The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict... by Trenton Lee Stewart Review

THE EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATION OF NICHOLAS BENEDICT

By Trenton Lee Stewart

     ★★★☆☆ 

      For years I have been an avid fan of the Mysterious Benedict Society series, and to see this new installment released, I was very excited. One thing that people need to know before reading this book is that it is not a continuation of any previous stories, but a brand new one, giving insight on the founder of the Benedict Society, Nicholas Benedict himself.

      The story begins with 9 year-old Nicholas being dropped off at his new orphanage (we learn that he too was an orphan.) Nicholas has a hard time fitting in and liking the orphanage, what with the mean group of bullies (the spiders), the weird director of the orphanage, Mr. Collum, and the the kids who are actually scared of Nicholas because of his strange, brilliant ways. But then adventure finds Nick (as it always does.) As the town's rumor has it, the original owners of the Rothschild Estate had "purchased" a treasure a long ago that was very grand in itself, yet nobody but them knew exactly knew what it was.  

      So great that even now, the owner of the orphanage and townspeople alike still search for it. Just when the orphanage's wired, power saving-obsessed director, Mr. Collum, begins losing hope, about finally discovering the treasure, in comes Nicholas Benedict, who has more than one idea about the treasure due to his highly advanced knowledge and reasoning. Yet Nicholas needs to be careful about his already known clues, or else Mr. Collum might catch up in the race to find the treasure, and all Nick's dreams would be lost. The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict is a fun-filled adventure about a mysterious orphanage, a even more mysterious treasure, and a brilliant young lad whose mind is quite advanced for his years.

     
      I enjoyed this book, yet not as much as the other installments in this series. Let me just tell you straightforward that I find Mr. Stewart an excellent writer, and I adore his work, yet this title did not grip me and hold me down like his other books. Personally I thought that the peril level was a very low, meaning that I could barely feel Nicholas's need to find the treasure, or to do anything in general, because nothing was actually at stake (except the occasional threat of extra chores.) 

      As interesting as it was to see young Nicholas as a 9 year-old, I would have preferred to have seen him as a teen or young adult, explaining how the mysterious Benedict society came to be, and how he started it. Also, the 20-page part in the story about the Harinton dude seemed utterly useless, providing zero plot advancement. It almost seems as if Mr. Stewart had some development in the story planned involving Harinton, but then decided against it, and went back to "plan A," involving Nicholas returning to the estate. That part really distracted me and took away from the story in my opinion.

      One thing I did like about this book (and all of Stewart's others) was the way Nicholas's mind worked. It was very interesting [from the readers perspective] to see the way the genius himself thinks, and to observe the multitude of cogs turning in his wondrous brain. The way the story ties itself up is more than satisfactory. The writing in this book is superb, like all the works by this author, and one could easily picture the locations described without much thought. One aspect I applaud Stewart on is how he made Nicholas's mind sharper than most adults, yet at the same time, keeping his maturity level that of a 9 year-old. This helped his character a lot, because, as I've noticed in many TV shows, the young kids are supposed to seem smart, so the writers make them retort "clever" lines that they would never say in a million years, that further muddles the story, and makes the person seem all the less believable. So thank you Mr. Stewart, for keeping the young Nicholas real.

  Rated:

For 10+

Profanity: None.

Violence: The spiders beat up Nick once, and shove a little boy in a trashcan, though not very intense. Not scary or intense for the age range. Might frighten young children.

Sexual Content: Non-existent.