The Mysterious Benedict Society, Week 4

Welcome to the final discussion of The Mysterious Benedict Society. 

Did you enjoy the ending of this book? What parts did you think were the best? I think one of the best parts was the scene where Kate realized that she wasn't an orphan after all. Weren't you glad at the end of the scene? Were you surprised? I was glad when everyone was able to get their happily ever after at the end. It was great that Sticky's parents realized the error of their ways and wanted to be reunited with him. Weren't you glad, too, when Reynie and Mrs. Perumal were able to be together at the end? I think she will be a great parent for Reynie. Do you think Constance will enjoy living with Mr. Benedict? He seems to be patient with her and appreciates who she is, so that bodes well. 

What did you think about Constance in this section? It was nice to finally realize why she was a part of the team. Could you believe she was able to resist in the Whisperer for so long? She was so brave! What did you think about the fact that she was only 2 years old during the book? I was shocked! I guess that explained why she was so grumpy and sleepy all the time! She definitely definitely displayed toddler tendencies throughout the book, but I just didn't realize that's why she was the way that she was. 

I was glad when we finally got to see Mr. Curtain's plan for the world. He wanted to become the Minister and Secretary of all of the Earth's Regions (M.A.S.T.E.R), and he's using the Emergency to scare people, and then he's using his messages to soothe the people. And, he wants to create an amnesia epidemic and will put people who oppose him in The Institute. Did you expect this to be his plan all along? I definitely thought that he was doing something to make sure that he could take over the world. It made sense that he was causing a panic and then was going to provide a solution. I think people have used that tactic to get power and control many times. 

I think Kate was my favorite part of this last section. She was so brave to climb everywhere, and she was so smart to evade detection! What did you think when she was able to lasso the flag tower and send Constance flying through the air? I could not believe that someone so young was able to do so many things. I guess that was her circus training coming through. 

Did you know that Mr. Curtain's trigger for his sleeping spells was anger? I was so glad when the kids were able to figure that out and use it for their advantage. I don't think they would have been able to overthrow Mr. Curtain otherwise. At the end of the book, Mr. Curtain escapes, though, so I'm sure that he is not completely defeated. What do you think he'll be able to do now since the Whisperer is disabled? I'm sure he will figure out something. 

We assume that Mr. Benedict was able to restore everyone's memories--what do you think the people thought when their memories were restored? I bet they were incredibly confused by everything that had transpired. 

Are you glad you read this book? If you enjoyed The Mysterious Benedict Society and would like to read similar items, check out this list I created. Make sure to let me know if you checked out anything on the list. 

Before you go, check out the video below if you'd like to see the cast of the series talk about some funny moments on set. 

I hope you'll be able to join us again next month as we read The Shining. I can't wait to hear all of your thoughts in the comments!