The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma (Mysterious Benedict Society Series #3) » (Reprint)

Trenton Lee Stewart, graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and author of the The Mysterious Benedict Society, lives in Arkansas with his wife and two sons.

Diana Sudyka received a Masters of Fine Art from Northwestern University. She lives and works in Chicago as an artist. This is the first book she has illustrated.

Join the Mysterious Benedict Society as Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance embark on a daring new adventure that threatens to force them apart from their families, friends, and even each other. When an unexplained blackout engulfs Stonetown, the foursome must unravel clues relating to a nefarious new plot, while their search for answers brings them closer to danger than ever before.

Filled with page-turning action and mind-bending brain teasers, this wildly inventive journey is sure to delight.

VOYA

The Society is back. In the months since their daring rescue of Mr. Benedict and Number Two in The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey (Megan Tingley Books/Little, Brown, 2008/VOYA April 2008), the foursome have been kept under protective lock and key. Evil Mr. Curtain and his treacherous Ten Men are still on the lam, whereabouts unknown, and no one is safe. When word comes that the Whisperer is to be moved out of Mr. Benedict's control, they know that Mr. Curtain will strike again. Will Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance be ready when he does? As with the other series books, readers receive both an adventurous ride and a heart-warming story of friendship and family. The characters continue to learn more about themselves and each other, discovering new strengths, facing weaknesses, and grappling with the tensions of so much time spent together and fears that they will go their separate ways soon. They also maneuver through riddles, puzzles, traps, and other dangerous feats of body and mind that will keep young teens greedily turning the pages to see how the story plays out. This third adventure builds slowly but spends less time filling in back story and does not try so hard to explain everything. Yet there is still enough history for readers unfamiliar with the series to dive right in. Although some of the foreshadowing is still heavy-handed, most readers will be too caught up in the story to care. Reviewer: Cheryl French