First off are Patrick Carman and Chris Grabenstein secretly the same person? Are they twins?Their books felt so similar and not just because they were very poorly done Willy Wonka knockoffs. Both Floors and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library have shallow cardboard characters that spout out terribly unrealistic dialogue. Their plots are boring and consist of very little story beyond having a setting filled with over the top technology. They both strive to be witty and whimsical, and both fail,

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU EVERYONE WHO LIKED THIS I FEEL LIKE DONALD SUTHERLAND IN INVASION OF TEH BODY SNATCHERS YOU ARE ALL PODS. It gets one star because it has the word LIBRARY in the title. I like libraries.But Chris Grabenstein does not. At least, he doesn't like libraries qua libraries. His version of an ideal library is like being floo-powdered into World of Warcraft then spiked with Disneyland and dosed with Ritalin. The book talks the talk about the awesomeness of libraries but then shows...

Update: Just received the Summer Reading List for Rising 5th Graders to give the students a "head-start" on their Passport to Reading Program. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library was one of the six books listed. I know that the other students will enjoy this as much as Boy did! This book was read and reviewed by The Boy, a 4th grader."It was really exciting.....like a roller-coaster. I wanted to read the whole book at once, all the way through. I did not want it to end!"My thoughts? Well done,

this is the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for book- and puzzle-nerds. or, as one character says, "It'll be like The Hunger Games but with lots of food and no bows or arrows."it takes place in alexandriaville, ohio (not a real place, but a real cutesy reference, one of many peppering this book), whose town library was demolished 12 years ago. a wealthy eccentric gentleman who made his fortune creating a series of very popular games and puzzles decides to rebuild the library and engineers an e...

Star Rating: —> 4 StarsI was feeling the need for a simple, fun, library based MG read, and I got what I came for & more! Loved this!

I cannot understand all the 4 star reviews and the NY Times best seller status of this book. Then again, most of what I find on the children's best seller list lately is mediocre junk!This is yet another rip-off of Roald Dahl's immortal Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, complete with an eccentric inventor and a contest, only this time with a superduper library instead of a factory.Here there is one "bad" kid, plus a few others who have their faults, and while they don't meet heinous fates, they...

A fun, entertaining read. Unfortunately, some people might decide not to bother with reading this book since it seems too reminiscent of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." But before you make any hasty decisions, I'm glad to inform you Chris Grabenstein readily addresses the similarities and in quite an amusing manner. There were multiple references to books scattered throughout, which I found quite delightful. How could you not enjoy a book that's meant to teach children the wonderful joys an...

You know, I think Grabenstein missed an opportunity to have a great book instead of just a good one. The puzzles and mysteries were fantastically well-placed and a lot of fun to try to solve alongside Kyle and his friends, and I liked the positive teamwork message the book had to send. As a librarian, I absolutely adored the positive library portrayal, the fact that it was a place that was fun and exciting and the clever way the Dewey Decimal system was used in the book. But to an extent, it see...

this book was a fun, easy story to read. everything was really detailed and intricate and the riddles were complex and difficult. there was always something going on that helped progress the plot.

This is a messy, loud book crammed full of one-note characters, dizzying book references, and an illogical plot. There is no nuance, no suspense, and no character growth. This is the story of a puzzle, not the story of the people solving it - much to the book's detriment. The Westing Game would be a better choice; in fact, it's entirely possible that book was name-dropped in this one. There were so many awkward book references shoehorned into the story that I honestly couldn't keep track.And I'm...

What a wonderful, imaginative, and creative story! This book totally reminded me why I still love to read children's books! After several years without a city library, a new wonderous library has been built by an ecentric, quirky billionaire...Mr. Lemoncello. Kyle and his school friends are familiar with Mr. Lemoncello as his company has made many of their favorite boardgames, including Mr. Lemoncello's Indoor Outdoor Scavenger Hunt. At school, they write essays for a contest -- the winners get

EXCERPT: So Kyle had gone down to the basement and dug up one of his all-time favorites: Mr Lemoncello's Indoor Outdoor Scavenger Hunt. It had been a huge hit for Mr Lemoncello, the master game maker. Kyle and his brothers had played it so much when they were younger, Mrs Keeley wrote to Mr Lemoncello's company for a refresher pack of clue cards. The new cards listed all kinds of different bizarre stuff you needed to find, like 'an adults droopy underpants', 'one dirty dish' and 'a rotten banana...

Lately I have been on an easy reading kick. I think I get this way every late winter. That being said, my kids had this book from the library for a reread and told me it is a great book and I should read it. I give this 4.5 stars because it is a great kids book, but to paraphrase my daughter, nothing is as good as Harry Potter. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library is a fun book for middle grade kids. The town of Alexandriaville, Ohio has not had a public library in 12 years, and millionaire toy

Grade rating: 67% DA super huge library is any book lover's dream! But this or comes with a catch...I didn't really like this one.The author was annoying, first of all. He was trying to make his characters seem like the kids of today. When Charles said "I'll Twitter it", my spine shuddered is disgust. Also, the author kept making references to books. New books, not just the classics. I don't think references to recent literature should never happen, but I feel it's out of place. That got annoyin...

A very fun book, especially for bookworms. I loved hearing about the library, and the games and puzzles were very clever. I really loved that there were lists of the books mentioned at the back!

A fun book for adults and children. The only problem was the puzzles in the game were impossible to solve along with the kids. That was kind of a bummer. Still I throughly enjoyed it. It was a less creepy Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Whenever I see a book about a library, I tend to order it for the collection at my library. This was one of the best things to come from this whim! Perfect for both the reluctant reader and avid bibliophile, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library had me hooked even as an adult.Twelve 12-year-olds are selected for an overnight experience at their new public library. Little do they know, this is actually a set-up for the time of their lives. When the overnight is over, they find themselves locked-in...

Mr. Lemoncello has the coolest library on the face of the planet! Sigh. Too bad it isn't a real place. Kyle and his friends win a chance to be the first to experience the new library and play some fun games. Mr. Lemoncello is, after all, a game creating genius. But the overnighter takes an unexpected turn when the door won't open in the morning and a new game is introduced. The game requires those who participate to find an alternative exit to the library, but they only have 24 hours to do it. K...

This gets 5 stars because I couldn't put it down and wanted to cancel plans with friends just to finish it. Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library is the modern day Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, just without creepy oompa loompa's and it takes place in an awesome library. Twelve kids are selected to stay overnight in a library, but little do they know they are being entered into a game to see who can find a way out! Winner gets prizes galore.Like I said, I really loved this one because I was s...

Rating: 3.75* of five, rounded up because DAMN!Want to know something? I read this book *after* its sequel! Want to know something else? I hate reading Young Readers books! And guess what? No, you guess, c'mon! C'mon, please? Oh okay: I did NOT hate reading this book OR its sequel!I know, right?Chris Grabenstein writes for middle-graders like a middle-grader would, and I mean that as a compliment. He gets right into the mindset of a young person in a way that I don't see a lot of adult writers d...