Recent Reads {The Mysterious Benedict Society}

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart - I doubt I would have ever come across this book on my own, so I'm glad that one of the ladies in my book club stumbled across it and suggested it.  We had decided that maybe a juvenile lit book would be a good pick for September, in honor of back-to-school and also to make our reading load a little lighter during this busy time of year.  The Mysterious Benedict Society got our vote, based on the book jacket and artwork.  Turned out to be a good choice, in my opinion. :-)  Story summary:  A peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, asking "are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?"  Out of the hundreds of children that turn out to take some unusual tests, only four succeed and are invited to join in a potentially dangerous secret mission.  They are called upon to combine their intelligence, creativity and resourcefulness in a strange undercover mission at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened; and become good friends as they face puzzles and threats.  And save the world along the way.  It looks like there is a follow-up or two to this debut children's novel by Stewart.  I'm recommending it to my own 11-year-old, but whether he will accept my suggestion that he read it or not remains to be seen.  Personally, I'm sure he would like it and I'd recommend it to young readers who enjoy a humourous story about spies and mysteries.