binnudacademy

[binnudacademy]

[binnudacademy]

ᴇᴢʀᴀ ᴊᴀᴄᴋ ᴋᴇᴀᴛs Artwork from his 1962 book The Snowy Day.

[binnudacademy]

hihihihihihihihi

u like city spies? whas ur fav character?

Fuck yeah I like City Spies!

My favorite character is definitely Mother. Of the kiddos, tho, I think it's Paris. I like the dynamic he has with the group, and his individual mission with Mother to the chess tournament was one of my favorites.

[binnudacademy]

If you liked The Mysterious Benedict Society, try...

Book rec post!

If you liked The Mysterious Benedict Society for...

...found family of kid spies, try

City Spies by James Ponti

Brooklyn, a hacker, is recruited into a family of orphans who handle missions for MI6 under the protective eye of the eccentric "Mother," an agent who started accidentally collecting orphans while searching for his own lost children. If you love TMBS for a bunch of kids (and peculiar adults) forming a tight-knit family against a background of espionage, this book is perfect for you!

...the world of Stonetown and it's slightly off-kilter worldbuilding, try

The Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Milo lives in a smuggler's hotel with his parents, but he expects a quiet family Christmas--until guests start piling in, each with their own secrets and hidden agendas. Milo and his new friend Meddy decide to investigate, using a TTRPG as their guide. The connection to TMBS is harder to pin down here, but there's a definite vibe. They feel like they could take place in the same world.

...the puzzles, riddles, and games, try

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

Before the grand opening of a new library, Kyle and several of his classmates are invited to a lock-in---but little do they know, they're in for a wild night of escape room puzzles that will require all of their gifts to solve. If you love the riddles and tricks of TMBS, as well as the ways the Society uses their different strengths to get through all kinds of puzzles, this is a great choice.

...a lonely kid passing strange trials to enter a new world and family, try

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Morrigan was cursed to die on her 12th birthday, but instead she's swept away to a magical world and offered a chance to participate in a series of trials to join the prestigious Wundrous Society and be safe from the curse. But there's so much she doesn't know, and the things she learns about this strange new world might pale in comparison to what she learns about herself. The trails she faces feel very similar to Mr. Benedict's, and there's plenty else to continue the comparison once we get past them (in either book): quirky mentors, lonely orphans, world-shaking plots, a strange school.

[binnudacademy]

I'm trying to do more book rec posts on my main blog.

Historical Fiction meets Fantasy (Middle-Grade and YA)

Here's a list of books that take real world history and give it a supernatural spin. Sometimes it's a full alternate universe (1860s NYC--WITH DINOSAURS) and sometimes it's more subtle.

Middle-Grade (about 8-12)

Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel José Older

When?: 1863

Fantasy element?: There's dinosaurs around that people can ride and it's AWESOME

Elevator pitch: During the Draft Riots of 1863, a group of Black and Latine children escape the destruction of their orphanage and must outwit a gang of kidnappers--by riding pterodactyls!

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

When?: the Victorian era

Fantasy element?: a tree that grants wishes...for a horrible price

Elevator pitch: An Irish girl and her disabled little brother manage to get a job at an English estate after their parents are lost. But they soon learn their new refuge is haunted by a strange spectre guarding a mysterious tree. An excellent spooky story.

The Inquisitor's Apprentice by Chris Moriarty

When?: the turn of the 20th century

Fantasy element?: magic, in many specific cultural forms, is real, and there's a lot of politics and regulation around its use

Elevator pitch: Picture your standard turn of the century immigrant New York coming of age story: All Of A Kind Family or An American Tail. Now imagine that in this world, magic is real, and much like any valuable tool, there's a whole lot of laws and discrimination governing who can use it and how. Sacha can see magic, and is immediately pressed into service helping an investigator. He's thrust into a deadly world of politics, labor rights, organized crime, and strange new magic technologies that threaten everything Sacha holds dear.

