This week I read The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart. My mom is taking a children's literature class and they read this book and then met the author (I think he lives here in Arkansas) and she recommended it to me. The kids I used to babysit for in college were really into the Mysterious Benedict Society series and this is the prequel to that. So I read it. And it was cute. But long for a kid's book. And wordy. I hate when authors get too long-winded and spend forever describing things. I lose interest. And I grow irritated. I think things can be pared down without losing anything. This is the advice I would give this author. I liked it but I believe it could have been a great deal shorter.
Anyway, it goes like this:
"Before there was a Mysterious Benedict Society, there was simply a boy named Nicholas Benedict. Meet the boy who started it all....
Nine-year-old Nicholas Benedict has more problems than most children his age. Not only is he an orphan with an unfortunate nose, but he also has narcolepsy, a condition that gives him terrible nightmares and makes him fall asleep at the worst possible moments. Now he's being sent to a new orphanage, where he will encounter vicious bullies, selfish adults, strange circumstances -- and a mystery that could change his life forever. Luckily, he has one important thing in his favor: He's a genius.
On his quest to solve the mystery, Nicholas finds enemies around every corner, but also friends in unexpected places -- and discovers along the way that the greatest puzzle of all is himself."
I think I will try to read the other books in the series. Apparently, it's a trilogy. But if the rest of his books are as wordy as this, God help me.
And in case you were wondering how my reading goal is progressing, find out after the jump!
These days, my books read list looks like this:
- Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
- Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume
- The Sweet Far Thing
- Interview with a Vampire
- The Tales of Beetle the Bard
- Spud
- The Secret History
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
- A Discovery of Witches
- Death Comes to Pemberley
- The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
- A Week at the Beach
- Little Bee
- Anthropology of an American Girl
- Naked
- Just as Long as We're Together
- Here's to You, Rachel Robinson
- The Hunger Games
- Catching Fire
- Mockingjay
- The Alchemist (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
- All He Ever Wanted
- Back When We Were Grownups
- Moon Over Manifest
- Shadow of Night
- Divergent
- Insurgent
- The Pleasure of My Company
- Emma
- When We Were Orphans
- Viola in Reel Life
- Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride
- The Ordinary Princess
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