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The Mysterious Benedict Society
Trenton Lee Stewart
Children Ages 8-12
Reynie Muldoon, Sticky Washington, Kate Wetherall, and Constance Contraire have never met before, but they all have two things in common: they are without parents and have an uncanny intelligence. That is why Mr. Benedict recruits these four children for a top-secret mission to…save the world! Can these children successfully pass as ordinary students at L.I.V.E. (the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened) and outsmart its nefarious headmaster, Ledroptha Curtain, who is secretly trying to take over the world? Only time will tell.
Questions Just for Fun
If you could have one item from Kate’s bucket, what would you choose and why?
Which of the Mysterous Benedict Society’s schemes would you most like to take part in (sneaking into the tower, putting a vomiting powder in the food, etc.)?
Questions to Think Critically and Biblically
Throughout the story, we see Reynie consistently put the good of others above his own (helping Rhonda Kazembe when she dropped her pencil, wanting to contact Miss Perumal to let her know he was okay, deciding to stay on the island even when it would have been safer to leave, etc.). According to the biblical worldview, why is sacrificing for others an objectively good thing?
Discussion Guide - Read John 15:12-14. Discuss how Jesus has commanded us to love one another, to give of ourselves for the good of others. This is exactly what he did on the cross. According to the biblical worldview, sacrificing for the good of others is objectively good because it is what God has done for us and what he calls us to do for others.
At different points in the story, the members of the Mysterious Benedict Society become frustrated with one another. At times, they wonder whether they truly need each other or if they could just accomplish the mission on their own. However, in the end, they discover that without each person’s unique strengths, they never would have been able to stop Mr. Curtain. According to the biblical worldview, why do humans need one another?
Discussion Guide - Read Genesis 1:26-28. Discuss how God created humans in his image. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is in-and-of himself relational. As his image bearers, he designed us to be relational. We need others in order to accomplish his purpose for us and for us to truly thrive.
In the end, each child becomes part of a family - Miligan remembers that he is Kate’s dad, Miss Perumal adopts Reynie, Sticky’s parents find him, and Constance is adopted by Mr. Benedict. According to the biblical worldview, why does every human long to be part of a family?
Discussion Guide - Read Galatians 4:4-7. Discuss how God has adopted us into his family. He is our loving heavenly father. Our earthly desire for a family is meant to point us to our ultimate desire, to be part of the family of God.
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