An Extraordinary Education

Happy Feast of St. Nicholas (yesterday, which is hilarious because the protagonist's name in this book is Nicholas)!  Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception (tomorrow)!  Get thee to Mass!

I finished this book on Sunday, November 27, and I'm writing this review on the 28th.  I couldn't wait for it.

IT IS SO GOOD.  I AM ECSTATIC THAT I FOUND IT. 

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict
470 pages

Inside cover reads:  Before there was a Mysterious Benedict Society, there was simply a boy named Nicholas Benedict.  Nine-year-old Nicholas Benedict has more problems than most children his age.  Not only is he an orphan with an unfortunate nose, but also he has narcolepsy, a condition that gives him terrible nightmares and makes him fall asleep at the worst possible moments.  Now he's sent to a new orphanage, where he encounters vicious bullies, selfish adults, strange circumstances--and a mystery that could change his life forever.  Luckily, he has one important thing in his favor: He's a genius.  On his quest to solve the mystery, Nicholas finds enemies around every corner, but also friends in unexpected places--and discovers along the way that the greatest puzzle of all is himself.  Meet the boy who started it all.

Back cover reads:  Nicholas Benedict did have an exceptional gift for knowing things (more exceptional, in fact, than most adults would have thought possible), and yet not even he could know that this next chapter was to be the most unusual--and most important--of his entire childhood.  Indeed, the strange days that lay ahead would change him forever, though for now they had less substance than the mist through which he ran.  Misery and joy.  Discovery and danger. Mystery and treasure.  For now, all were secrets waiting to be revealed.

I am so absolutely enthralled with this book that i'm throwing my format all catawampus.  First and foremost, ALL bibliophiles will adore this book.  Sure, it was written for kids, but it contains not only a page-turning mystery about a truly peculiar and talented boy, but also thoroughly titillating use of a sesquipidalian lexicon!  I swear I could feel my brain growing!

Notable Quoteables:
Found this little gem on page 62: "He swung the door open and barged into the darkness behond.  He held up the lamp--and gasped again.  Three walls of books.  Floor-to-ceiling books. Books in the thousands.  Nicholas felt his heart flutter, and looked quickly about for a soft place to fall."  LOVE

it continues... "The innumerable books were all bound in leather, with their titles and author names on the spines in gold lettering, and already he had determined that they were divided into categories [...] They varied widely in size, from volumes as slim a slate boards to enormous tomes the size of cinder blocks.  And to Nicholas, they were all beautiful, every one of them" (63).

And even more: "In the far corner of the library, he had spied a beautiful mahogany desk and beside it--to his delight--a gigantic dictionary on a stand.  He walked over to the dictionary, glancing eagerly about him as he did.  The library's other furniture included a chaise lounge, a rocking chair, and several armchairs, each with its own reading table and lamp.  Positioned against the far wall was a rolling latter that could be pushed along narrow tracks in the floor, providing access to the higher bookshelves, which were very high in deed-the top shelf was at least ten feet form the floor.  The south wall, the only one not covered with books, seemed mostly made up of windows, and beneath each one was a cushioned, sun-faded window seat.  Nicholas grinned at everything his eyes fell upon.  In his opinion the library could not have been more perfect" (64).

Ok, Now I'm swooning.

"When he had finished the book, Nicholas put it back on the shelf and hurried over to the dictionary to look up the words he hadn't recognized.  There were seventeen such words in all (he had counted and alphabetized them instinctively), and as he read their definitions he found himself thinking, Oh, of course! and Sure, that makes sense!  Definition by definition, the book's more confusing passages all became clear to him, locking to place like the last pieces in a puzzle.  By the time he stepped away from the dictionary, Nicholas felt as satisfied as if he'd eaten a delicious meal" (130-131).

"In the candle's flickering light, the library's thousands of books emerged from their shadows, and for a moment Nicholas could not help admiring them again.  During free time he had almost never looked up from the pages he was reading, but now he saw the books anew, from without rather than from within, and was reminded of how beautiful they were simply as objects" (141-142).

"Turning things over in his mind, deliberately and carefully, was guaranteed to be more productive then turning these cranks at random.  His mind was his strength, and he should use it" (181).

SPOILER ALERT:
"The books are the treasure, Mr. Collum.  The books!  Mrs. Rothschild spent our upon hour luxuriating in books.  She loved them so much she often looked in on them even when she didn't intend to read.  She'd go out of her way to do so.  And why shouldn't she?  They're beautiful, aren't they?" (437).

My Reaction:
Promote Virtue?  Nicholas is very convincing and very clever.  I'd also like to describe him as somewhat conniving, but he rarely has malicious intent.  He typically wants to do what is good and right: protect himself, protect others, and mostly stay out of trouble.  He is a very independent sprite, so he does end up making a key so he can come and go from his room as he pleases.  Rarely does he tell lies.  His love of truth and books is so overwhelming that I just love him.

Transcendentals?  Yes, all three.  Everywhere.  All the time.

Overcome human condition?  Yes.  Nicholas struggles with several things, especially the need to feel loved and accepted by others (who shun him out of fear of the Spiders (a group of bullies), and his disturbing nightmares.  However, he rarely shows contempt or wishes ill will on anyone.  Like several of the characters in Lee's other novels, Nicholas is really trying to do what is right, not only for himself, but for others, and for the greater good.

Attitude toward Catholicism?  n/a

Paganry?   nope

Swearing?  nope

Violence? nope

Appropriate age?  Nicholas is 9 in this book- and that'd be about 3rd grade.  I'd say that because of the length of the book, the involvement of the plot, and the level of the vocabulary, this would be a far cry for 3rd grade.  4th grade might even be stretching it a bit.  If a 3rd or 4th grader loves reading and is patient, then I'd definitely say yes.  5th grade is a safe starting age.  ALL bibliophile adults will love this book.

Writing Style: This is an amazing prequel to an awesome series.  I love everything about Lee's writing style: the vocabulary, the mystery, the clues, the love of books, the internal struggles, and all the cleverness.  I pretty much want to go out and buy them immediately, if not sooner.  It's swoon-worthy and makes me proud to have my own library.

Great words: again, too many to count!  Draconian and ebullient, just to name two!

Books ARE a treasure.  And books that celebrate that fact are MOST CERTAINLY