Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library Book Review

I am a re-reader of books I've fallen in love with.  I try to make it a yearly or every other year habit.  A few of the books I read each year are in this post.  I'm excited to announce that I found my next yearly read and it makes me feel like a nerdy school librarian.  It's Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein.  I want to live in Mr. Lemoncello's Library...and soon you'll find out why.

The main character is Kyle, a 12 year-old, who enjoys a variety of games.  He really admires local celebrity Mr. Lemoncello, the eccentric gamemaker.  Mr. Lemoncello has donated money for the local library to be rebuilt in what can only be described as a cross between a library, science center, and MIT.  Grabenstein's imagination for the concept of this library is brilliant--holographic librarian, rotating Dewey Decimal light displays on the ceiling, animatronic ducks in the children's area that will sing or quote children's books, an automated book sorter, and the list goes on.

Kyle and his friends, along with some of his other classmates find themselves in one huge game when they have won the opportunity to preview the library before the public.  They must escape out of the library, but not in the fashion they entered.  Game challenges range from pictographs to anagrams to room-sized board games. Readers will be able to play along with clues in the book.  In fact, you can find out LOTS more information from Grabenstein's website.



Image from chrisgrabenstein.com