Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Think Willy Wonka in a library -- the equivalent of candy gluttony for book lovers. Very whimsical, super creative lighthearted read. Great antidote to all the "world in flames" books the kids are reading these days. 12 7th graders get the privilege of being the first attendees in the brand-new, state-of-the-art library built by eccentric Mr. Lemoncello in Alexandriaville (wink!), OH. Their escape is part of an elaborate game in which they need to use their smarts and teamwork to win their way out. Delightful! Lots of fun details and the slow revelation of clues has the reader playing along. A real riddle is included for the reader to solve (I didn't manange on the first read, but will leave that up to the eager reader book club kids.)

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library was such a fun read! I've always liked mysteries and puzzles, and this is full of both, plus there are tons of allusions to other books and authors, from The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler to Sherlock Holmes.

The main character, Kyle, is the youngest of three brothers, and he loves playing games, especially Mr. Lemoncello's games. When he finds out that Mr. Lemoncello has designed the new library in town, and twelve twelve-year-olds will get to enter it early, he desperately wants to be one of them, and, against the odds, he is. The lock-in turns out to be a contest, a la Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Kyle quickly teams up with his friend Akimi.

Kyle demonstrates a really show more interesting set of qualities: he loves games and is competitive, but he's also fair to the other players, and he's generous with his family, friends, and teammates. Charles Chiltington provides a foil for Kyle: he's got all the competitiveness but none of the sense of fair play, and he's arrogant besides. Naturally, Kyle's team prevails, but the tight time frame and the puzzles make for a page-turner.

Comp titles: The Westing Game, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Mysterious Benedict Society, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (adult)

Quotes

"You're a genius!" said Akimi.
"No. My brother Curtis is the genius. I just like to play games." (120)

"It's possible that Mr. Lemoncello left a couple different paths to the same solution." (169)

We're following separate paths to the same goal, Haley thought. And somewhere, those two paths are going to collide. (175)

"What good is a prize if everyone wins it?" (Charles, 231) show less

It’s been a dozen years since the old library in Alexandriaville, Ohio was torn down. But Luigi Lemoncello, the world’s most famous game maker, has designed a new library for the town and it’s finally ready to open. Kyle Keeley, a seventh grader who spends most of the time in the shadow of his two athletic older brothers, is not too big on reading and report-writing, but he’s good at games. Really, really good.
And at the moment he has his heart sent on spending the night tucked away in that brand new library as one of the dozen twelve-year-olds chosen for this honor. After all, there’s likely to be free food and movies and prizes. And games. Luigi Lemoncello games.

Kyle’s first problem is to get chosen for the lock-in; show more chances are his one-sentence essay on why he’s excited about the new public library just might fail to impress the judges. And not impressing the judges will definitely torpedo his chance of being selected for the lock-in.
But what no one knows is that for the lucky students chosen for the exclusive lock-in event, getting into the new library is going to be a whole lot easier than getting out.

The inventive plot may owe a nod of thanks to Roald Dahl, “Night at the Museum,“ and “Floors,” but the references to a wide variety of books that middle grade readers will instantly recognize puts this delightful tale in a class of its own. Adults should not be fooled into dismissing the book as one meant only for young readers; they are likely to find themselves enchanted as the non-stop action pulls them right into the story.

Highly recommended. show less

The book’s dust jacket describes it as a cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the film A Night in the Museum; however, I found it more of equal parts Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The View from Saturday, and Key to the Treasure: children with different abilities banding together to win a contest of puzzles and growing into true friendship.

After 12 years without any library at all, Alexandriaville, Ohio (nod to the famed Library of Alexandria) gets a state-of-the-art new library courtesy of Luigi Lemoncello, an immigrant boy turned billionaire, the most famous and creative producer of games of every type: board games, card games, videogames, and puzzles. He credits his success to the Alexandriaville library and its show more empathetic librarian, Mrs. Gail Tobin, who took the young Luigi under her wing and went above and beyond for him, even improving his English.

Twelve-year-old Kyle Keeley isn’t much of a reader. (That would be his older brother Curtis or his best friend Akimi Hughes.) But he’s a fanatic for all types of games, most of them by Mr. Lemoncello. He lucks into being one of the 12 fortunate children who get to spend the night at the new library. And he can’t resist the challenge of joining a contest in which he escapes from the new library in return for a fabulous prize. To tell any more would be to ruin this wonderful book, but I can say that savored every page, loved the puzzles and appreciated the message that cooperation and empathy beat selfishness and deceit every time. Highly, highly recommended to kids and kids at heart.

Last but not least, while Kyle isn’t initially an avid reader and, therefore, unfamiliar with many of the titles mentioned, we bibliophiles will thrill at the mention of so many wonderful books, written for children and adults. show less

You often see references to this book as a combination of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Night at the Museum, which is an apt description. An eccentric, Willy Wonka-type man builds a new library in Alexandriaville, Ohio, and as a special treat before the grand opening, offers a select few children to spend the night in the library and be the first ones to see all the wonderful surprises he's packed into this incredible building: new board games, video games, hover boards, holograms, and statues that come to life. What they don't know is there is an extra challenge in store for them--finding their way back OUT of the library.

I read this to my 9yo daughter. We both loved it. Along with pictogram puzzles, rebuses, and riddles to show more solve, there are a lot of references to books thrown in throughout, and we had a lot of fun picking them out and beating each other to the punch to name the book the phrases came from. There is also a surprise at the end which makes you want to re-read the book from the beginning. show less

Game-lover Kyle Keeley is desperate to win a spot in the overnight sleepover at the new, state-of-the-art local library. The library was designed by his hero, Mr. Lemoncello, who created pretty much every board game and video game Kyle loves. When the overnighter turns into a lock-in (literally), Kyle and his fellow 12-year-olds have to figure out how to escape.

My 10-year-old daughter convinced me to read this book, and by convinced I mean pushed, cajoled, and pestered me until I got to it. She loved it and was sure I would too. She was right! It’s a quick, mostly simple read, and once the lock-in part started up, it was the most just pure fun I’ve ever had reading a book.

Once morning comes, the kids have to find clues and solve show more puzzles in order to try to escape and win the big prize. The story is basically Willy Wonka meets escape rooms, which is right up my alley. But even better, it’s an escape room played in the entire 3-story (plus the basement) library! I was seriously jealous. Mr. Lemoncello is a really entertaining character, and the kids have distinct personalities, for the most part. I will say that the knowledge base for some of these kids was pretty unrealistic, but it didn’t really bother me. It was just too fun!

I think something else that is important, since the book is written for kids, is that my daughter is a huge fan. She’s read the first 4 books in the series and was ridiculously excited to find out that a 5th one came out a few months ago. I’ll really enjoy continuing this series and being able to talk to her about the books as I go. I think this is a great book for kids around 8-12, and for parents too, especially those who like games. show less

I adored this book. Basically, Lemoncello has invented some of the best games-- print and computer-- in this world. Now, he's donated the money to create a new library with all kinds of exciting bells and whistles in his hometown, which destroyed their public library 10 years ago in favor of a car park. To celebrate its opening, he sponsors a Willy Wonka-esque lockin for 12 twelve-year-olds the night before the opening... but there turns out to be a game-esque twist.

Fans of libraries, books, and games of all kinds will find their interests touched on here. The amazing gaming room. The 'world's most famous librarian.' The interactive exhibits, holograms, and displays. Everything, including a generous donor and endowment, that a young show more adult librarian could want. And a devotion to gaming, and to the culture of playing games, including good sportsmanship. This is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with several rather cunning twists, a good reading list, and a lot of clues.

Yum. show less