'The Mysterious Benedict Society' And The Appeal Of Low-Tech Lit

As much as I can appreciate YA books that reflect the high-tech times we live in, there’s something refreshing about stories like Trenton Lee Stewart’s debut novel The Mysterious Benedict Society and its sequel The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey that in spite of their contemporary setting seem to willfully deny the ubiquity of cell phones, iPods and even (impossible as this may seem) the internet. Instead, the four children that comprise the titular association rely on their wits, talents and book smarts (read: dictionaries and encyclopedias) to get by. Oh, and they also learn morse code.

In the same spirit as Encyclopedia Brown, (another whipsmart protagonist, and a personal favorite of mine growing up), Reynie Muldoon, along with the other members of the Benedict Society, are championed and ultimately rewarded for their mental gifts and their honed physical abilities (i.e. walking on one’s hands). And though the suggestion is delivered in a not-so-subtle way (the bad guy attempts to brainwash children around the world through subliminal messages sent via the TV), these characters do inspire young readers to look beyond the various screens in their life and seek out stimulation from old-fashioned sources of entertainment such as word games and puzzles.

While this is not to say that technology has to be vilified in order for tweens and teens to be able to appreciate the alternative, it is in an interesting tactic to place a premium on engaged problem-solving versus passive behavior like television-watching. What’s more, Stewart makes the choice seem obvious. As the characters progressively become more self-confident the closer they get to reaching their goal (foiling the evil genius and his plot to take over the world), you not only find yourself rooting for Reynie and his crew, but also attempting to solve the riddles and word play yourself (and trust me, even adults may break a mental sweat trying to wrap their heads around some of those doozies.)

What struck me most about both the novel and its sequel is that by requiring extra work on the part of the reader, the whole reading experience actually became more enjoyable. Upon finishing the book, I felt I had accomplished more than just completing a story. Of course, I think it could also be argued (and proven) that kid lit can accomplish the same feat by actually embracing new media (see Scholastic’s The 39 Clues), but nevertheless I was still impressed and charmed by Stewart’s low-tech approach.