Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
Author Chris Grabenstein
Country United States
Language English
Genre Children's
Publisher Random House
Publication date
 25 June 2013
Media type Print (Hardback)
Pages 288
ISBN 037587089X

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library is a children's novel by author Chris Grabenstein. It was on the New York Times bestseller list throughout 2013 and 2014 for Middle Grade novels, peaking at #8 in hardback and #3 in paperback.[1][2]

Plot

12-year-old Kyle Keeley is obsessed with the board games of mr. Lemoncello, the world's most renowned game maker. He finds out that there is a new public library in town. He and all the other 12-year-old's have never experienced a public library in their town. When it turns out that Mr. Lemoncello is behind the town's new state-of-the-art public library, Kyle is thrilled to be chosen as part of a group of kids participating in a lock in for the grand opening even though the essay he entered consisted of one sentence. But Kyle's knowledge of games and his friends' knowledge of books and libraries are put to the test when they have to play the biggest game yet; having to escape from the library using only their wits and the clues scattered around.

Grabenstein has stated that the book contains a secret puzzle that readers can decode. To solve it, he offers some advice given by Mr. Lemoncello in the book: "Forget the Industrial Revolution, my first idea might be your best solution."[3]

Reception

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library was a New York Times bestseller for Children's Middle Grade and received positive reviews. Giving it a starred review, Kirkus praised the book as a "solid, tightly plotted read" full of puzzles and puns.[4] Publishers Weekly called it "that perfect book that isn’t girly or boyish, but is just a good book for any middle-grade reader."[5] Reviewers (including author James Patterson, a frequent collaborator of Grabenstein's) also compared the book favorably to Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.[6][7]

The novel was also the 2013 winner of the Agatha Award for Best Children's/Young Adult Novel.[8] This was the fourth time that Grabenstein won this award, the first for his novel The Crossroads.

Sequels

Though not a direct sequel to Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Grabenstein's 2015 book The Island of Dr. Libris (about a boy who discovers an island where characters in books come alive) is considered a companion novel.[3] Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics , a sequel to the original, was released on January 6, 2016.

Adaptations

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library has been optioned by Nickelodeon as a television movie, and filming has begun in Vancouver BC, Canada.[9][10]

External links

References

  1. ↑ "Children's Middle Grade". The New York Times. 11 August 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "Children's Middle Grade". The New York Times. 27 July 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 Dowling, Brendan (14 August 2013). "A Thank You Note to Librarians: A Conversation with Chris Grabenstein". Public Libraries Online. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library". Kirkus. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Grossenbacher, Emily (7 May 2015). "Galley Talk: 'Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library'". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Recommendations from the mind of James Patterson". The Washington Post. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Westmoore, Jean (28 July 2013). "Summer Reading for Young People: Adventures at 'Lemoncello's Library,' Buckingham Palace and more". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "The Agatha Awards". Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "In Production". www.creativebc.com. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
  10. ↑ "'Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library' Optioned by Nickelodeon (Exclusive)". The Wrap. 19 February 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
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