Rhonda gestured toward the box. "What happens to Mr. Benedict and Number Two depends on that," she said grimly. She sounded if she still couldn't believe it, and indeed, as if speaking to herself, she repeated in a whisper, "Everything depends on that."
The children moved closer. It was an ordinary-looking box, about the size of a fruit crate, with several holes punched into it. Together they peered through the holes into the box's dark interior, anxious to see just what it might be - what the box might possibly contain that would determine the fate of those they held so dear.
It was a pigeon. Only that. A pigeon.
-The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
To begin, I must say that I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this book. I had mixed feelings about the first book in this series, and I've learned that there are too many wonderful books in the world to waste time on mediocre ones. I was fully prepared to put this down after fifty pages if I wasn't engaged.
Well, guess what? I was utterly engaged by page fifty, to the point where putting it down didn't even cross my mind. I finished it up at jury duty yesterday, where the lively adventures of the Benedict crew helped to move the morning along a little faster. To enjoy reading it so thoroughly was an excellent surprise.
At the end of the previous Benedict Society book, the kids had thwarted the evil plans of Ledroptha Curtain, but he and his minions had managed to escape. When Perilous Journey begins, the kids have been out of danger for some time - but also out of adventure. Sensing this, their kindly benefactor, Mr. Benedict, arranges for them to go on a worldwide tour that will have them solving clues to get from one location to the next. Unfortunately, before they can begin, Benedict and his trusty assistant, Number Two, are kidnapped by the nefarious Mr. Curtain.
Stymied by Curtain's request that they give him information about a mysterious plant to secure their friends' release, the kids decide to embark on the trip Mr. Benedict had planned for them, hoping that his clues will at least lead to his last known location. Thus begins the titular perilous journey, which involves a lightning fast boat, a train, bicycles and even a seaplane.
One of the reasons that I found this book more appealing than the last lies strictly in the plot. In the original book, the kids infiltrate the mysterious school that Curtain has set up to train his associates. I found that it felt a bit recycled (Hogwarts by way of 1984, perhaps), while simultaneously feeling too clever by half - as though Trenton Lee Stewart were trying to jam in every bit of quirk and wonder he could think of, which left it entirely too quirky but not particularly wondrous.
The adventure of Perilous Journey moves along more quickly and doesn't get bogged down with school politics or the endless bouts of discussion and Morse code in Reynie and Sticky's bedroom. It's quite fun to let the clever and resourceful Benedict kids out into the real world, eliminating the claustrophobic element of keeping them cooped up on an island with their arch-enemy and all his henchmen. Okay, so they end back up on an island with their arch-enemy and his henchmen in this book, too - but it's much, much cooler. And may I say, the Ten Men (said henchmen)'s delightful way of speaking is exactly the kind of whimsy mixed with danger that you want in villains. ("'Now why would you do that, muffin? Why would you want to make old McCracken angry?'" for example).
The characters have become more nuanced in this second outing as well. Reynie, who has mostly been known for being clever and good, has become suspicious based on the events of the last book. He's finding it difficult to trust people, an interesting and realistic development. Sticky has become more confident as a result of his work in the last book, but has carried it too far, and has consequently developed an unfortunate habit of showing off his copious knowledge. He knows it, too, and finds it embarrassing and difficult to control. It will be interesting to see how these characteristics develop in the third book, due out in October.
Up next: Julie & Julia. I suspect I may go on a mini-spree of food-related books, in fact, based on what else I have sitting around my apartment.
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