The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz

When?: 1242

Fantasy element?: 3 magical children and their holy dog

Elevator pitch: The Middle Ages were weirder than even comedy has led us to believe, and this book taps into the stories and history of the era. Many people in an inn take turns telling tales of three children with superpowers (one super strong, one gifted with visions, and one healing) and their dog (who's a saint). Somehow these unexpected friends made an enemy of King Louis IX, and the road to get there (and how it resolves) is unpredictable, playful, yet grounded in a solid context of medieval history and literature.

Deephaven by Aldridge

When?: the Great Depression

Fantasy elements?: A boarding school full of occult secrets.

Elevator pitch: Nev Tallow receives an invitation to a boarding school in the middle of nowhere that no one has ever heard of, but it's the Great Depression and options are limited. Mysteries soon abound--the prefects aren't quite right, the classes include occult languages, and nobody's supposed to talk about the collapse that killed a student last year...despite the wing where they supposedly died still standing. They're going to get to the bottom of this with help from their friends, even if they have to take on a monster with nothing but a fencing foil and some barely-understood spells. The first in a series!

Ophie's Ghosts by Justina Ireland

When?: the 1920s (particularly the Great Migration)

Fantasy elements?: ghosts

Elevator pitch: Ophelia first starts seeing ghosts after her father is murdered in an act of racial violence. Now she works with her mother in an old manor in Pittsburgh, dealing with the racist lady of the house. And the ghosts. Ophie becomes determined to help one of them, but the price--and the secrets buried with her--may destroy the fragile life her mother has made.

Young Adult (13+)

Lovely War by Julie Berry

When?: World War I

Fantasy element?: A peanut gallery made up of half the Greek pantheon

Elevator pitch: Hephaestus catches Ares and Aphrodite cheating in his net, so to teach them all about love, Aphrodite launches into the stories of four young adults caught in WWI, torn between their ambitions, their pasts, and love. Other gods drop in and out to put in their two cents, and on occasion they influence the story in mortal guise.

The Shadow War by Lindsay Smith

When?: World War II

Fantasy element?: Mysterious shadow magic that grants visions and can tear people apart.

Elevator pitch: Picture Inglorious Basterds but some of the ultraviolence is from extremely horrifying shadow magic. It's a roaring rampage of gay, Jewish, Black, and Algerian teens and young adults avenging themselves on Nazis and keeping them from acquiring the power of Eldritch horrors beyond our world. It's a tough balance to get right tonally, but imo they made it cathartic instead of trivializing.

If you have any questions about any of these, message me, shoot me an ask, or comment!

[binnudacademy]

If you like my Mysterious Benedict Society and City Spies posting, please consider giving to Marah's campaign for personalized book recs! I have a large repertoire of kidlit knowledge, including comp titles!

Kids Book Recs for Palestine

Are you looking for a way to aid a family in need while also getting a leg up on your shopping?

Are you looking forward to seeing friends/relatives in the next few months only to realize "oh no, what do I bring?" Have a baby shower you need to bring a book to instead of a card? Got a kiddo at home who absolutely tears through every book you give them--or, conversely, refuses to open them?

Hi, I'm Molly. In my day job, I work in the children's section of an indie book store, connecting patrons to books they and their young loved ones will love. And I'm offering the same service from the comfort of your own inbox! Unlike online rec lists (which often fall into broad categories or only offer info you could get from the back cover), I will walk you through what makes me think a certain book will appeal to your audience and what content to be aware of going in, and you can ask follow up questions and clarify what does and does not work.

How it works:

Step 1

Send me proof that you d*nated to Marah's Family's Gaza Evacuation Fund. (Tumblr post here, verification info here)

Step 2

Message or ask me proof along with as much of the following information as possible

Age of recipient

(This can be approximate; if you're looking for YA for an adult, you can say that)

Reading level if applicable

(Listing books they've read recently is helpful here, e.g. Magic Tree House for newer readers. You can also think page count, illustrations or no, etc)

Books they enjoy

(Consider especially if you have some idea of why. For example, somebody might like Percy Jackson for the snarky narration, the epic quests, OR the weaving the fantastic into modern America)

Things they like to read about (or just enjoy in general)

(These can be tropes, topics, character types, general genres. For younger kids, if you know their favorite animals or activities, that's a great jumping off point. If they prefer graphic novels, here's the place to say so.)

