Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
By: Emma Tong
At our age, I have found that books we’ve read in our first years of middle school seem to fade away from our conscience. Maybe it’s due to peer pressure, but people tend to forget their favorite books really fast in favor of more complex, more mature novels. And it’s such a shame, because a lot of these books are really good. For example, the Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series is, for all its childishness, extremely captivating and a great read for anyone of any age.
Chris Grabstein sets his fifth novel in the heart of billionaire and board-game tycoon Luigi L. Lemoncello’s new-age library. Winners of an essay contest are invited to try their hand at escaping the, to borrow a word from Charles Chiltington’s college mentor, athenaeum. As the twelve twelve-year-olds race through lifelike holograms, rooms that contain more books than our university will ever hold, and technology we can only dream of, you just might find yourself cheering for one or two of the competitors.
The book itself is full of puzzles and trivia questions that I myself spent a few minutes on. The level of imagination Grabstein puts into this series is extremely impressive. Aside from the stereotypical characters and somewhat predictable ending, I have enjoyed reading this book time and time again and would recommend this book to anyone looking for a “blast to the past.”
Hi Emma. I really enjoyed reading the "Mr. Lemoncello's Library" series when I was younger! I thought the library itself and the puzzles were very interesting which made me read book after book in the series. In fact, at the time, it got me into the concept of an Escape Room, which encouraged me to do them myself, both in-person and online. I never thought of how stereotypical the characters were until thinking back after you mentioned so. Thanks for the "blast to the past!"
ReplyDeleteHi Emma, I really enjoy your blog! Although I've never read "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library," it seems interesting! Great blog!!
ReplyDeleteHey Emma! I totally agree with you on the fact that some of the books we read while in middle school or late elementary school can be pretty good! It is sad to see them fade away as we get older. I have not read "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library," you did a great job at give a description about it. Maybe I'll check it out just to feel the nostalgia of reading similar books to what I read in middle school! Good blog!
ReplyDeleteHey Emma! I feel you 100% how what we found exciting and interesting as kids doesn't always grow with us. I first read this book in 4th grade and as I got older and more versions came out I was expecting to get that same interest I originally had but that wasn't always the case. Thanks for such a relatable blog!
ReplyDeleteI loved this book so much, I absolutely devoured it when I initially read it in grade school. I don't feel that it's faded much from my consciousness ---would it make sense to say that it's been in the foreground of my mind? As opposed to the back of it? It was honestly so interesting, I was hooked. While I knew there was a series, I didn't actually try to seek it out. Maybe I will, thanks for righting about it!
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