Hello everyone! I have just recently finished this book, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabstein, and I’m super excited to talk about it!
It’s a very different book from others I’ve read, so I can’t wait to share my thoughts! I also have some opinions on the movie adaption, but I’ll most likely do that in another episode. Without further ado, let’s get onto the review!
The Book Review Podcast
Review
This book is a more interactive book, telling the story of our main character, Kyle Keely. He’s more of a video/board game kind of guy. We follow as he accidentally breaks a window!
Soon after, we get introduced to Akimi, the best friend. She’s kind of like Kyle, which makes sense! This doesn’t spoil much, but it describes the kind of character he is.
When she reminds Kyle of the extra credit essay, you would assume this wouldn’t be a big deal, but what it’s for is a big deal. This essay may give you a chance to visit the new library that has been in construction for a while now.
Kyle rushes to do it, but it is not his best work. One sentence? Wow. He tries to fix it, but his teacher says rules are rules. After lots of trouble, Kyle finds out he did get accepted! In the library, with 12 other kids, they have to complete challenges, solve puzzles, work together or separate to find out how to get out of the library.
Author Praise
Chris Grabstein is an exciting author in the right way! His story is terrific, with twists and turns and puzzles along the way! The story is fun and gets you tied to the book, and it’s so good! Even with another mystery that you probably overlooked!
Basic Facts
- The book is 304 pages long
- There are 56 chapters in the book
- I don’t believe this book has revived any awards, but I could be wrong
- The author is Chris Grabstein
- The publishing brand is Random House Book
What’s My Rating?
If I had to rate this book, it’s a five from me. It’s a fun book with you at the edge of your seat! It engages you in the story, and you’re super hooked from beginning to end!
The novel mentions other writings you may have heard of, a series of unfortunate events, Charlie and the chocolate factory, and more! The author also lets you solve the clues the characters have to answer!
Overall, great book! For some who like mysteries and stories, much like this one, this is the book for them! Your rooting for specific people, which I won’t mention at the moment.
Would I Recommend It?
Would I recommend the book? Of course! It’s a great one, and I know many people would adore this book. I’m not sure about the other books in the Lemoncello series, but I can assume they would be fun to read as well.
The story is so so so fun, and you enjoy it so much that you slide through it. You try to solve the problems, so this makes it more than a book, with a puzzle as well! Everything I said in the last segment is accurate and applies to this.
Highlights Segment
Spoilers ahead!
- The characters’ personally. Charles, the annoying bratty, but helpful in front of adults kind of kid, to Sierra, the smart and quiet girl. It kind of reminds you of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but with a twist. These characters have to put their differences aside and figure how to get out of here, and it’s entertaining to see!
- When Charles gets eliminated, and Kyle is trying to find “the box.” It’s all so intense, and I couldn’t put the book down. It’s surprising that at the last second, Charles is eliminated, for reasons, I’ll let you find out.
- The puzzles are so fun to do. They make me think, what could this possibly mean? I would be sitting down, trying to figure out what the pictures meant and what I was supposed to do. So that was a plus for the book!
Character Thoughts
Finally, character thoughts! We have a lot. I can easily say that Charles was my least favorite character. It’s not that his development was terrible. It’s just his get! He’s cocky and thinks he gets whatever he wants! That was pretty easy. Andrew Pecklemen is Charles’ minion but soon realizes he’s not on the right team.
And that was a good choice. He’s also really smart! Haley Daley. Haley is the popular girl in the school. But besides being popular, she’s also really smart as well. So we get to see a side of her some others haven’t seen. Kyle and Akimi, pretty similar.
Both are smart enough and are great pals. My favorite character will be Sierra. She’s crazy smart, and she helps out the team! I can also relate to her in some ways. Miguel Fernandez is a more fun character to read about. While being a jokester, he can also get out of situations like these.
Finally, we have Mr. Limoncello himself. He’s very sneaky with how he does things, and he’s a trickster! He’s very… interesting. Kind of like his name!
Thank You For Listening!
I hope you enjoyed this week’s episode! It was fun to talk about Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library! Maybe in one episode, I’ll talk about the movie adaptation! Anyway, here’s our official Readability ending!