Book club: Mysterious Benedict Society

For April we read the "Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart. Overall, everyone liked the characters and fun names. Mixed reaction on the plot; some Thought it was generic or unrealistic, too long winded, or just right.

Here are some of the questions we raised in our discussion:

• Who was your favorite character? Why? Favorite name?
• When do you think this was written? Where was it set?
• How did the Whisperer work? Was it a reference to our fear-based culture?
• Why did the author repeat things so often?
• Do you think you would read the following books?
• What was your favorite plot twist or most unexpected part of the book? 
• Would you recommend this to a kid? What age?

My ratings:

• Overall - 8/10, highly recommend to anyone over 8
• Length - 9/10, just about the perfect length for me
• Humor/enjoyment - 10/10, fun romp with a good message

Food and music: 

• Themed food item: Indian veggie dish (Tamil based recipe)
• Songza playlist: Cool songs for young moms (including Mayer Hawthorne, Eliza Doolittle, Regina Spektor, Beach House)

Next month . . .  Matilda by Roald Dahl - hooray!