if it is bizarre, you can have a paragraph long sentence using semicolons and em dashes but that doesn't necessarily mean you should, you can and should convey a lot about a character in just a couple of short sentences

stewart school of writing -> puzzles are really fun to include in your writing, kids have important stories that need to be told and they're often underestimated which is part of what makes them perfect for particular adventures that adults don't find as important, you can give your characters a 'thing' and still have them read as characters and not caricatures

applegate school of writing -> hey kid, you ever heard of body horror? that's going to stick with you and your writing for a hell of a long time before you figure out why it's there, complex political backgrounds to stories and child soldiers with a huge sense of responsibility but frightened of ever revealing that to anyone? that'll be there too, and you might not be ready for it yet, but there's definitely going to be some queer subtext to your stories before you realize that and make it overt later on

dicamillo school of writing -> sometimes a story is about grief and change and that's going to make the whole story melancholy even though there's so much joy to it too, have young characters, but don't be afraid to have older characters who genuinely care about them present too, the landscape and world of your story can and should tie into the themes of what you're writing, it's good to write your characters having a good cry, food again, but in a very particular thematic way of showing up again and again

diterlizzi school of writing -> fairy tales and stories are a whole lot of fun to play around with, you can draw what your characters look like and have a lot of fun with that and maybe even get that slipped into your books, sibling relationships are very important to include, let bad things happen to your characters and have that have longstanding consequences in the narrative, sometimes your world building can get a bit bizarre so have some fun with it and let it get ugly sometimes, if you don't want to make a conlang, figure out some universal translator to make the different languages you wish you could include at least implied

[book--brackets]

Round 1, Poll 6: The Mysterious Benedict Society vs Charlie Bone

The Mysterious Benedict Society is approaching the status of a classic with a successful TV adaptation, and Charlie Bone has faded over the year, but don't count your chickens before they hatch

Remember to reblog for a bigger sample size!

[a-chess-lesson]

paralell canon

recently reread the secretkeepers, TLS's much lesser-known novel, and I remembered my cracktheory that reuben (main character of the secretkeepers) and reynie were the same person in different universes. they're extremely similar people, and I can easily imagine them being in eachother's situations. they're both lonely, very intelligent and perceptive, love their moms, and burdened with things no 11-year-old boy should have to deal with... love them!

im not particularly happy with reynie's background, but I really like ow reuben turned out!!

alt:

[hayleythesugarbowl]

╰┈➤ if you enjoyed these books growing up then 1) your sense of humor is immaculate and 2) you’re either in pre-med or you’re a detective there’s no in between

[melodyvega1967]

the mysterious benedict society is my comfort series, both book form and tv form.

also is it me or has anyone noticed that this series is so unique in the sense that the tv show's storyline and characterisation just happens to be as good as, if not better than, the books?

[personinthepalace]

[PJO Spoilers] - Creator Cameos!

my favorite show and books + their creators/authors making an appearance :)

Odd Squad - Tim McKeon and Adam Peltzman The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart (mention) Lockwood & Co - Jonathan Stroud Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan

[myfairkatiecat]

Hi tmbs fandom I’m BACK because I need to know this