Any concerns

if there's anything you want me to particularly warn for (such as the dog dying), lmk here. I'll still give you some basic tws but these are ones to keep in mind through the whole process.

Step 3

I'll get back to you with some recommendations, and we can go from there.

Short example conversation

(this was a casual conversation with a friend 2 years ago. My repertoire has grown exponentially since then)

TL;DR give to a family stranded in Gaza, and get professional, personalized assistance in finding the perfect board, picture, middle grade, or YA book(s) for you or a loved one.

[binnudacademy]

If you're in the need for some kind of magical artifact of magic for your setting, consider Fresnel Lenses which are used in lighthouses:

These things are Alive.

[binnudacademy]

11. Hiding from pursuers or 16. Meeting past/future self with whoever you want to do it with!!

I hope you are having a good day :)

"We’re lucky it was you they spotted,” Kate said, nodding appreciatively to Reynie. “That gives us some time to hide.”

“Where?”

“The countryside,” Kate said matter-of-factly. “We just need to find somewhere to lay low."

"In case you haven't noticed, we're on a moving train!" Constance said, gesturing to their surroundings.

"If I remove this window, we can climb up on the roof, get a running start going the opposite direction, and jump off.”

"What?" Constance said incredulously.

Sticky piped up. "I hate to say it, but she's right." He shook slightly, just out of time with the train's rumbling. "Running in the opposite direction reduces the total momentum. We'll be moving slower when we hit the ground, less chance of injury."

Constance raised an eyebrow, her arms crossed. "You've jumped off of a moving train, George?"

"No, but I'm familiar with the theory! The physics checks out."

Constance rolled her eyes. "Oh, well if George Washington says it's fine I guess it's okay!"

"What is your problem with me?"

Reynie held up his hands. "Guys, please–"

"--seriously, what do you want?"

"You get to show off and you're suddenly not a coward?"

"Wait, Constance, are you scared?"

Constance opened her mouth to retort.

"SHUT UP!" Reynie yelled.

They all froze in surprise, even Kate, who was midway through removing safety screw number 4 of 4.

Reynie breathed deeply, his face twisting up in shame. "Please, guys. We need to work together."

“Sticky and I are on the same page. This can work! We can find somewhere quiet to hide, I can replace the window, and they'll have no idea where we went!”

“Kate knows how to fall with people from the circus, so she can jump with Constance and help her land safely.”

Kate nodded enthusiastically. “It'll be fun, Connie!”

Constance crossed her arms, pouting. “Don't call me Connie.”

A furious pounding a few compartments down made them all jump, turning fearfully to the door. Constance’s eyes widened for a moment before she schooled them back into a scowl.

“Fine,” Constance spat.

Kate untwisted the last screw with a flourish. “Alrighty! Let's go!”

[binnudacademy]

Oh interesting… for the ask game I like to give options, so I’ll say kidnapping and/or supernatural body features for any TMBS characters you want!

“It's simple.” McCracken leaned forward, bending so he was eye to eye with Kate. She fiddled with her chains again, even though she hadn't noticed any give the first three dozen times she tried them. “We need to convince your father he should hand over a certain valuable asset. And the simplest and least painful way to go about it is through you, my dear.”

“I'm not giving you anything!”

McCracken sighed, a weary, condescending sigh, like a babysitter whose charge had declared an undying vendetta against bedtime. "While you insist upon being stubborn, I do believe you. For what it's worth, kitten."

He smiled. "But cooperation is truly your best option right now."

"Do your worst," she spat.

McCracken laughed. "I will. But not to you. Kid out there, the average looking one. He could use a couple scars to make him look distinctive." He twirled a pencil over and between the fingers of one hand, and Kate felt her eyes drawn to it as it performed complex, hypnotic pirouettes.

