I loved the first installment (
reviewed here) of Trenton Stewart's Mysterious Benedict Society books and this second installment was pretty fantastic as well. Lots of adventure, thrills, and more of those brilliant children we've all come to love!
Book two, titled
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, does in fact, take the reader on quite the journey! Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance reunite about a year after the first book finished, ready to go on a scavenger hunt their beloved Mr. Benedict has set up for them. Unfortunately, once the pair gets together, instead of a fun game, they must complete the scavenger hunt in order to find Mr. Benedict, who has been kidnapped by the evil Mr. Curtain. The quartet boards a ship and ends up on a journey around the world, searching for their leader. All of the enemies from the first book are back and extra nasty, but the tricks the kids have up their sleeves are even more impressive, making for an awesome adventure.
I love these books and I'm already looking forward to the next one. If a book keeps me turning pages, involves me in the minds of the characters, and puts a smile on my face, it's a definite winner. Children will love this book, whether or not they've read the first book.
Review by Amanda Snow
A Patchworks of BooksAs one of my favorite thrill-evoking authors, Margaret Peterson Haddix has swayed from her norm in this novel, based upon the horrible Triangle Shirtwaist Factory tragedy in the early 1900's. I was instantly intrigued at the topic, especially with Haddix being the author, however I think in the end I was left just a little disappointed.
Uprising is told through the eyes of three main characters, Yetta, an outspoken Russian Jewish immigrant, Bella, a young Italian immigrant, having just arrived in America, and Jane, a rich, spoiled American girl, considered of marrying age, yet still living under the watchful eye of her nanny. All three girls become intertwined though the novel, through the famous Triangle Factory strike, poverty, running away from family, and eventually the horrid fire that ravaged the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, leaving many dead due to poor and hazardous conditions within the factory itself.
Though very historically accurate and throughly explained, this book just lacked the spark (no pun intended) that all of Haddix's books contain. It was a little long in the sense that the strike took up 90% of the plot and the fire and aftermath only were described at the very end of the book. I was hoping for a little more on what the fallout was afterwards. The content was a little above middle grade level, which I do believe it is aimed towards, and though I'm sure middle grader's could read it, I think the story may do better with young adults.
I certainly still enjoyed the novel and will always look forward to reading books by Haddix. I may not have liked this one quite as much as her others simply because it was so different. Everyone needs variety though, even me!
Author: Mo Willems (on JOMB)
Illustrator: Mo Willems
Published: 2007 Hyperion
ISBN: 1423102959 Chapters.ca Amazon.com
Four friends, forty-four easy-to-read words and forty-seven phenomenally funny interactions empower even the earliest reader to provide satisfying read-aloud entertainment for the whole family.
We can’t help directing you to some of our other favourite books on the themes of pigs and flying:
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Nice review. I have this on my waiting list. Both my wife and oldest daughter read it and raved. I need to bump it up the queue. I've been up to my ears in robots and YA recently so switching gears would be nice.
Great to know that the second is as good as the first. I really do have to get to this series.
I'm getting a little obsessive about the third one coming out. I've hunted around online and haven't found any information on it whatsoever. If you hear something, drop a note! ;D
p.s. I also subscribed to your feed as I always find your reviews delightful. Now I can keep track!
Rats, I haven't even read the first one yet. I really need to catch up as the second looks just as good.
Hi! I know this has nothing to do with the post but I just wanted to say that I'm very happy to finally meet another book blog that neither approves nor appreciates improper matters soiling an other wise good book.
Thanks for providing a blog that shows that a clean book can be just as good if not better than a book containing inappropriate and improper material.
I didn't know there was a second one -- I'm jotting it down right now. Must have ... must have ...
I liked this one a lot, but not as much as the first one. Maybe because there weren't as many riddles to solve, or maybe because a little of the newness had worn off. Still, I hope there are several more in this series.
Excellent site you have here. I run a site similar to yours, and was wondering if you would like to trade links with me?
You can see my site at http://Jijol.Com . I would give your site a prominent listing on my page, if you would be willing to do the same.
I enjoyed reading your stuff!
Link Exchange / Blog Roll Info:
Title: Jijol.Com - Key To Success - 21 Things You should Know
URL: http://jijol.com
Regards,
Joseph
The Keys to Success: 21 Things Every Teen Should Know
I'm glad you liked the second book so much. I recently finished the first and was wondering if I should pick up the second. Sequels can often disappoint.