It turns out that he's 12 going on 23.
In the first book, we find Benjamin in a home for wayward boys - not because he is one, but because his parents died in a plane crash.
Apparently he has no next of kin.
Eventually he makes his way into the magical world of wish fulfillment. He never really goes back to Earth, and no one seems to notice.
In the second book called Wishful Thinking (which is all I could stand to read), his cousin Penelope decides to turn to the dark side, enters the wishing world, and wishes herself to be president of it all.
No one seems to miss her on Earth either.
Benjamin saves the day, of course, but only until the next book.
Besides the problems I've already noted that I have with these books, the writing itself often sounds like a child is holding the pen or sitting at the keyboard. Sorry, Jason, but it does.
Some book series for kids will always "bring you home" at the end and at the beginning of a new story. Not that they have to, but I think this one should have tried. In this case, as I said, Benjamin and Penelope basically leave the world, and no one notices!
Artemis Fowl aside, it's hard to believe that pre-teens are suddenly willing and able to do all the things that these kids do. Benjamin kills the bad guys with a boomerang (actually, a battlerang). He flies a small airplane-like vehicle. He escapes dozens of evil creatures who are about to surround him but are just...too...slow...I guess?
I could go on, but I'll spare you the silly details.
These books could have been so much better with a little more effort. The footnotes (which remind me of Douglas Adams' writing) are so much better than the story itself. They should have been included inline and expanded upon. The storyline would have been much improved.
The basic idea of this series is good. The execution failed. Find another magical book to read.
