YA: The Mysterious Benedict Society

My daughter has been devouring this young adult novel about four children working for Mr. Benedict to fight the evil Mr. Curtain. The children answer a newspaper add and there are all sorts of clues and mysteries involved. Mr. Curtain is "brainsweeping" people to make them "happier." She loves it and *gasp* says that it is as good as the Harry Potter series. Two thumbs up from our house.

[houseelf]

oh, I'm on it!

Thanks.

Have you tried the Percy Jackson series? It is kid lit that I actually enjoy reading.

Kelly

No, but I've seen it and heard good things about it. I'll have to add that to the list. She is enjoying the Benedict book so much that I might read it as well. There are three books in this series, the third just came out.

[mommax3]

I'm glad to hear the third book is out.....I enjoyed the first two myself, as did my oldest (road trip books picked up randomly at Target last year). It reminded me of the Lemony Snicket books, except longer.

[Sheherezade]

We'll have to get this.

My daughter really enjoyed the Magyk series (Magyk, Flyte, Physk). The fourth is coming soon (Syren). She's been tracking its release date on the internet. Word to moms: Never let your 10 year old google the word "Siren".

[HouseofWool]

Word to moms: Never let your 10 year old google the word "Siren".

Very funny!

[L.Jane]

oh, I'm on it!

Thanks.

Have you tried the Percy Jackson series? It is kid lit that I actually enjoy reading.

Kelly

My 13 year old cousin LOVES Percy Jackson. I read the first three books to have conversations with him. It was fun. I can't tell you HOW EXCITED he was when I told him the Lightening Thief is being made into a movie...

Back to the thread... That book sounds neat. I will have to check it out.

[Rapunzel]

My older four kids have read all three of the books in the Mysterious Benedict Society series. I read the first one.

They are completely appropriate for ages eight and up. They are very inventive and pretty well written.

[Sheherezade]

Jennifer -- I just wanted to thank you for your review of the Ender's Game series long ago. My son read them all and is a HUGE Orson Scott Card fan now. Obviously, these are for older teens but my son is horrible about reading anything. It is a miracle to find something he likes at all. So, thanks!!!

[houseelf]

Yes, don't underestimate the power of these recommendations for kids! I have used so many throughout the years. The trick is to turn them on to what THEY like and that takes some amount of digging.

Thanks!

Kelly

[poky]

My son read them all and is a HUGE Orson Scott Card fan now. Obviously, these are for older teens but my son is horrible about reading anything. It is a miracle to find something he likes at all.

Angie - has he tried the Miles Vorkosigan books by Lois McMaster Bujold? If he liked Ender, he might like them, too, and they're *really* great:

This outlines all of them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorkosigan_Saga

I'd start with Warrior's Apprentice; the two before that are about and from the POV of Miles' parents, and would probably not be as interesting to your son.

If you can find them, I'd recommend this order:

The Warrior's Apprentice
The Vor Game
Cetaganda
Brothers in Arms (the book, which compiles three novellas which are in the timeline in-between the last few books)
Borders of Infinity
Mirror Dance
Memory
Komarr

After that (and even some in Komarr), the themes are a little more adult, and the author's fondness for romance creeps in more, so they might be less interesting to him (I love them, but I can see where a teenaged boy would be less enthralled; then again, if he really likes Miles, he might still like them).

They've been pulled into omnibus editions, too ("Young Miles", "Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem", and "Miles Errant") which include the novellas in the proper timeline order, but they also include "Ethan of Athos", which doesn't have to do with Miles at all, and they only go up to Mirror Dance. They might be easier to find, though the library should have the separate books, I'd think.

Good luck!

[Rapunzel]

Angie, there is a corresponding series written by Orson Scott Card - the "Ender's Shadow" series. It takes one of the characters in Ender's Game ("Bean") and expands on his life.

I just finished Ender's Shadow a few weeks ago and thought it was really well written. If you have read Ender's Game this book gives you additional insight into the story line.

And, Ender's Shadow is completely appropriate for 13 and up. I haven't read the rest of the Shadow series yet so can't comment on all of the other books.

The last books in the Ender series get kind of weird. Actually, they get weirder and weirder delving into highly philosophical, religious, and metaphysical ideas. And, I actually found one of the books disturbing (the one that is on the planet of the "Piggies"). The last book in that series was intensely interesting in that it actually takes LDS theology to a kind of extreme (ie "Where did we come from" - as in literally where did we originate). Anyway, it's a good series for adults, too!

[Rapunzel]

Oh - if he likes Card, there's another series by that same author - it's the "Alvin Maker" series. I haven't read any of those books yet (so you'll want to investigate their appropriateness for a young teenager). The premise (from what I understand) is that a young man finds he has supernatural powers given to him in order to change the world. (The first one is called "Seventh Son"). I know that there are inclusions of Native American mysticism/prophesy in some of the books.