The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart

It has been a year since the Mysterious Benedict Society brought down Mr. Ledropthra Curtain and his strange contraption known as "The Whisperer". Now, they are back to celebrate Constance's birthday, for which they will reunite with Mr. Benedict, Number One and Rhonda.

Reynie is first to arrive at the home of Kate, who was reunited with her father, formerly Mr. Benedict's manservant, Milligan. Though he still works for the secret agency he was once employed by, he and Kate now live on a farm with her circus friend Moocho Brazos, who acts as the Farm's Handyman and Cook. Reynie was adopted by Miss Perumal, who was once his tutor, and since his mother is dead, he calls her Amma, which is Hindu for "Mother". Sticky Washington was reunited with his parents, who he'd run away from, but who had given him up for dead.

But soon after they leave for the city to meet with Mr. Benedict, a message comes to the farm telling them not to come, that Mr. Benedict and Number One have disappeared. When they arrive at Mr. Benedict's house, they learn the same, and that Ledroptha Curtain is the one who has imprisoned him. He and Number One took off because some scientific papers written by Mr. Benedict's parents have come to light, and they may have found a cure for the Narcolepsy that afflicts him. Apparently, one of his parents may also have suffered from it,but they died before they could do anything about the cure.

Mr. Benedict was planning a surprise for the Society, a trip that followed a series of clues he left behind. Rhonda has the first clue, but is unable to decipher it, so she turns it over to the Benedict Society in hopes that they can find a clue to where Mr. Benedict may have gone. It doesn't take them long before they figure it out, but instead of endangering the lives of their guardians, they decide to follow the clues themselves and bring back Mr. Benedict.

From the house, they sneak out and find a ship named "The Shortcut", which is captained by an old friend of Mr. Benedict's. He has a clue for the children, but they must help him with some problems of his own on board the ship. But as every stop on their trip leads them closer and closer to Mr. Benedict and his twin brother Ledropthra Curtain, will they be able to overcome Ledropthra Curtain a second time, and save their beloved mentor from the schemes of his brother, who wants to take over the world?

A thrilling follow-up to the first novel, this takes all four kids out of their comfort zones of home, family and city, and sets them free on the ocean and across Europe. Each of the children have a skill that is their specialty, such as Sticky, who can memorize anything after reading it, and who can read many languages. But beyond those specialties, they are more or less helpless. (Sticky can read many languages, but he can't speak them.)

This time around, the kids also get more fleshed out as characters, especially Constance, whose specialty last time was her stubbornness, but now she seems to be able to read patterns especially well, without thinking about it. Ask her how the weather will be tomorrow and she'll know, but she doesn't know *how* she knows this. She's also a year older, so her personality is more developed this time.

This is a really good sequel to the original novel, where the kids get to survive on their own in places where not everything is provided for them. Not that they get along all of the time. They bicker and quarrel just like regular kids do, and that reinforces the idea that these kids are just kids at heart, no matter their genius or their unusual strengths, and the clues provided in the text engage readers to try and play along and see if they, too, can unravel the clues provided by Mr. Benedict.

The villainy in this novel is also amped up, as several characters from the first book make their return, from Jackson and Jillson to the Snatchers, now known as the "Ten Men" for the number of ways they have to hurt people. Young readers will find this book engaging, and if the elevated level of diction reminds parents of "Lemony Snicket", they won't be far wrong, although the level of immersion in the story reminds me more of the early J.K. Rowling "Harry Potter" books, though without the magic or hidden worlds.

And it's not just for kids, because adults will enjoy the story, too. I highly recommend this book and the previous one, "The Mysterious Benedict Society" for being engaging books that will draw you in and make you reluctant to put the book down.