#Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's library

[theboyatthebustop]

Would you believe me if I said all of these graphic novel adaptations (except for the whatever after one) came out in 2022?

[mollyhats]

If you liked The Mysterious Benedict Society, try...

Book rec post!

If you liked The Mysterious Benedict Society for...

...found family of kid spies, try

City Spies by James Ponti

Brooklyn, a hacker, is recruited into a family of orphans who handle missions for MI6 under the protective eye of the eccentric "Mother," an agent who started accidentally collecting orphans while searching for his own lost children. If you love TMBS for a bunch of kids (and peculiar adults) forming a tight-knit family against a background of espionage, this book is perfect for you!

...the world of Stonetown and it's slightly off-kilter worldbuilding, try

The Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Milo lives in a smuggler's hotel with his parents, but he expects a quiet family Christmas--until guests start piling in, each with their own secrets and hidden agendas. Milo and his new friend Meddy decide to investigate, using a TTRPG as their guide. The connection to TMBS is harder to pin down here, but there's a definite vibe. They feel like they could take place in the same world.

...the puzzles, riddles, and games, try

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

Before the grand opening of a new library, Kyle and several of his classmates are invited to a lock-in---but little do they know, they're in for a wild night of escape room puzzles that will require all of their gifts to solve. If you love the riddles and tricks of TMBS, as well as the ways the Society uses their different strengths to get through all kinds of puzzles, this is a great choice.

...a lonely kid passing strange trials to enter a new world and family, try

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Morrigan was cursed to die on her 12th birthday, but instead she's swept away to a magical world and offered a chance to participate in a series of trials to join the prestigious Wundrous Society and be safe from the curse. But there's so much she doesn't know, and the things she learns about this strange new world might pale in comparison to what she learns about herself. The trials she faces feel very similar to Mr. Benedict's, and there's plenty else to continue the comparison once we get past them (in either book): quirky mentors, lonely orphans, world-shaking plots, a strange school.

[yourfaveisanavatar]

Mr Lemoncello from Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library is jurgen leitner

mr lemoncello from escape from mr lemoncello’s library is jurgen leitner!

(jurgen leitner art by @jesterjamble )

[fictional-library-tournament]

Prelims round 1, poll 13

Propaganda

Great Library of Zosma, Strange the Dreamer by Lainie Taylor:

None

Library of Alexandria, The Atlas series:

This is a freaking half-sentient all knowing wise library that got bullied by one half-insane drunk and depressed empath into giving him the information it was specifically supposed to withhold

What a pathetic mess of a Library

Cemetery of Forgotten Books, Cemetery of Forgotten Books series by Carlos Ruiz Zafón:

None

The Scholomance Library, A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik:

The library inside the Scholomance is so cool. It’s open to a void above, and is the safest place inside the entire school. The sections are mostly in the same place every time. But the shelves can stretch out and fill up with more books

Alexandriaville Public Library, Mr Lemoncello's Library series by Chris Grabenstein:

A Wonka-esque (minus the deadly traps) library renovated by a genius game designer. The middle grade book series involves kids who must solve reading related puzzles that are hidden throughout the library, including in their personalized library cards. All stacks have special hover machines to find the perfect book and a holographic librarian to help out.

[gaeapplehairline]

i was gonna make a funny quip but this line speaks for itself. This is derogatory.

[historyhermann]

From the pancreas to the game maker: 2024 wrap-up and looking forward to 2025

[image, showing popular posts] Hey everyone! This is my last post of 2023. I’d like to talk about what I’ve accomplished this year on this blog and look forward to the coming year. [1] I have continued to write about library classification, librarians of color, library stereotypes, library users, LGBTQ librarians, and much more, even more than I did in 2021 and 2022, and 2023. [talk more about…

[graphicpolicy]

Chris Grabenstein’s Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library is now a graphic novel!

