Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein

Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics

by Chris Grabenstein

adventure, mystery, puzzle-type book

age 9-12

grade 4-7

271 pages

c. 2016

                The sequel to Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is another entertaining, fast paced book filled with more puzzles, riddles and clues to solve. Students from around the U.S. wanted a chance to complete in a library quest so Mr. Lemoncello set up regional competitions that will end in a Library Olympics in his hometown. The winners of the first contest will be the defending champions. However, this time the competition will be much harder and the team is worried about their chances of winning again. There are also some people in town, led by Charlie, the rich boy who lost in the first game by cheating, who dislike the new library and want to take control over it. Finally Mr. Lemoncello has his own, private reason for conducting the Library Olympics. In this book, unlike the first, not everything is as it appears and not everyone is who they appear to be.

                There are many books, old and new, mentioned as well as some interesting library facts. I did not know that Shel Silverstein’s book The Light in the Attic was banned from a school in Wisconsin in 1985 because “the book encouraged children to break dishes so they would not have to dry them.” My favorite rebus puzzle was a quote from Neil Gaiman. “Google can bring you back one hundred thousand answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one." There are more logic puzzles in this book as well as games that involve knowledge of books, research skills and book cart relays. As in the first book this is an action packed, plot-driven story without deep character development. The joys of reading, using your imagination, thinking outside of the book, and real friendships are all celebrated in the book. In the end it is only those willing to sacrifice a lot to do what is right that are the true champions. Issues of banned books and freedom of speech are also addressed and at the end of the book there is a list of all the books mentioned in the story. The list consists of 76 titles.

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library

  by Chris Grabenstein

adventure, mystery, puzzle-type book

age 9-12

grade 4-7

291 pages 

c. 2013

              A fast paced fun read filled with all kinds of puzzles. I especially liked the rebus puzzles. Mr. Lemoncello is an eccentric, quirky billionaire with a great love of libraries. He also is an extraordinary gamer and has made his money in creating all sorts of games. The old library in his hometown was destroyed twelve years ago and he has created a new, state of the art library there. He has created a contest that will allow twelve children who are twelve years old to spend an overnight in the new library before it officially opens. Once there it is revealed to them that there is another contest for them to participate in. Using the resources of the library and their knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System they are to solve the clues and puzzles to find the hidden escape route that will let them exit the library which is now locked. The one who is able to exit first will win the grand prize and be featured in commercials advertising Mr. Lemoncello’s new games.

                The twelve students are a diverse bunch including gamers, overachievers, bookworms, library helpers, and a spoiled rich kid. At first they all work by themselves but quickly decide it is better to team up. During the process even the gamers discover the pleasure of reading a book. They also learn that loyalty, respect and teamwork produce better results than taking short cuts and cheating. The character development is not very deep but I think many will enjoy this as a fun read. A lot of book titles are mentioned along the way that might give some suggestions for other books to read.