The Mysterious Benedict Society – Book Study Ideas
After it was recommended dozens of times, I finally got around to The Mysterious Benedict Society and I wish I had read it sooner! This is a special book, packed with great characters, suspense, and some wonderful puzzles.
The Mysterious Benedict Society Summary
The Mysterious Benedict Society is about four very different kids who each respond to a newspaper ad for “gifted children looking for special opportunities.” They team up to infiltrate a school and bring down an evil genius.
You won’t have to read too far to notice this book’s emphasis on diversity within gifted students. We get guys and gals both young and old from various cultures who are all clearly gifted. I especially like how Mr. Benedict, Number Two, and Rhonda Kazembe serve as examples of grown-up gifted kids.
Beyond physical characteristics, the four children show that the brightest kids can wildly different:
- Reynard Muldoon is a strong leader who empathizes with others
- Sticky Washington has a photographic memory and works problems out by brute force
- Kate Wetherall is a kinesthetic kid with novel approaches to problems
- Constance Contraire has a way with words far beyond her age and serves up some delightfully difficult behavior. Love the last name!
Their diverse abilities emphasize teamwork, self-understanding, and respect for others, and open up some great potential discussions about gifted stereotypes.
Universal Theme: Power
I love using Universal Themes. They naturally connect to any topic and, thus, are my go-to technique for moving beyond the basics. You can use any of the Universal Themes with The Mysterious Benedict Society, but I’ll show how I would connect to Power, since it’s my favorite of the themes! Do stick with the same Universal Theme across multiple book studies. It will make it super-simple to connect all of your readings (as well as the other topics you teach). Power will with with The Mysterious Benedict Society just as easily as Matilda, the American Revolution, biomes, and beyond.
1. Find Examples of Power
First, ask your students to create a list of specific examples of power in The Mysterious Benedict Society. Update this as you read, probably after each chapter. Do no let your students be vague! Demand specific examples of power and please encourage a broad interpretation of Power.
Some examples of power in The Mysterious Benedict Society:
- The newspaper ad has power
- the cheat sheet offered to Reynie has great power…
- …but his willpower is even greater!
- Sticky’s memory is powerful!
2. Use A “Power” Generalization
I think that the statement “Power can come in many forms” is the perfect generalization for this novel. Each of the kids specializes in a different form of power. Perhaps, in the end, they all rely on powers like friendship and trust.
But don’t be afraid to explore another generalization like, “Power can be given, taken, or earned.” Who among the characters actually earned their power? Who simply took it? Who had it given to them?
During your book study, students can look for evidence to prove or refute the generalization you choose. They can also, of course, write their own generalization using the examples of power that they have tracked.
Enrichment Topics
- Morse Code! I doubt I have to even mention this. Your students are probably already learning to communicate by knocking on their desks.
- Narcolepsy – Both Mr. Benedict and [spoiler redacted] fall asleep in the middle of conversations. What is this real-life disorder actually like?
- Language studies – The characters in this book speak (or reference) many languages. Dig deeper into Tamil!