The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict - Trenton Lee Stewart, Del Roy

This was September's Mother-Daughter Book Club choice.  This is a prequel to the very popular Benedict Society series and gives a bit of back story for the society's founder, Nicholas Benedict.  At the start it threatened to be a typical sad orphan/orphanage tale. However, as with the first installment in the series, there are enough fun and unexpected twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. The pace is a bit slow, but in a deliberate and enjoyable way.  These are thoughtful and well written books and, ultimately, I really don't have much to complain about.  My daughter absolutely loves the series!