"I probably won't even have to touch the one with the glasses. Just hold a stapler to his face and he'll be a blubbering mess."

Kate rankled at this insult to her friend, but fear swept through her, too.

“So really, this is the best option. You're braver and stronger than all your little friends. But what's your pride compared to their safety?”

McCracken tossed the pencil, and they both watched it flip six times before he caught it easily. “It's alright if you have a bit of stage fright, ducky. I can give you a bit of coaching, me and my assistants here.” He tapped his briefcase.

••••

Without Kate the room was nearly silent. The light clink of chains as they shifted and Sticky's desperate attempts to calm his breathing were the only sounds. Reynie strained to listen past them, for any hint to Kate’s wellbeing.

"Be quiet, George!" Constance hissed.

Sticky froze guiltily.

Reynie suddenly had a suspicion that just as he was trying to listen past the chains, Sticky was focusing on them, drowning out any bad noises with smaller ones.

A scream, earsplitting and uncontrolled, so unlike Kate and yet unmistakably hers.

Sticky's chains started rattling again, harder than before, fast and loud, as if it could convey all of his dread and worry while he was struck dumb.

"She's lying," Constance insisted, but her lip trembled. "She's lying."

Another scream.

[binnudacademy]

The Washingtons. You know?

Imagine finding out that your kid is extraordinarily gifted, and having no idea what to do with that. Wanting him to be challenged and learn and have all the opportunities that maybe you yourself didn't have.

You're elated that your child has found something he loves and excels at, and a little unsure of how to raise him. After all, you've never seen this kind of genius before, how are you supposed to support it? None of the other families you know, not your parents, or coworkers, or neighbors from down the street have ever seen anything like this. They're all astounded.

And when you ask other people what they think or what you should do, seeking advice the way any parent would, you receive jealousy. Thinly veiled in people who praise your still very young son with cruel, covetous words, and open in those who accuse you of harboring some secret, asking why he is so gifted when their own children are not.

You're scared, and you're utterly alone in trying to raise this boy who meant more to you than life itself, even before he spoke a single word. You're scrambling to find anyone, any resource, that can advise you, and in all the chaos, you make a fatal mistake.

It's not intentional, and it's certainly not malicious. But in the whirlwind of confusion and panic and the ever-present suffocating notion of "You're his parents, you need to raise him right, anything you do now could have devastating consequences in the future", you fall back on the long-held and entirely false belief that a smart child is capable enough to raise themselves.

Just because your boy can recite the entire periodic table forwards and backwards at age six doesn't mean he has the ability to look out for himself. Just because he can orate like a professor when he's eight doesn't mean he knows how to be a miniature adult.

Before you know it, the idea comes into your head to enter him in a competition. It's not a big deal, but the pressure from all those people you told in your initial befuddled excitement, not to mention the idea of winning money and prizes that would otherwise be quite hard to attain, is more than enough to turn your head.

Of course, he wins. And, of course, you're elated. You've finally found something that challenges him, and each competition is an investment in his future. Suddenly, colleges and internships and whole career fields that would never have been available to someone coming from such an average family are at his fingertips. It seems you've hit on a perfect solution.

But, the pressure keeps growing. The jealousy and envy and resentment from those around you, even parents of other quiz competitors, who you hoped might finally understand what it was like to be responsible for such a gifted child, has reached exponential rates. And your son hasn't missed a beat.

He keeps winning and winning and winning and your mind is so dazzled by possibilities that you don't even consider the creeping anxiety that has already made a home in your mind.

He stumbles, once, and recovers, answering the question correctly, as always, but in that moment you realised. Something is wrong. The world is going wrong, the government is failing, the banks might be next. Once your son had won so much money that you were certain to be financially stable for at least the better part of a year, you took a break from work to support him.

But was that the right decision?

There's something coming on the horizon, and the slightest mistake now could lead to destitution in the future. He can't risk a mistake. You can't risk that.

