my concern is that you have a group of lonely kids, longing for belonging who just too willingly go along with Mr. Benedict despite his consistant and on going deceptions. Mr. Benedict preys upon their vulnerabilities and capitolizes on the fact that these kids have no other adult to guide them. Rainy, the only child who does have a caring adult in his life is denied that healthy relationship. If you ask me the best lesson here for children is understanding how vulnerable people can be so easily taken advantage of by crazy people. I am reading this with my 9year old son and we are almost done, finally! I agree that the book is way too long and thankfully it is picking up the pace now that we at the end. Unless there is an absolutely terrific ending where the kids finally take control and find out the real intentions of Mr. Benedict then I won't be reading the rest.

I was reading the reviews of this book from Common Sense Media.org and I completely and totally disagree with it. They say some parts could be chopped out because they think it should be shorter. No, completely untrue. Every word is essential to the plot and I'm disappointed they would say that. I'm a kid, 11 years of age, and I don't know if this'll be displayed on the kids page or the adult page, but I love this book and I'm thrilled it's 500 pages because it's a terrific book that should last a long time and I'm glad the sequal is also several hundred pages. Great book. One of the best I've ever read. (And that's saying something!)

There's nothing wrong with it. It's excellent!

Each character in the book is uniquely talented, but in very different ways. They can only solve the mystery by working together. As they do, they come to appreciate each others' talents. A fun adventure that is inspiring without being preachy.

In terms of age appropriate content, I found no objectionable material in this book. Less proficient readers will find the book does not progress as fast as they would like at first. The upside is that the main characters are vividly portrayed and the messages of acceptance and teamwork are crystal clear without any moralizing.

NO WAY FOR AGE 9! Better for ages 11 to 13.

The Mysterious Benedict Society is an exceptional book. It is mature in the sense that the children use words some adults might not even know, and they speak very intelligently. This is a combination of mystery, comedy, and adventure. It almost makes you think that this could really happen!

I think the mysterious benedict society is a fun and fantastic book for children eight and up

My son is an advanced reader. Just because he CAN read larger text, it doesn't mean that the content is appropriate for him. This book was perfect. A smart, funny, clever story without the violence, language, and attitute that books for older children have. Super smart kids are sent on a mission to, of course, save the world, and it takes the readers along for a interesting story. I really recommend this, even as a read aloud for 5 to 6 year olds.