The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums

The Mysterious Benedict Society #Extra

by Trenton Lee Stewart

This exclusive companion book to the bestselling Mysterious Benedict Society series is a mind-bending collection that will put YOU to the test! With full-color artwork throughout, this companion features ingenious new puzzles, riddles, and brainteasers compiled by Mr. Benedict himself, with the help of Reynie, Kate, Sticky, Constance, and other Society associates. Think you have what it takes to join the Mysterious Benedict Society? Open this book and find out!

Genres: Fiction, Middle Grade, Mystery, Childrens, Young Adult, Adventure, Fantasy

148 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2011

About the author

Trenton Lee Stewart is the author of the award-winning, bestselling Mysterious Benedict Society series for young readers; The Secret Keepers, also for young readers; and the adult novel Flood Summer. He lives in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Letters to the author may be sent to:

Trenton Lee Stewart
PO Box 251358
Little Rock, AR 72225

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book a little disappointing from the standpoint that I think kids that are already good at solving puzzles will enjoy it, and kids who aren’t won’t. I wish it had done more to explain how the puzzles are solved.

One problem with the book is that it does not give you the answers, it only gives hints. Don’t get me wrong — I think the hints are a great idea and I wish more puzzle books would do that, i.e., give you a hint so you could still get it yourself. But the problem is that if you’ve tried to work a puzzle and can’t get it, and you’ve looked at the hint and still can’t get it, and then you can’t find the answer you just wind up feeling stupid. I don’t think that’s ever appropriate for kids. It just doesn’t make any sense to me that you would have a puzzle book and then have an attitude about it that “if you’re too stupid to solve the puzzles then don’t read the book”.

Other than that, I think it’s a great idea to have the kind of puzzles that the kids in the books had to solve. Great premise. I just wish they’d put a section in there that would help a kid is struggling to see how to approach the problem and at least provide an answer.

[Julie S.]

Yeah for more Mysterious Benedict Society!

[Cliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's difficult to give this high marks because it simply isn't as much a book as it is a gathering of facts and passages from the trilogy. Aside from that is the inclusion of a series of puzzles to be worked out. The puzzles themselves are often fun and challenging. So much so, that I think I would have failed to solve a couple of them without referring to the hints provided. I do enjoy a good word puzzle, but I felt that in some cases the clues were a bit too cryptic. Nonetheless, it's fun for fans of the books.

[maven calore’s venice b!tch]

i hate this book. i cried trying to solve the puzzles. it’s too hard.

[Jeana Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First rate!

I can't overstate how clever these puzzles were. Honestly I had a few wonderful moments when everything clicked together and I felt so accomplished for having solved a problem in an unexpected way. But even for the more frequent times when I was stumped and flipped to the back for the hints (yes hints, you won't find the actual answers anywhere in the book, which I think makes it better) it was great to have that "ah ha" moment where you slap the side of your head and wonder why you didn't see it before.

But even the puzzles I couldn't figure out without the help of hints still seemed to teach me something. I feel like I just might be more likely to look outside the small scope of an issue and try to grasp the larger picture. Sometimes you need to stick to logic, and other times you have to balance in your gut instincts. But in the end, it's your friends you always have to rely on.

Really this series, no these individuals, have taught me a lot that's enriched my life.

So above all I just want to say...Kate, Reynie, Sticky, Constance, and everyone else...thanks so much, I love you guys.

[Mikayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent a delightful afternoon working my way through this. Puzzles are not really my thing, but this book made them fun and had very good hints for when I got stuck. I really enjoyed this, and am almost sad that I'm done. I also really enjoyed the reward on the website when I finished.

[Grace Hone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you do when you're at home and the book you packed sucks? You do the puzzle book you were gifted when you were a kid! These were fun and some were challenging?!? pop off Trenton

[Mark Heintz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely throwback to the earlier days of the Mysterious Benedict Society. I couldn't help but feel quite proud when I managed to decode the final message.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was everything I hoped for! The puzzles and hidden messages and codes were so much fun to figure out! Some of them were easy, some more difficult, but there are always the hints in the back of the book if you get stuck. Every puzzle is so different, and some of them really make you think! The design and layout are beautiful, and I loved the quotes from the novels as well as a closer look at each character.
A delightful companion book to the series!

[Marissa Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big fun for a 5-year-old-and-adult team!

[Rejoice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Week 8
Thursday December 5: 1 hr. (these problems are super hard to solve!!)
Friday December 6: 45 min.

Week 9
Thursday December 12: 45 min.

[Cassidy Titcomb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Puzzles are tricky for an 8 year old

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a charming companion to the series!

[Nadya · Rating 5 out of 5]

my first english book ever! very well written and witty👀

[AnnaGrace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is sure full of brain-teasers, and I enjoy going through it and testing my wits right alongside the members of the Mysterious Benedict Society.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty hit-or-miss. I think it would be best enjoyed immediately after finishing The Mysterious Benedict Society Collection when you're looking for a little more time with the series' characters and would enjoy the character profiles and quoted passages from the books. There was a broad range in difficulty level, from incredibly easy to incredibly challenging. Some had straightforward directions, but for quite a few of them I had no idea what I was even being asked to do, and had to look up the "Hints" section to even figure out what the puzzle was, then had no way of knowing if I'd solved it correctly.