So you keep pushing him. You're more than confident he has the knowledge and skills to win and keep winning, but he doesn't have any confidence. Maybe if he keeps practicing, he'll realise how good he is. Your career has been put on hold to become what is essentially a campaign manager and PR liaison, and still the kid is growing.

He's barely challenged by the informational portion of the quizzes anymore, and that scares you. This is the only solution you could find, and now too quick it has become obsolete. You desperately want what is best for him, but you also know that when catastrophe strikes you need to be prepared, so you keep pushing him.

You don't want to explain potential financial worries to a child, especially when he's so anxious about everything anyways, but the anger comes out regardless. You begin to see that you really don't know him anymore.

When he was younger, if you had been angry or he had been scared, you knew what to do. Making cookies together, doing a puzzle, reading a book, any of these activities were common enough apologies for a lost temper.

But now. You hardly recognise this boy who stands on stage before you.

And then, just as you barely start to see it, he's gone.

You almost don't notice for a day, and that's what terrifies you. You'd become so used to him studying and hiding away and even skipping meals on occasion to read and practice and be better, that it takes hours for you to realise he isn't in the house.

You can't find him. No one's seen him, and it is with dawning horror that you suddenly see that you don't know your own son well enough to guess where he might have run to.

The police are no help, and you can't stop yourself from bitter thoughts about how he's probably smarter than all of them put together (Or thoughts that are quickly smothered out about how he probably isn't going to be found unless he wants to be)

And then, the first donation comes.

It's thrilling. It's exhilarating for a moment to have that peace of mind that being rich gives you, even if it's short lived. Now you can search for him without worrying about losing what you already have. Things will be more or less the same when he comes back, with the big house and all the books and the fancy stuff filling each room.

It's such a nice feeling that for a second, you don't catch what you are doing. You don't see how this is the same feeling you chased in the quizzes. The horrible ouroboros of seeking riches only to be forced to spend them in the quest to amass more. The irrational way your mind has been slowly poisoned against what truly matters to you.

And then you are ashamed.

In the blink of an eye, you see all that you have done to your child. Everything you took away from him (And every moment that you yourself lost), all this time he should have spent growing up and learning to be who he wanted to be, and you had forced him into a mold.

Setting him up in a hypercritical and excessively competitive environment in the false hope that being around like-minded children would finally bring him a friend who understood him, when in reality it only isolated him further.

You see that you have become exactly like all those jealous people who looked at your son with a greedy covetousness instead of seeing him for who he was: a child.

This is when you decide that he's probably better off away from the awful mistakes you've made. You can't bring yourself to look for him anymore, not when he might finally be happy, away from you. You sit in your big, empty house, with rooms filled to the brim with things that you don't even remember owning. There are no signs a child lived here. No art on the walls, no homework on the fridge, no toys or clumsily made crafts. You realise that you've been living without him for quite some time.

It takes a little while, but then comes the day when all of that grief and despair and fear for this boy who you once loved so desperately (And still do, you just forgot how to show it) is too much. And you start searching.

Wildly. Recklessly. Against all advice from everyone who knows you, from everyone warning of the impending doom looming over everything, you search. You waste no time draining your bank account, selling your big, empty house, and taking out loans. Most of the prizes from past quiz shows have done nothing but sit around and collect dust, yet you are hesitant to pawn them. Some part of your mind wonders if they might have been important to him, and you were just too blind to see.

In the end, every possible possession of yours that can be exchanged to pay for more private investigators and detectives is gone.

And this brings you to a rambling old house, in a small seaside city.

It takes a while to drive there, but you do, keeping on all through the night and only stopping to sleep a few hours on the side of the road when exhaustion threatens to overtake you.

Right about the time you reach this "Stonetown", you feel something in your mind clear. You aren't quite sure what it is, as sick with worry as you currently are, but there is definitely a difference.

You disregard it as you hurry to the house of this enigmatic "Mr. Benedict", hoping against hope that he might have some clue, some scrap of a sign that your son is safe. You've long ago made peace with the fact that he might never want to see you again, but you couldn't rest until you were sure that, wherever he was, he was safe.

