Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart

Mysterious Benedict Society and the
Perilous Journey (c) 2009
by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart comes after The Mysterious Benedict Society and before The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma.

The four friends, Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance are set to have a fun, non-dangerous vacation with their good friend Mister Benedict and Miss Number Two (whose real name we do not learn in this book) when they discover that Mister Benedict and Number Two have been kidnapped by the sinister Mister Curtain, Mister Benedict's evil twin brother! Though there are dangers aplenty, the kids take off to rescue their beloved mentor and his assistant. Along the way, they have many and varied adventures, and are given aid here and there, especially by Kate's dad, Miligan, when he finally is able to catch up to the swiftly traveling kids. What happens next, is an exciting adventure, and I highly recommend it to children and adults alike who enjoy clean, fast paced adventure stories!

The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis (Focus on the Family version)

Magician's Nephew, The (c) 1955 by C.S. Lewis
Radio Theatre: Focus on the Family version (c) 2005
I recently listened to an entertaining version of The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis. It was not a word for word reading, but rather a dramatized version, with some narration, and dialogue spoken by actors, all accompanied by music and sound effects. The story is a version produced by Radio Theatre: Focus on the Family, and published by Tyndale Entertainment.

The original story by C.S. Lewis was published in 1955, and this version was recorded in 2005.

The story follows the adventures of two friends, Diggory Kirk and Polly Plummer as they are tricked by Diggory's dastardly Uncle Andrew into traveling to a new world. Through their adventures and mishaps, they come into the company of Jadis, the tyrannical queen of Charn whom they do not want to take with them, but she comes along with them anyway by force. Through another series of mishaps, the children, the wicked queen, Uncle Andrew, an innocent cabby named Frank and Frank's horse Strawberry, find themselves in a new world that is just beginning, being brought to wake by Aslan. Read the book, or listen to the story to find out what happens next!

While I personally prefer the book, I did like this version very much, and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys C.S. Lewis.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart

Mysterious Benedict Society and the
Prisoner's Dilemma, The
(c) 2010 by Treton Lee Stewart
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart is a fun ending to the first trilogy of the Mysterious Benedict Society. This time, Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance embark on a new adventure, rather against their wills, but with all the pluck and courage they showed in the first two books. When a blackout washes over Stonetown, the kids quickly find out it isn't an accident, and the sinister Mr. Curtain, the evil twin of their beloved mentor, Mr. Benedict, is behind it, and, as usual, is out to get them. How will they outsmart Mr. Curtain and the ten-men, his evil henchmen?  Read the book to find out! I recommend this fun book to anyone who enjoys fast-paced, middle-grade books that have riddles and clues for the characters, and readers, to solve along the way.