Chris Grabenstein’s Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library is now a graphic novel! #comics #comicbooks #graphicnovel

[intothestacks]

So, the escape room I made for the Grade 4s & 5s works like this (1/2):

Firstly, I made it cooperative instead of competitive, in honour of the book I’ve read for the past 2 years to the Grade 4s (Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein), which is kind of like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but set in a library with an escape-the-room game that turns out to be cooperative.

The story for the game is that, one day during library time, the lights go out, and when they come back on, the grownups are gone and they’re locked in the library. The landline doesn’t work, and neither does the computer, so they can’t call for help. But an unknown voice speaks from the intercom telling them that they must figure out who’s behind this if they want the grownups to return and the library to unlock.

There are 4 teams, each of which must follow clues that culminate in a clue that must be used with the final clues of the other teams to solve the final riddle, which is the name of who’s behind the library lock-in (the final clues are the letters L-O-K-I).

Each team has envelopes with a different symbol on it which in itself are technically clues to who’s behind what’s going on: 

a green sugar skull (to represent Loki’s daughter Hella, goddess of death)

a green snake eating its own tail (to represent Loki’s Monstrous Child Jörmungandr)

a blue wolf (to represent Loki’s Monstrous Child Fenrir the Great Wolf)

a brown symbol of an eight-legged horse (representing Loki’s horse-child Sleipnir).

Each envelope also has a number so they know the order to open the envelopes in.

The clues are all Viking-themed and lead them to different areas of the library. The first clue for each theme is centered around an object (a Mjollnir necklace, a pop-up card of a Viking ship, my cellphone, and a box that looks like a fake book).

Every team has one activity where they have to decipher something and the other clues are more like a scavenger hunt style. 

For example, the clue leading to the religion section requires them to put magnets that I printed pics of gems on them in the correct order in order to place the corresponding coloured letter magnets to spell out RELIGION.

The order of the gems is based on a list I provide them of the Nine Worlds of Norse mythology, with each world name shaded as the corresponding colour of a gem.

Two of the other interactive clues are rebuses, and the final interactive clue is the word “languages” written in Norse Runes (I provide them with a list of the Norse alphabet).

[baambastic]

Books:

Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing

Lost and Found

The Whipping Boy

Frindle

No Talking

The Report Card

Cam Jansen

The Hardy Boys

Magic Treehouse

Warriors

Wonder

Nancy Drew

Encyclopedia Brown

Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism

The Only Girl in School

The Secret Keepers

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

The Land of Stories

Serafina and the Black Cloak

The Candymakers

The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase

Pi in the Sky

The Unwanteds

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

Fablehaven

Wings of Fire

Beyonders

Every Soul a Star

Crying Havoc

The Candy Shop War

Spirit Animals

Shadow Magic

Walk Two Moons

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Wonderstruck

Movies:

Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone

Mr. Peabody and Sherman

Astro Boy

How to Train Your Dragon

Kung Fu Panda

Justice League: The New Frontier

Turbo

Rango

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Mulan

Tarzan

Santa Paws

The Polar Express

Dolphin's Tail

Air Buddies

TV:

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Justice League: Unlimited

LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu

Pokémon

Mighty Med

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Spectacular Spider-Man

Spider-Man Unlimited

Avengers: Assemble

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Fairly Odd Parents

Rugrats

Scooby-Doo: Where Are You?

Transformers: Prime

The Magic Schoolbus

X-Men: Evolution

Wolverine and the X-Men

Iron Man: Armored Adventures

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

Johnny Test

Phineas and Ferb

Danny Phantom

Dinosaur Train

Backyardigans

Word World

Power Rangers

The Land Before Time

Godzilla: The Series

Wordgirl

Gadget Boy and Heather

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3/5

Book Blurb:

Only Murders in the Building meets Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library in this action-packed novel about a girl pulled into a mysterious treasure hunt at her new boarding school.