Throughout the book there are red circles around various letters and numbers, which fill in a final puzzle in the back of the book. I wish that every puzzle throughout the book had had a red circle on one of the characters in the solution, but some of them circled letters in the instructions instead, so it made those solutions feel less important. Plus, since those solutions didn't carry forward to anything, and there wasn't an Answers section, there was no way of confirming that the answer was correct, which I personally found frustrating.

Again, I think this would be best experienced as an immediate follow-up to the original series, when you might have the most patience for ambiguous puzzles to solve like those the characters encountered. Picking this up independently long after finishing the series, I expected more straightforward puzzles — here's what you need to do, here's what you're trying to find — and that's probably the main source of my disappointment.

[Janie Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums. This 15-word title isn’t the only special thing about this book.

After watching the new Mysterious Benedict Society series on Disney Plus, I reread the Mysterious Benedict Society books. On the back cover of the last book, I found out that there is a companion book with the extensive title of, well, Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums! Having enjoyed the other books tremendously, I started reading it as soon as I could.

As you would have guessed, this book is about puzzles, enigmas, and conundrums. But they are way better than they sound. It provided entertainment and satisfaction as I racked my brain to find the ‘trick’ to each page- when I discovered the solution, I sighed at how simple the problem really was. The background stories of each character give you a completely new understanding of the series. However, I feel that the fun is only limited to the Mysterious Benedict Society readers as it’s hard to understand the questions otherwise. It’s impossible to find another negative point about this book.

Overall, the MBBoPPEEaCC is simply AMAZING, at least for people who’ve read the series.

[Charly Troff (JustaReadingMama) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun thematic puzzle book and I haven't even read the series yet (I got a little confused when I was trying to buy the actual novel and just went with it)!

The puzzles were really fun and some of them were actually really tricky. Some were really easy as well. There were some that I wasn't sure I got the "right" answer (it felt like there was more than one that fit or the one I came up with didn't feel right), but there was no answer key to compare against, so that was frustrating.

Overall, it was such a fun experience! If you enjoy puzzles, I would definitely recommend this! I can't wait to read this series now!

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums I really enjoyed this companion puzzle book. The puzzles range from pretty easy to quite difficult. My favorite part is that the answer key isn't straightforward. It gives you clues that lead you to the correct answer if you're stuck.
 
You can enjoy this book without reading The Mysterious Benedict Society first, but I think fans of the series will get more out of it than someone just looking for a book of puzzles.

[Rubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a few puzzles that stumped even me, and I'm 30, but overall they were fun and really made you think. Some were easier than others and remembering how some of the puzzles worked in the books helped, but kids who haven't read them could still do it just fine. I did and didn't like that they gave no answers I could concretely check but at the end I figured out if I was right based on if I got the last message figured out correctly lol
Fun little book parents could work on with their kids 👍

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this to keep my kids amused on a road trip. Didn't really work for that, since a lot of the puzzles are visual and I had to keep my eyes on the road while driving. My kids, sadly, weren't into it nearly as much as I was. So, this is a book I have fun with on rainy days with my cup of tea and the kids off at school. I think I'll try again with the kids later, when the mood is better and there aren't as many distractions vying for their attention. Challenging and fun.

[Crista · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Read the series first*

Cute little puzzle book with some basic and some quite challenging brain teasers. And I really liked that you had to solve each puzzle to solve an overarching puzzle. Great design. However, this is definitely for fans of the series, as it pays to know about the characters and the story line to help suss out the clues. Overall, a good afternoon activity for an inquisitive problem-solving reader.

[R Waterfall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was super cool. I loved the Mysterious Benedict Society series, and I also love solving puzzles like these. So satisfying! A few of them were confusing even with the hints in the back of the book, but eventually I figured them out. :) Definitely recommend, especially for Mysterious Benedict Society fans!

[Sadeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved these books because first of all, they are not generic. If there is one thing I hate most in books it's a generic and basic story or setting (eg, a lot of fantasy novels). This book was the complete opposite, it was mysterious, it was funny, it was intriguing, it was everything you'd want in a book (imo).

I read these a while ago but I really loved every single aspect of it.
It's a must read.

[Purple · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so much fun to do, I personally loved the fact that he gave hints instead of answers.
Unfortunately, there were 2 that I didn't understand, I never figured them out.

I case anybody want to help me out they were: The four dark pages and the jack and jill riddle.

[Maeve Greising]

All puzzles all fun! I forgot that I both grew up on this series and am now grown up, so it was wild to get some of the puzzles more easily now. I still had a blast and enjoyed the secret at the end ;).

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s good puzzles in here. They match the tone of the series this book is based on very well, and I felt clever for solving them. Even though some of the solutions were obvious. Or maybe they were just obvious to me because I’m a fan of the Mysterious Benedict Society.

[Todd Katz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the beginning part of this book, not to say that the middle and end weren’t good but the beginning was really cool so I enjoyed that I enjoyed the tests. I could not figure out the code though!