I can't pinpoint the exact reason for the brilliance of these books, but I can say that they are, for a fact, genius. The Benedict books are children's books, yes, but they are written well enough that children can understand them and adults can appreciate their style. The characters are realistic, the plot is believable, and the story itself is complex and fascinating. All in all, this is one novel I hope to read to my kids one day, and I hope they turn out to be exactly like Nicholas Benedict. It's about time kids had some real literary heroes that don't "stoop to their level."