#trenton lee stewart

[tenmillionthfirefly]

[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.

[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.

[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! 》

[summersofsalt]

kate!

[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

[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)

[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

[tenmillionthfirefly]

Secure the stabbing perimeter Saturday

[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

[healerqueen]

Story asks, for The Mysterious Benedict Society: 1, 5, 17, 18

Another of my very favorite books. 1. what got you into this story?

It starts off with an intriguing invitation: "Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" And then the main character takes a very strange test, which felt very intriguing and adventuresome to me, even the first time I read it. I was also drawn in by the vivid characters. 5. do you have a favorite character? who?

I like so many of the endearing characters, but I have a special affinity for Reynie Muldoon, the main protagonist. I didn't realize till adulthood that he's like me. No wonder I like him. He made me feel understood, as a child. I had no idea I was intelligent or compassionate or any of the things Reynie is, and I didn't recognize them in him either. But I still relate to him so much, and I see myself in him. (It doesn't matter one bit that he's a boy and I'm not.) The more I learn about myself and my family (a neurodivergent family), the more I realize why this book meant so much to me. 17. compare this story to your usual tastes. how does it differ from what you've already enjoyed? It's such a unique book that it does differ in a few ways from the usual. There are puzzles and riddles, for one--really hard puzzles that also drive the story and plot. The story is zany and quirky and different, sometimes larger than life. It's set in a world that is very much like ours, only with slight dystopian and futuristic influences, but I've never seen another book like that (besides than the author's other work). I've also never seen another book that is meant for intelligent children, written at a high reading level and featuring preteen characters who are gifted oddballs who don't fit in.

18. compare this story to your usual tastes. what parts of it are exactly the kind of thing you've always loved?

Deep, endearing characters, found family, excellent and thoughtful prose, adventure. Again, the high reading level with sophisticated language is not something I usually see in books written for children in the last two decades, and even in the 90s and early 2000s, it was limited to historical fiction books. The writing style reminds me of the historical fiction books I grew up on, only this is a book with slight fantasy elements.