Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library facts for kids
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| Author | Chris Grabenstein |
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| Original title | Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library |
| Cover artist | David Kyle |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Mr. Lemoncello's Library |
| Subject | Mystery |
| Genre | Children's |
| Publisher | Random House |
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Publication date
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June 25, 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 for Middle Grade novels for 111 weeks between 2013 and 2016, peaking at #8 in hardback and #2 in paperback.
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."
Contents
Plot
Twelve-year-old Kyle Keeley is obsessed with the board games of Mr. Luigi L. Lemoncello, the world's most renowned game maker. Big news hits his town when Mr. Lemoncello transforms Alexandriaville, Ohio's old bank into a state-of-the-ding dongs, technologically advanced library, (the last library burned down12 years ago) and he's holding an essay contest where twelve, 12-year-old students from the middle school can spend one night in a lock-in before the library's opening. Although Kyle misses the essay deadline, he rewrites his essay to email it to Mr. Lemoncello despite a reply that the sending had been unsuccessful. But Kyle still ends up winning and his 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 the library's different sections.
Awards
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 Reviews praised the book as a "solid, tightly plotted read" full of puzzles and puns. Publishers Weekly called it "that perfect book that isn’t girly or boyish, but is just a good book for any middle-grade reader." 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.
The novel was also the 2013 winner of the Agatha Award for Best Children's/Young Adult Novel. This was the fourth time that Grabenstein won this award, the first for his novel The Crossroads.
It has also won several Children's Choice State Book Awards:
Arizona, Grand Canyon Reader Award; Delaware, Blue Hen Book Award; Florida, Sunshine State Young Readers Award; Indiana, Young Hoosier Book Award, Intermediate; Kansas, William Allen White Children's Book Award; Maine, Student Book Award; Maryland, Black-Eyed Susan Book Award; Minnesota, Maud Hart Lovelace Award; Mississippi, Magnolia Award; Missouri, Mark Twain Readers Award; Nebraska, The Golden Sower Award; New Hampshire, Great Stone Face Book Award; New Jersey, Garden State Book Award; North Dakota, Flicker Tale Children's Book Award; Ohio, Buckeye Children's and Teen Book Award; Oregon, Reader's Choice Award; Pacific Northwest Library Association, Young Reader's Choice Award; Rhode Island, Rhode Island Children's Book Award; Tennessee, Volunteer State Book Award; Vermont, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award; Virginia, Virginia Reader's Choice Award;
In 2016, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library was awarded the Mark Twain Readers Award by the Missouri Association of School Librarians.
Sequels
A sequel titled Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics was released on January 6, 2016. There is also a third book, Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race, which was released in October 2017. The fourth book is entitled Mr. Lemoncello's All-Star Breakout Game, which was released in May 2019. The fifth sequel, Mr. Lemoncello and the Titanium Ticket, was released on August 25, 2020.
Characters
Kyle Keeley - a huge fan of Mr. Lemoncello and Lemoncello Games who doesn't read a lot of books, but learns to keep a must-read list. (Captain of Team Kyle.)
Charles Chiltington - a horrible and jerky dummy who'll do anything to win, even if it means sabotaging the rules or his fellow middle-schoolers. (Captain of Team Charles.)
Akimi Hughes - Kyle's girlfirend who's one of the dozens of people that are super excited about the new secretive library. (Team Kyle.)
Miguel Fernandez - the intelligent and enthusiastic president of a book club at school and another one of Kyle's friends. (Solo, then Team Kyle.)
Andrew Peckleman - Miguel's friend-turned-enemy and an easily tempered book-lover who knows his way around the Dewey Decimal System. (Solo, then Team Charles.)
Haley Daley - a sometimes snobby spokesmodel, but is soft deep down in her heart and is competing in the competition to aid her financially struggling family. (Solo, then Team Charles, then Team Kyle.)
Sierra Russell - a quiet and shy bookworm whose parents are divorced, but learns to loosen up during the competition. (Team Kyle.)
Mr. Luigi L. Lemoncello - the eccentric and humorous creator of Lemoncello Games and the Lemoncello Library dropping scripted clues throughout the escape game. (Creator)
Dr. Yanina Zinchenko - the world-famous head librarian of the Lemoncello Library who is the only one that knows the way out of the library.
Mrs. Gail Tobin - Mr. Lemoncello's former librarian and the new holographic assistant of the library. (Deceased)
Clarence & Clement - the heads of security at the Lemoncello Library and twins.
Curtis Keeley - Kyle's older brother and a mastermind.
Mike Keeley - Kyle's oldest brother and a sports expert.
Mr. & Mrs. Keeley - Kyle's witty parents.
Bridgette Wadge - A headfirst competitor of the escape game who wants to get a "jump start on things". (Solo.)
Yasmeen Smith-Snyder - another eager competitor who misinterprets the rules. (Solo.)
James F. "Uncle Jimmy" Willoughby III - the Librarian of Congress and Charles' busy uncle.
Mrs. Dana Cameron - a middle school teacher.
Mrs. Yunghans - the middle school librarian.
Rose Vermette - a soccer player and an early viewer of the library.
Kayla Corson - another early viewer of the library who doesn't interact much and is very shy.
Sean Keegan - a viewer of the library who thinks the competition is lame, boring and supposedly dumb.
Uncle Woody - Andrew's fake uncle who owns the Blue Jay Extended Stay motel, otherwise known as the Olympia Village.
Adaptation
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library was optioned by Nickelodeon as a movie, and filming was done in Vancouver BC, Canada.
The film was directed by Scott McAboy Produced by Amy Sydorick and stars Casey Simpson as Kyle Keeley, Breanna Yde as Akimi, Klarke Pipkin as Sierra, A.J. Louis Rivera Jr. as Andrew Peckleman, Ty Nicolas Consiglio as Charles Chiltington, Russell Roberts as Mr. Lemoncello, Kari Wahlgren as the voice of Charlotte from Charlotte's Web, and Dana Snyder as the voice of the Troll from Three Billy Goats Gruff.
The movie was released on October 9, 2017.
