A New York Times Bestseller
Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library.
Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route. And the stakes are very high.
In this cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and A Night in the Museum, Agatha Award winner Chris Grabenstein uses rib-tickling humor to create the perfect tale for his quirky characters. Old fans and new readers will become enthralled with the crafty twists and turns of this ultimate library experience.
"Pick up Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library for your kids to discover the coolest library in the world." —James Patterson, #1 New York Times bestselling author
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Publishers Weekly
Librarians and English teachers will happily recommend this adventurous romp from Grabenstein (the Riley Mack books), which pays playful homage to books and libraries while engaging readers in a fast-paced competition involving research and reasoning skills. Twelve seventh-graders win a chance to spend an overnight lock-in previewing their town’s new public library—it’s a marvel of technological delights conceived by Luigi Lemoncello, the Willy Wonkalike founder of Mr. Lemoncello’s Imagination Factory, which is a source for every kind of game imaginable. During the lock-in the winners, who include game-lover Kyle Keeley and a group of multicultural classmates with a mix of aptitudes and interests, are offered a further challenge: “Find your way out of the library using only what’s in the library.” The winner will become spokesperson for the Imag-ination Factory. Book lovers will relish the lavish sprinkling of book titles and references while puzzle fans will enjoy figuring out the clues. A lighthearted parody of reality survival shows, the book reinvigorates the debate over the Dewey Decimal system and traditional library skills while celebrating teamwork, perseverance, and clever wits. Ages 9–12. Agent: Eric Myers, the Spieler Agency. (June)
From the Publisher
A New York Times BestsellerStarred Review, Booklist, June 1, 2013:
“An ode to libraries and literature that is a worthy successor to the original madman puzzle-master himself, Willy Wonka.”
Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2013:
"Full of puzzles to think about, puns to groan at and references to children’s book titles, this solid, tightly plotted read is a winner for readers and game-players alike."
"Pick up Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library for your kids to discover the coolest library in the world." —James Patterson, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library...is fantastic. It is one of the best books I've read, ever, and that is saying something because I am a librarian. The game, gaining understanding of the Dewey Decimal System, all the name dropping, or should I say, title dropping of so many other great books that will encourage the kids to read more, and more and more . . . it all works. I will recommend it to children and adults alike. It is that good." —Julie Forbus, Madison Public Library
Children's Literature - Lisa Colozza Cocca
Puzzle oriented readers will race to their libraries after reading this book. If they are lucky, those libraries will offer as much mind tickling adventure as the library the wealthy and eccentric Mr. Lemoncello built. This famous gamemaker has devoted five years and many millions of dollars to building his hometown a new library. Twelve lucky students are chosen to receive the first library cards. The recipients will spend opening night at a lock-in at the library. The winning students are reminiscent of the golden ticket holders in Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Among them are Kyle and his best friends Akimi and Miguel. The lock-in is a living version of one of Mr. Lemoncello's puzzling games. As the students unravel the clues, the game brings out the best and worst in the children. Don't expect this book to spend much time on the shelf. After bringing the mystery to a satisfying conclusion, the author leaves a note to readers. There is another puzzle from the story that has not been solved in the summation. The author challenges readers to find which puzzle it is and to solve it. This is sure to send many readers back for a second reading. Reviewer: Lisa Colozza Cocca
School Library Journal
Gr 4–7—Bibliophiles unite! Melvil Dewey is alive and well and residing within Mr. Lemoncello's new library. Billionaire game-maker Luigi Lemoncello wants to pay homage to his childhood library by constructing a technological marvel in his hometown that went without a library for 12 years. He invites a dozen 12-year-olds to a lock-in at the new building, and when they arrive they find the eccentric game-maker has offered them a further challenge-if they can find their way out using only what's in the library-they will become the new spokesperson for Mr. Lemoncello's company. Kyle Keeley teams up with other students as unlikely alliances form, some children's true (not so nice) personalities emerge, and suspense builds while the kids enlist the aid of Mr. Lemoncello's childhood librarian, an Electronic Learning center, and book clues and references galore. The story feels like a cross between a reality show, an online game, and a tightly woven mystery. Dewey Decimal clues will hook librarians and teachers, while book lovers will delight at myriad references from Mr. Lemoncello, such as, "And now, I must return to my side of the mountain… I have great expectations for you all!" Book and game lovers alike will delve into this delicious tale and put on their thinking caps.—Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA
Kirkus Reviews
When a lock-in becomes a reality game, 12-year-old Kyle Keeley and his friends use library resources to find their way out of Alexandriaville's new public library. The author of numerous mysteries for children and adults turns his hand to a puzzle adventure with great success. Starting with the premise that billionaire game-maker Luigi Lemoncello has donated a fortune to building a library in a town that went without for 12 years, Grabenstein cleverly uses the tools of board and video games--hints and tricks and escape hatches--to enhance this intricate and suspenseful story. Twelve 12-year-old winners of an essay contest get to be the first to see the new facility and, as a bonus, to play his new escape game. Lemoncello's gratitude to the library of his childhood extends to providing a helpful holographic image of his 1968 librarian, but his modern version also includes changing video screens, touch-screen computers in the reading desks and an Electronic Learning Center as well as floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stretching up three stories. Although the characters, from gamer Kyle to schemer Charles Chiltington, are lightly developed, the benefits of pooling strengths to work together are clear. Full of puzzles to think about, puns to groan at and references to children's book titles, this solid, tightly plotted read is a winner for readers and game-players alike. (Mystery. 9-13)
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