about the book
Kyle Keeley is not a book-type kid. He’s more the class clown and popular kid, but when the new library opens up, he wants to be the first kid there. One guy donated the whole library! The rich dude is the notoriously creative Luigi Lemoncello, who made his billions by inventing fabulous games. An ardent fan of all types of games, Kyle thinks Luigi is awesome!
Alexandriaville has been without a library for more than a decade, but Luigi’s plans for his old favorite childhood haunt are far more than the town council ever considered. This library is filled with all sorts of marvels and, so far, it has all been top secret. For the grand opening, Luigi is hosting an overnight lock-in!
Kyle is one of twelve seventh graders picked for the food and games. But after the night of fun, the heavy doors remain locked! To get out, the children have to divide into teams and figure out the puzzles left for them by Mr. Lemoncello.
There is a dome lined with high-def video screens that stream Dewey numbers; there are also holographic statues, hovercraft elevators that shoot up 50 feet in the air, a space shuttle simulator, a flock of six animated goslings, a life-like white Bengal tiger in the zoology section, and Fuigi’s childhood librarian—who appears magically to offer clues.
It is a marvel of technological delights, but solving some of these Extreme Challenges will take a lot smarts and some very quick thinking.
Contending with his arch-nemesis, the bully Charles Chilington, Kyle figures out the key to winning is perseverance and teamwork. It is a race against the clock, and the stakes are high. The winner will become spokesperson for Mr. Lemoncello’s Imagination Factory!
about the author
Chris Grabenstein was born in Buffalo, New York, and moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, when he was ten. He was the middle child of five boys and grew up playing board games. It was Chris’s only chance to beat his older, more athletic, brothers fair and square.
Terrible at sports, Chris figured out that he could “be cool” by being a good writer. He loved making his classmates laugh at his stories, and his eighth grade teacher predicted he would make his living as a writer some day. She must have been clairvoyant!
Encouraged by that teacher, Chris set out to learn all he could about writing. He wrote a lot of plays and stories while in college and then bought a one-way ticket to New York City. He arrived with little cash, seven suitcases, and the Smith-Corona typewriter he got as a high school graduation gift.
For five years Chris worked odd jobs while performing improv in Greenwich Village and on the college tour circuit. He then worked in advertising for twenty years. He got his big break writing for The Muppets and then turned to writing adult mysteries and screenplays. He also co-wrote novels for younger readers with famed author James Patterson.
Now the author of more than 20 books, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is his love letter to the libraries and librarians he never got to know as a child.
Chris lives in New York City with his wife J.J., his dog Fred (who appeared on Broadway), and his three writing-assistant cats: Parker (who head butts Chris’s computer-mouse hand), Tiger Lilly (who traipses across the keyboard), and Phoebe Squeak (who purrs when she approves of Chris’s prose).
Sources:
Author website
Author page : Goodreads
Interview with Jack and Jill magazine - July 13, 2013
Also by Chris Grabenstein:
Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics (Mr. Lemoncello, Book 2). Random House Books for Young Readers. January 2016.
The Island of Dr. Libris. Random House Books for Young Readers. 2015.
I Even Funnier : A Middle School Story (I Funny, Book 2) with James Patterson. Little, Brown and Company. 2013.
Daniel X : Armageddon (Daniel X, Book 5) with James Patterson. Little, Brown and Company. 2012.
I Funny : A Middle School Story (I Funny, Book 1) with James Patterson. Little, Brown and Company. 2012.
The Black Heart Crypt (Haunted Places Mystery, Book 4). Random House Books for Young Readers. 2011.
The Smoky Corridor (Haunted Places Mystery, Book 3). Random House Books for Young Readers. 2010.
The Hanging Hill (Haunted Places Mystery, Book 2). Random House Books for Young Readers. 2009.
The Crossroads (Haunted Places Mystery, Book 1). Random House. 2008.
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