The Mysterious Benedict Society

“Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?” That ad pulls together four very different kids — a problem-solver, a know-it-all, an acrobat, and a stubborn girl who won’t quit — for a secret mission that only children can pull off.

Why we picked it

The puzzles are genuinely fun to solve alongside the characters, and underneath the fun is a sharp idea: how do you think for yourself when someone’s flooding the world with messages designed to do your thinking for you? That’s a useful conversation for kids growing up on screens.

Questions to chew on

• Each kid is “gifted” in a totally different way. Why does the team need all four?
• The villain’s plan works by sending hidden messages. Where do you see messages trying to shape what you think in real life?
• Which of the four kids are you most like?

Good to know: on the longer, trickier side — a nice stretch for confident readers, and a great listen for everyone else.