The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart is a kind of prequel to the Mysterious Benedict Society books.  It follows 9-year-old Nicholas, a genius child who also happens to have narcolepsy, which causes him to fall asleep at quite inconvenient moments.  Nicholas is sent to a new orphanage where he is able to endure the harrassment of the Spiders (bullies) only because of a rumor that there is a hidden treasure at the orphanage.  With two friends by his side, Nicholas works to solve the mystery.

This was a really fun book.  Nicholas is an old man in the Mysterious Benedict Society books, so it was neat to read a book about his background.  The characters were really interesting and likable, and the plot was engaging.  The only downsides were (1) that the story sometimes seemed a little lengthy (maybe could've been more concise) and (2) that, for me, it was kind of predictable at times.  But, I really liked the book, and the book kept me interested throughout.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Princess Academy: Palace of Stone

I've been waiting anxiously for Palace of Stone (the sequel to Princess Academy) by Shannon Hale.  It comes out on the 21st, but I somehow got amazingly lucky and won an advance copy a few days ago after answering a Princess Academy trivia question on Shannon Hale's facebook page.  Yay!  I don't want to elaborate on the plot since that would give away what happened in the first book, but read here for a summary of Princess Academy.

This was a fabulous book--one of those sequels that is just as good (or better) than the first book.  The book was true to all the original characters' personalities, just putting them in a new setting.  I loved the developments that took place and also thoroughly enjoyed the chick flick nature of the story.  If you're looking for a good book to read next, this book and its predecessor are awesome picks.  Engaging and exciting plots as well as deep and lovable characters--plus they are just generally well-written books.  Highly recommended!

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Enna Burning (re-read)

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale is the next book after Goose Girl in the Books of Bayern series.

[I'll add to this post another time.  Since it's a re-read, it's not a priority for me to write about it right now.]

Goose Girl (re-read)

Goose Girl by Shannon Hale is a favorite book of mine that I decided to re-read.

[I'll add to this post another time.  Since it's a re-read, it's not a priority for me to write about it right now.]