“This is how Kyle Keeley got grounded for a week.”

From Chris Grabenstein’s Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library.

While his older brothers are stronger, smarter, and faster than him at almost everything, twelve-year-old Kyle can still beat them at board games.  In fact, Kyle loves games so much that one of his idols is the famous game maker Mr. Lemoncello.  After being overly ambitious in  a game, Kyle is grounded with nothing to look forward to except the opening of the new public library, and trying to find a way into the exclusive lock-in preview.  Kyle is thrilled when he is chosen as the twelfth winner along with his friends Akimi and Miguel, the entitled Charles, classmates Sierra, Haley, and Andrew, and several other classmates.  When the night of the lock-in finally arrives, Kyle is excited to meet the new library’s head librarian, Dr. Zinchenko, and begin the night of fun.  When the kids first enter, Dr. Zinchenko tells them the rules, gives them a map of the library, and plays real life adaptations of Mr. Limoncello’s games with them.  However, when the kids wake up the next morning, Mr. Lemoncello informs them that escaping his library is a game, and the first one to escape will win a huge prize.  After a few kids drop out and get eliminated, Kyle decides to partner with Akimi, Sierra, and Miguel, while the rude and mean Charles joins forces with Andrew and Hayley.  While Kyle’s love of games and all things Mr. Lemoncello are a big help, he quickly finds that Akimi’s math skills, Miguel’s knowledge of the Dewey Decimal system, and Sierra’s knowledge of all kinds of books are all necessary parts of escaping the library.

Grabenstein’s story is fast-paced and captivating, especially for fans of literature and libraries.  The mystery that unfolds on every page easily draws in readers of all ages.  Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is an easy read that will have readers desperately waiting for the next Lemoncello story.