Standing outside the gate, you look up at the house, you can't help but think this would make a good home for your son. You hope he's happy here (If he is here)

You think about all that has happened in the past few years. You think that, were you to do it over again, you would do without the big house and the cash prizes. The fame and the fast car. It didn't do you any good anyway. A small house, next to a good library full of all the books your son could read. That would be enough. If only you had known what heartache your mistakes would cause.

You knock on the door

[binnudacademy]

Put That Guy in a SituationTM Ask Game/Prompt!

For when you want to put your favorite little guy (gender neutral) in a fanfic-type Situation. Send in a fandom, character(s), and/or relationship/ship as well as a number (or a few!) Feel free to use for fanfic, art, or whatever you choose!

Touch starved/cuddle curse

Time loop

Misunderstandings

Mind meld/telepathy/mind reading

Amnesia

Reverse amnesia (everyone else has no memory/recognition of your character)

Trapped in a room/closet/elevator

“Who did this to you?”

Sleep deprivation

Framed for a crime they didn’t commit

Hiding from pursuers

Turned invisible

Drunken/drugged/sleepy confessions

Role swap

Soulmates

Meeting past/future self

Tending to an injury/wound/illness

Possession/Mind control 

De-aged

Personality swap

Fear poison/gas

Truth or dare/party games

Loss of powers/abilities/skills

Showing up injured at their friend/mentor’s house

Showing up injured at their enemy’s house

Group project/team effort

Demon summoning

Curse of obedience/can’t disobey a direct order (the “Ella Enchanted”)

Time jumping/time travel/fix-it

Only one bed

Cursed/turned into an animal

Body swap

Reincarnation 

Love spell/curse/potion

Hatred spell/curse/potion

Avalanche/huddle for warmth

Secret relationship

Multiverse/meeting alternate version of self

Avoiding a conversation

Identity reveal/major secret revealed

Panic attacks

True love’s kiss/breaking a curse

Fake dating 

Arranged marriage

Realization of feelings at the Worst Possible Moment

Confessions during an argument

Sickfic/caretaking

Enemy caretaker

Self-sacrificial

Meet cute

Meet ugly/awkward first meetings

Fake death/presumed dead

Wings/supernatural body features

Kidnapping

Mutual Pining (+ Oblivious)

Mutual platonic/familial yearning

Accidental hand-holding

Crying

Lying curse/forced to lie about something

Truth Serum/spell

[binnudacademy]

realized that the "problem of susan" misinterpretation is going to explode when the new narnia reboot drops and started chomping at the bit

[binnudacademy]

@lee-thebee I couldn’t reblog your post for some reason (I think it’s something on my end dw) but here’s a video of the scene

[binnudacademy]

i love the idea of number two and rhonda being extra protective of mr. benedict, so he has to take his tea on the floor rather than at his desk

[binnudacademy]

god i forgot about this wip. i'm wheezing

(most of it below the cut bc idk when/if i'll ever finish it but my god is it funny)

the summary for this one is just

It's a lovely day at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, and you are a horrible psychic. Or: Constance Causes Problems On Purpose, Somehow Defeats Supervillain In Process

[binnudacademy]

you know how Reynie misheard Kate when she was explaining the Ten Men to him and thought they were called Tin Men? I think everyone should have just committed to the bit and collectively decided to call them Tin Men. It's subtle enough that you can't really tell unless you listen really closely, and then once you think you heard something off you've got to listen at least three more times just to be sure, and- yup, alright, Milligan's definitely calling us Tin Men. But then they can't unhear it. It's only ONE letter off and it haunts them, every single time, over and over again, and applied with enough pressure and persistence eventually all of the Ten Tin Men will simply disintegrate on the spot, leaving both the Whisperer and Mr. Curtain vulnerable to attack. in this essay I will-

[binnudacademy]

i have genuinely one of the weirdest skills to be able to brag about