Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

18 reviews

shirarweiss's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, and Abandonment

orchidlilly's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

If there's something I love, it's found family and mystery, and this story has both! the relationships are touching and feel very real, and the mysterious plot is gripping the whole way through

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Medical content, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism

spookily's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement and Vomit

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Torture

Minor: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

bexi's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Honestly I was kind of bored. Maybe I'm not brainy enough to fully appreciate this book, or maybe it's because I'm not in the target age group. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping

Minor: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment

epeolatri's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Loved every second of this book! I wish I had been so lucky as to read it when I was a kid, but I love it just as much at 22. Can’t wait to read the rest!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Confinement, Violence, and War

skudiklier's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was one of my favorite books as a child, but my copy got lost after loaning it to someone, and I've been waiting for years to get a new one so I could reread it. I really enjoyed it! I was surprised by how much I remembered. And like, it's true that some things about the book are problematic and on-the-nose (liking books isn't inherently good, TV isn't inherently bad, there's the ableist trope of

the bad guy getting up from the wheelchair

, and there's so much to unpack with all the "gifted" stuff). But still, I can't help adoring this book. I'm excited to reread the rest of the series! 

Also, spoiler:

I can't believe Constance is TWO?! I remembered that she was actually very young, so the whole book I was paying attention to how she spoke and acted and stuff, and in my head I was like "there's no way she's like four what the heck she's the most advanced of all of them." But I thought she was like four or five, not two!!! Wild.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Torture, Violence, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent

courtneyfalling's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I remember this fondly from when I was younger, and I still enjoyed the anti-authoritarian, pro-kid plot. But the stakes never felt as big as we were supposed to believe they were, and plot details came and went really quickly.  

I also forgot this is a prime example of the "villain is faking having a physical disability" trope, and I absolutely did not like it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Confinement, and Abandonment

wondereads13's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

One of the best children's books to ever be published, The Mysterious Benedict Society is great for all ages. It's overwhelmingly clever, the characters are all so personable, and the plot just pulls you in. It scared the shit out of me when I was younger, but I reread it in middle school and loved it. It's filled with riddles to keep you thinking, and you'll root for the characters like your life depends on it. Don't let the fact that it's a children's book stop you.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Kidnapping, and Abandonment

Minor: Death of parent