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Book Synopsis:
Nine-year-old Nicholas Benedict has more problems than most children his age. Not only is he an orphan with an unfortunate nose, but he also has narcolepsy, a condition that gives him terrible nightmares and makes him fall asleep at the worst possible moments.
Now he’s being sent to a new orphanage, where he will encounter vicious bullies, selfish adults, strange circumstances — and a mystery that could change his life forever. Luckily, he does have one thing in his favor: He’s a a genius.
On his quest to solve the mystery, Nicholas finds enemies around every corner but also friends in unexpected places — and discovers along the way that the greatest puzzle of all is himself.
My Review:
4/5 stars. I loved so many things about The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict. It’s a charming story full of good lessons and character development. It’s naturally very funny without even trying to be. I couldn’t help but smile at the ending.
On the other hand, the plot is slow-paced, almost painfully so. Neither does it have the same team dynamic and energy as the original Mysterious Benedict Society series. And the main character, Nicholas, is so extremely smart it seems very unrealistic. In the original MBS series, the characters are highly advanced, but they feel a little more real because each has a unique talent or skill set, and they work together using them. But Nicholas is like a combination of all four of those characters in one person, and it’s almost cartoonish.
I mentioned already how funny the book is; the humor doesn’t come through characters’ jokes or in events themselves, but in descriptions of those events. Author Trenton Lee Stewart has a gift for describing small details or adding funny interjections.
One other thing I appreciated the most is Nicholas’ character arc and growth. I won’t spoil anything here, but it warmed my heart in the end.
Some people might say the ending wraps everything up too perfectly, but I think it fits for the kind of story it is. After so much goes badly for the characters, it’s nice to see positive changes.
This book is technically a prequel, but you don’t have to have read the original series to understand it. It’s a story that stands on its own. There is a brief reference to the main series at the very end of the book, but that’s it.
Rated: None
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