The story follows the main character, Rainey, an orphan who loves to read and is eager to make friends. He discovers an advertisement for a test to win a scholarship to the prestigious Boatwright Academy. Rainey takes the test, answering questions with compassion and kindness, and ultimately passes. He meets other students who also passed, including Sticky, Kate, and Dewey. They are taken through a series of challenges and puzzles by their examiner, Milligan, and eventually meet the mastermind behind the tests, Mr. Nicholas Benedict.
However, instead of being recruited for the Boatwright Academy scholarship, the children are revealed to have been selected for an undercover mission to save the world from chaos. A mysterious subliminal message is being broadcast globally through radios and televisions, causing people to become anxious and creating the illusion of international panic. The children are tasked with finding the source of the message and stopping it. After some deliberation, they agree to join the mission and begin their training.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. The story is about an American mystery-adventure television series called "The Mysterious Benedict Society".
2. The series is set in a future world where a mysterious force is making people anxious.
3. The anxiety has created an illusion of international panic known as "The Emergency".
4. The main character, Rainey, is an orphan who loves to read and is intelligent.
5. Rainey's only mentor is his Tamil language teacher, Miss Perumal.
6. Miss Perumal shows Rainey an advertisement for a test that offers a scholarship to attend a prestigious school called Boatwright Academy.
7. Rainey takes the test and passes, but later discovers that the test was not what it seemed.
8. Rainey meets other children who also passed the test, including Sticky, Kate, Dewey, and Constance.
9. The children are introduced to Mr. Nicholas Benedict, who explains that they have not been recruited for Boatwright Academy, but for an undercover mission to save the world.
10. The mission involves stopping a mysterious subliminal message that is being broadcast globally, causing people to become anxious and panicked.
11. The message is being broadcast through radios and televisions, and can only be stopped by a group of children.
12. The children agree to join the mission and start their training.
13. The mission is led by Mr. Benedict, who has been researching the subliminal message for a year.
14. The message is coming from an island that is home to a children's school, which is why only kids are allowed to go there.
15. The children are given the option to say no to the mission, but all of them agree to join.