We kicked off the Mysterious Summer Society this week. Not with a perfect plan. Not with a printed schedule taped to the fridge. If you missed it, check out the first post to learn more about the challenge!

Just with a book, a challenge, and a walk.

We started reading Chapters 1–3 of The Mysterious Benedict Society. I love trying out different voices — but when new characters show up, it’s a scramble to match the voice to their personality.

Sticky and Mr. Benedict? Crushed it.
Number Two and Rhonda? Struggled. But I think it’s good for the boys to see me working through something with obvious imperfection. They even give feedback — which is mostly helpful.

The themes this week: observation, uniqueness, and perception.

🕵️‍♂️ Spy Notebook Challenge:
Each of us tracked something curious every day — odd signs, weird behavior, funny moments. A few gems:

• Cooper saw a squirrel staring down a dog

• Hunter noticed a house with six bird feeders

• Jackson said, “There’s a guy who walks backward past our house every morning.” (Still unconfirmed.)

Our two daily swim team drives have become the perfect time for challenge conversations. I’ve found that sprinkling these in throughout the week works better than doing it all in one swoop.

💬 “What makes Reynie different?”
Cooper: “He notices things other people don’t.”
Hunter: “He thinks before he talks.”
Jackson: “He’s the smartest kid without trying to be the coolest.”

💬 “Why does paying attention matter?”
Hunter: “Because then you don’t miss the clues.”
Jackson: “Because most people aren’t.”

🚶‍♂️ Silent Sensory Walk
Drew sat this one out — I love him, but silence is not in his playbook.

The rest of us walked the neighborhood in silence for five minutes. It was amazing what we noticed:

• I heard four distinct bird calls I’ve never paid attention to before

• Hunter tracked the pitch of car engines

• Jackson spotted more cats than we knew lived here

• Cooper… said the sidewalk smelled like toast (???)

We debriefed during dinner outside — same sounds, same space, but now… noticed.

And somehow, the conversation shifted. They started naming what they were grateful for. Where we live. What we get to do. That we were all outside together.

That wasn’t in the plan.
But maybe that’s the point.

This isn’t about nailing a perfect challenge.
It’s about presence.
It’s about helping our kids notice what matters — in the story and in the world around them.

📥 Program Download → [CLICK HERE]
You’ll get:

• Chapter Questions with Episode

• Spy Notebook Challenge

• Kinesthetic Challenge

• Dinner questions

Jump in. No pressure. No prep packets. Just a chance to notice what matters — together.

My wife got there first.

She grew up devouring Harry Potter — losing herself in wizarding worlds and castle corridors, curled up with a book like it was a portal.
I… didn’t.

I was the kid reading baseball stats on the back of a Topps card or flipping through a Babe Ruth biography. Fiction? Wizards? Wands?
Not really my thing.

It wasn’t until later in life — after I finally started leaving my phone downstairs at night — that I discovered fiction could actually be fun.
Now it’s what I read in bed most nights. Not because I “should,” but because it’s the only thing that quiets my brain enough to fall asleep without doom-scrolling myself into a blue-light coma.

From the beginning, we tried to make reading feel like something more than homework.
Something fun. Shared. A little magical.

It became a nightly rhythm.
A family thing.
Something worth looking forward to.

We’ve read Harry Potter aloud as a family — my wife doing all the voices (until she didn’t). And after each book? We throw a full-on movie night:

🏆 Quidditch field cake
🟡 Donut holes turned into golden snitches
🪄 Chocolate frogs + butterbeer (non-alcoholic, don’t worry)
🤢 Hogwarts jelly beans we instantly regret

They’re the kind of nights the boys still talk about.

My contribution?

I brought in The Way of the Warrior Kid. I read it to them using my best Uncle Jake voice — part drill sergeant, part wise coach. And since there’s no movie (yet — December 2025, we’re ready), we became the movie:

Push-up and pull-up challenges.
Rucks with weighted backpacks.
Even a polar plunge into a just-thawed lake.

It wasn’t just about reading.
It was about living the story.

This Summer, We’re Taking It One Step Further

We’re reading The Mysterious Benedict Society — and turning it into a full-blown father/kid summer challenge.

Each weekly mission includes:

📖 A few themed chapters
🎬 A matching episode (on YouTube — thanks, Disney+)
🕵️ A spy-style activity — like a sensory walk or strength-spotting mission
💪 A mini physical challenge — from LEGO teamwork to obstacle courses
✍️ Reflection prompts for the dinner table or the minivan ride to baseball

This isn’t just about reading and watching TV.
The activities get you outside, moving, solving puzzles, and connecting in real life — which is especially nice when the weather’s good and attention spans are not.

Why I Built This

As a former teacher and dad of four boys, I built this to do more than just “keep their reading skills sharp.”

Every activity and prompt is designed to build comprehension, develop critical thinking, and stretch skills like inference, prediction, and reflection — without ever saying the words “comprehension strategy.”

But your kids won’t know that.
To them, it’ll feel like a summer spy mission they get to do with you.

You Don’t Need Much

No curriculum. No perfect plan. No craft bin.

Just 1–2 hours a week, a good story, and a little buy-in.

You don’t have to be a teacher, coach, or wizard.
Just a parent who wants to lead with presence — and maybe get one dinner without spilled milk.

🎁 The Missions are Ready!
Download the free PDF → CLICK HERE
You’ll get:

• An Introduction and weekly mission pages to follow

• Spy Notebook Challenge (aka curiosity training)

• Kinesthetic Challenge

• Dinner table/mini-van/bedtime prompts

What You Can Expect

Every week or so, I’ll post:

• Recaps of our wins (and fails)

• Quotes, photos, and lessons learned

• Tools and tweaks you can use with your own family

• Gentle reminders that presence > perfection

Let’s raise curious, courageous kids.
Let’s lead by example — even if your Uncle Jake voice still needs work.

Welcome to the Society.
—Jeremy

Subscribe to get the Mysterious Summer Society delivered straight to your inbox — chapters, challenges, spy games, and all weekly.
No pressure. Just presence, puzzles, and a little bit of chaos with your kid.