Three cheers for The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart. Looking for a summer read that will entertain and work your brain? This is the one for you and the young adult readers in your family.
In this edition of the Nicholas Benedict books, we learn of Nicholas’ childhood spent moving from one orphanage to another until he lands at ‘Childs End where he meets John Cole and embarks on solving a mystery that promises to change the lives of the orphans forever.
Nicholas is a nine year old boy with a photographic memory, an incredibly quick mind, and an inconvenient case of Narcolepsy. The latter of which causes him to be secluded from the other orphans at night and locked in his room. If that isn’t bad enough, he is also on constant alert trying to avoid the wrath of the “spiders,” the orphanage bullies.
As I have come to expect from books involving Nicholas, this story is packed with riddles and guess work to be done. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to figure out the puzzles before Nicholas could. This kept me highly engaged with the story and this little boy who can really turn on the charms when needed.
Nicholas is such a likeable little fellow. You’ll find yourself cheering for him, sharing in his heartbreaking sorrow, and reveling in his eventual delight.
The only down side to this book was the weight it added to my carry-on bag.
Great summer read. Highly recommended.
I have added this book to my list. I am currently reading Molly Brown, Unraveling the Myth by Kristen Iversen, (which I am loving) and next up is Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.
I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think:)