The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

Sticky is a 12-year-old boy with dark skin, glasses, and no hair. Before the novel starts, he shaves his head as a reference to the children’s previous adventure, during which he was bald because of an accident with hair removal serum. Sticky earned his nickname because almost everything that he reads sticks in his head; he also reads uncommonly quickly. Like all the children in the Mysterious Benedict Society, Sticky has a habit of reading the newspaper every morning. Sticky is currently in the process of rebuilding his relationship with his parents after the events of the first book. Both parents are now coddling him too much to make up for previously putting too much pressure on him.

Sticky’s main journey in the book involves his efforts to prove himself to his friends. Sometimes, he finds himself boasting about his intelligence or going on long academic rants that bore those around him. Unlike Kate, Sticky has few practical, physical skills, and this sometimes makes him feel unable to help with challenging tasks. This becomes apparent when he struggles to stay awake during his watch on the grain silo. At the end of the book, Sticky is desperate to prove himself worthy, so he puts extraordinary effort into pulling the sledge across the field even though he is not especially physically fit.

Kate is a tall, confident, 13-year-old girl. She is unusually physically strong and has a wide array of practical skills. Kate always carries a red bucket containing many tools to help her and her friends on their journey. She grew up thinking that she was an orphan, and she spent some time in the circus. In the last book, Kate learned that Mr. Benedict’s assistant, Milligan, is actually her father. He had lost his memories, but they were eventually restored. Now, Kate lives on a farm with her father. She has a trained falcon named Madge who helps the children at crucial moments in the story.

Kate’s main journey in this book focuses on her efforts to show greater compassion. Initially, she sees nothing wrong with enacting violence against the Ten Men, reasoning that they certainly have no qualms about hurting children. Milligan tries to teach her that it is essential to avoid unnecessary violence, but she does not fully accept this lesson until the very end of the book. In the climactic scene, she nearly throws an explosive at the Salamander, which would likely kill everyone inside. With just seconds to spare, she instead chooses to throw the bomb into the ocean. This decision is an important moment of growth for Kate. It shows that despite her vindictive instincts, she is thoughtful and is able to internalize her father’s moral lessons.

Constance is three years old. She is intelligent beyond her years, though she is still at the mercy of the volatile emotions that are characteristic of toddlers. Whenever Constance becomes overwhelmed, she either lashes out at her friends or takes a nap to calm down. She is distraught by Mr. Benedict’s kidnapping because she loves Mr. Benedict deeply. Constance wants Mr. Benedict to adopt her and does not understand that her mysterious origins are making the paperwork more difficult. She is afraid that Mr. Benedict might have changed his mind about adopting her. Mr. Benedict urges her to listen to her uncanny intuition and trust that he does love her. He considers her part of his family, with or without official paperwork.

Constance has an uncanny ability to predict the future; Kate suspects that she is psychic, but Mr. Benedict thinks that Constance is simply able to recognize patterns that are invisible to most people. This ability initially scares Constance, as she does not understand how it works. Even when Mr. Benedict explains his theory to her, she remains uneasy about her ability until it proves exceedingly useful on the children’s adventures. Constance looks up to Reynie as a source of stability because of Reynie’s own intuitive abilities and emotional intelligence. Constance and Reynie support each other; while Constance looks to Reynie as a source of reassurance, Reynie relies on Constance’s intuition to lend credence to his own suspicions about people and some of the circumstances that the children must navigate.

The children have many allies who help them on their journey. Their chief mentor is Mr. Benedict, the man who originally brought them together. Mr. Benedict is a kind old man with white hair. He is a genius, and he has narcolepsy that is triggered by strong emotions such as laughter. Mr. Benedict is searching for a cure to his narcolepsy, which leads his twin brother, Mr. Curtain, to kidnap him and Number Two. As a result, Mr. Benedict is largely absent from the central plot of The Perilous Journey, but his influence on the children nevertheless remains a guiding force.

Rhonda Kazembe and Number Two are Mr. Benedict’s assistants and adopted daughters. Number Two barely sleeps but must eat a large amount of food to compensate. She is kidnapped along with Mr. Benedict but eventually escapes. Rhonda is distraught when Number Two and Mr. Benedict are kidnapped. She has a remarkable memory, like Sticky, and can memorize information verbatim. Both Rhonda and Number Two love the children deeply and consider them to be part of their family. Reynie’s immediate family consists of his adoptive mother, Miss Perumal, and her mother, Pati. Sticky’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Washington, are struggling to make ends meet, but they are devoted to repairing their relationship with their son.

Kate now lives with her father, Milligan, a secret agent, and their farmhand, Moocho Brazos. Moocho is an old friend from Kate’s circus days. He bakes excellent pies and looks after Kate when Milligan is away on missions. Milligan is one of the children’s greatest allies on their mission to rescue Mr. Benedict and Number Two. Milligan tracks them from Lisbon to Thernbaakagen and rescues them from the Ten Men at the hotel. He is fiercely protective of his daughter and her friends. He wants to protect them from harm, but they resist his efforts to leave them out of his plans.

The children meet Captain Noland and Joe “Cannonball” Shooter when Noland gives them passage to Lisbon on his ship, the Shortcut. Cannonball is the Shortcut’s third officer. He is a bombastic, friendly man who helps the children, but he is ultimately beholden to his responsibilities on the Shortcut. Noland is an old friend of Mr. Benedict’s from their days in the Navy. While Kate, Sticky, and Constance all like Noland immensely, Reynie is suspicious of him. He cannot put his finger on exactly why he does not trust Noland. Over the course of the book, he learns that his distrust in strangers is sometimes misplaced.