Rating: Needs Parent Supervision

Reading Level: Middle School

Overview of The Mysterious Benedict Society from a Christian Mom’s perspective:

There are some fantastic themes: free will, conquering fear, morality and teamwork, the persistent love of a true parent. There is no romantic or illicit behavior to worry about, and language is clean. Violence is there, but fairly tame relative to other books for this age group. There are puzzles, and moral quesitons, and fun twists at the end. I’d encourage my 11-year-old to check this one out from the library.

Possible Concerns:

  • Violence: Bullying institute workers giving solid knocks to students who are out of line, the recruiters will taze children to subdue them, or and disobeying children are sent to a pit with bugs.
  • Mental Health Abuse: Having memories swept or manipulating with peoples’ minds.
  • Without proper guidance, it is possible that a kid could make some immature and inappropriate connections and I address these below

Are rules always bad? The four heroes volunteer to enter as spies into the L.I.V.E. Institute for exceptional children. It is clear from the get-go that this is an evil place. The rules of the oppressive and foreboding Institute include that “You can go anywhere you like, as long as it is on one of the yellow lines.” The rule is distinctly oppressive, as the yellow lines are clearly very limited. Another is, “You may talk any time you like, as long as you have permission. (And right now you don’t have permission.)”.

The potential problem is that these rules sound very much like, “You may eat from any tree in the garden, except the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” If a child makes that connection, it is vital that you help them distinguish between the oppressive institute and the good law of God.

An obvious difference is the scope of the limitation of the rule. Being forbidden one tree in an entire garden is much different than being forbidden any hallway that doesn’t have a yellow line. Another key difference is the motivation behind the rule. In the case of the institute, it is designed to keep children from finding out the truth of the evil things going on at the institute (“and if you do, you’ll surely be punished”). In the case of the garden of eden, the rule promotes free will, authentic relationship, and is for our own good (“for if you do eat of it, you will surely die.”)

Lack of explicit references to relying on God. Another potential snare of this book is that it has no element of relying on God. Where God promises, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you,” these orphans are sort of left alone to figure things out on their own. They don’t pray for guidance (aside from a vague mention Kate’s quick vague prayer before attempting a crucial feat (to whom or what the prayer is directed is not given). The children don’t seek the bible for how to respond to the evil. In short, morality and goodwill to all humankind is the source of truth and light. When things seem hopeless, the main character turns to his friends, some distant mentors sending cryptic encouragements and instructions, and to his own intellect (and good fortune sometimes also saves the day). While we know that true wisdom comes from knowing God and trusting Him, there is little of that represented in the book.

With proper guidance and discussion (see possible discussion questions below), these shortcomings can be overcome. Overall this is a fine read for parents who want something clean, clever, and intriguing.

*This book is also recommended by ReformedPerspective.ca: https://reformedperspective.ca/the-mysterious-benedict-society/

*You may wish to also check out this book’s review on ChristianParentReviews.com: https://christianparentreviews.com/book-reviews/The-Mysterious-Benedict-Society

*This book is also reviewed on HouseFullOfBookworms.com: https://www.housefullofbookworms.com/mysterious-benedict-society/

Discussion Questions:

  • The main character (Reynie) steps into a new and curious series of tests for which he is somewhat left to the unknown. What did he do well? What did he do not so well? Have you ever had a situation when you felt alone or confused or not knowing what to do? How could your response be the same or different from his? (Possible Response: When I started school or a new sport and I was nervous; I could remember God is always with me and He has a good plan for my life.)
  • The girl who lost her pencil and then offered to help Reynie cheat presented a predicament to Reynie. Have you ever been in a similar predicament? What did you do? Remember that God removes our sins as far as the east is from the west and He promises to make us new. (Possible Answer: I had a chance to cheat in Math Class and I changed my answer when we were grading answers. But I didn’t do it the next time.)
  • The Institute has the rule, “You may go anywhere you want, as long as it is on a yellow line.” What do you think about that rule? Some people use that same logic to say the Lord’s command is oppressive when he says to “eat any fruit except from the tree of knowledge of good and evil” or when he says, “you may enjoy sex as long as it is in the context of marriage.” What differences and similarities to you see between these rules? What is the difference in motivation between the rule-makers? (Possible response: one is to protect evil plans; the other is to help us live in fullness and freedom as God designed in His perfect and pleasing will.)
  • Mr. Bennedict says everyone in the team is essential. What gifts to you bring to God’s family? Are you like Constance, whose gifts are still to be revealed? Or are you like Kate, with many gifts that might not seem as obvious at first? (Answers will vary; be sure to be open minded and help child recognize even their quirkiest gifts, such as Kate’s ability to swing a rope or Constance’s strong will and stubbornness.)
  • Mr. Bloomberg’s memories of his family have been erased. The villain claims that he’ll be happier in the end if his memories that have fear are swept away. Why do you think memories of his family include fear? Do you think he is better off without these memories? (Possible response: sometimes we care the most about what we fear the most; it can be a sign of something you value.)
  • In the Institute, the children directly disobey authority. In what types of situations might it be ok to disobey authority? How can you know when it is good to obey versus to disobey?
  • What evidence is there that Mr. Benedict clearly values and loves children, whereas Mr. Curtain does not think much of them? Give some examples. What does the bible say about children? (Responses could include verses about Jesus calling for the children to come to him, or Paul’s encouragement to Timothy not to let anyone look down on him because he is young….)

Essay Questions:

  1. The villain’s goal is to keep control. Gal 5:1 says, “It is for freedom Christ has set us free.” Compare the Institute’s rules to God’s law to show how these two approaches do or do not reveal authentic love.
  2. The deep, persistent, persevering love of a father for his daughter is revealed at the end of a story. Other unconventional parenting stories turn up as well. Relate this to God’s perfect Fatherly love and pursuit of us. In what ways have you seen God’s fatherly love in your own life, either by God directly or by God working through people you know?
  3. The villain uses fear to accomplish his purposes, and diabolically through the whisperer temporarily soothes and “removes” fears. What does the bible say about fear? How does God respond to our fears, and how is this different from Mr. Curtain’s approach?

Bottom line: For parents who want something relatively clean, clever, and intriguing for thier kids, this might be a good choice. Violence is minimal, with a few knocks and torture in a bug chamber. It can feel dark at times, but the overall themes are redemptive, and the puzzles are fun. There is some manipulation that would need parent guidance. I’d encourage my kid to check this out from the library and guide them with discussion about some of the issues raised in this post.