The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict: a prequel to the Mysterious Benedict Society series

Love all the books in this series. A nice read whether you are 10 and beginning to enjoy reading more complex stories or 50 and looking for a bit of simple escapism. This book was more enjoyable than I expected (never sure about prequels) and gave more insight into the character of Nicholas from other books. Recommend.

Very good. I first started reading this when visiting grand-children. It was surprisingly good, and I have now purchased all the books in the series on Kindle. They make a pleasant interlude between books which require "thinking"!

Bought the whole series of books for grandson he loved them all

Beautifully written, with engaging characters and plots. This series is a joy for all the family!

A decent-enough story about going forward in spite of adversity, and about friendship and how important friends can be, especially to someone trying to fit in among new peers. The plot was pretty straight forward and easy to follow, and the characters were fleshed-out pretty well. and easy to like (or dislike, depending on just who one is referring to).

What's not to like? My boys love the whole series. I hear them chatting, giggling, and overall having fun reading these books.

This book, like all previous ones, is brilliant.I thought it is too thick for my 8 years old son, but he loves that series and reads one after another....

Granddaughter loved this book

Read this book outloud to my kids, they loved it (I think ages 10-13 would enjoy). The main characters struggle with bullies, neglect and sadness—finding strength and encouragement with a small number of friends. Really powerful.

Really good. The book came in very good condition and I really like it.

子ども向けだが、大人でも充分読める内容であり、お薦めの本の一冊です。

I met Trenton Lee Stewart after a concert in central Arkansas several years ago. It was a funny experience because I had not read much of the Mysterious Benedict Society (if any of it) and I knew he was famous for it but couldn't think of anything to say to him. I wanted to smack my forehead afterward because it was silly to have a chance to rub shoulders with a literary celebrity but waste the opportunity by several moments of silence. Anyway. I read the MBS series and thought they were good. A little hard to get into sometimes, but my sons love them and have read them multiple times. But then they persuaded me to set aside my grownup fare and read THIS book, insisting it was Stewart's best yet. I read the first chapter and found that I couldn't put it down. It has a narrative pace that is much more compelling than the MBS books. Its characters are more real. Its plot has neatly executed intricacies that satisfy. Its message is uplifting and inspiring. I agree with my sons -- this is Trenton Lee Stewart's best work thus far! And now if I were to meet him again, I would have plenty to say to him, including to express my hope that it has been submitted to the Newbery committee. It is every bit as good as Louis Sachar's "Holes"; in fact I like it even more because of its power to make me want to be better, kinder -- to use my gifts to help those I care about, like Nicholas Benedict.

I bought this as a gift for my nephew, and he found it to be an entertaining read with a fabulous mix of adventure and mystery. The story kept him engaged with relatable characters and clever writing that made it easy and enjoyable to read. It also works really well as a prequel to the Benedict Society series and gives a satisfying connection to the larger story. He especially liked how the main character overcomes challenges in creative ways, which made the book even more interesting and fun to follow.