Ever since her mom passed away, twelve-year-old Megumi “Meg” Mizuno has been spiraling. After too many low grades and cut classes, she’s been expelled from school—apparently, everyone else has moved past her grief and expects the same from her. Her dad secures her a spot at the prestigious Leland Chase Academy, a boarding school in the middle-of-nowhere New York, called the Last Chance Academy by its student body. If Meg can’t make it work there, she’ll be forced to live with her horrible aunt.

At first, Leland Chase seems like an average, if very strict, boarding school, though Meg tentatively warms up to her roommate and some of their classmates. Then, one night, a mysterious envelope appears under her door, inviting Meg and her roommate to participate in a scavenger hunt. The only rules: don’t get caught by faculty or staff and no cheating. The grand prize? A luxury stay at a fancy resort in California. And after learning her dad has plans to sell their family home—with all its memories of Mom—Meg knows she has to win the competition and use the trip to convince Dad to stay.

Thanks to her mom, who taught her how to solve ciphers, Meg has a knack for puzzles she uses to get ahead in the hunt. But she quickly learns that her classmates seem to have their own sets of skills keeping them in the competition. And as they get deeper in the game, Meg and her fellow competitors realize the anonymous creator has their own agenda…and LCA isn’t quite what it seems.

Review:

A girl finds herself on a mysterious treasure hunt at her new boarding school as she solves clues and makes new friends. Megumi "Meg" Mizuno has been spiraling ever since her mother's death, and after the final straw, her father sends her to a fancy boarding school in the middle-of-nowhere New York as a last resort. Megumi is now a student of Leland Chase Academy, and if she can't make it work she'll be forced to live with her terrible aunt. Megumi is determined to turn it around and to make the best of it.... but then finds herself drawn into a treasure hunt when a mysterious envelope appears at her door. Megumi is invited to play the game with her fellow students and the winner gets to stay at a fancy resort in California and the only rule is: don't get caught. Megumi knows she shouldn't play or risk getting in trouble... but she loves solving puzzles, especially since her mother taught her.... and what's one more mystery? I think middle grade readers will have fun with this, while some of the puzzles and clues are easy, it's a fun read overall. Its the first book in a series and I appreciate that the main character is a POC character. Overall I would recommend it for middlegrade readers who love a bit of a puzzle.

Release Date: March 11, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Aladdin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[doggonebookshop]

Why You Should Start a Book Series to Bring in the New Year

Happy New Year Dog Gone friends! We have survived another year (that's cause for celebration enough) and have a a great year to look forward to. I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to choose the book, which is going to start off my new year, cautiously. For some reason I believe it sets the tone for the year to come. It's a an odd superstition of mine. This year I picked a book that had main characters whose traits I would love to embodying in my own life, and it's in my favorite genre-cozy mystery if you're wondering. But, what I love most for the new year is thrusting myself into a new series. Here is why...

As you know most of us bibliophiles get very attached to our characters. It's as if they become friends or family. When I start a series at the top of the year, I know the characters and I, least for a time, can hang out for a decent portion of the year. Plus I get the added bonus also getting to be frequent visitor to their world.

The bookshop has many first in series. Some will be new to you, and others warrant another visit if it's been a while. What ever you choose, start the year with a book series, you will not regret it.

Here Some First In Series to Consider:

A Shifting of Stars

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Caraval

Ash Princess

Chasing Vermeer

Gokushufudo: The Way of House Husband 1

The Book of Dust

The Girl From Everywhere

Reckless

You can go to the Bookstore tab to learn more about each of these series starters!!

[winningthesweepstakes]

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: the Graphic Novel by Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Douglas Holgate

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: the Graphic Novel by Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Douglas Holgate. Random House Graphic, 2023. 9780593484852  Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5 Format: Hardcover graphic novel Genre:  Fantasy, adventure, mystery What did you like about the book? This is the graphic novel version of the hit chapter book of the same title and it’s…

[comicbuzzofficial]

ComicBuzz Chats With Chris Grabenstein

[lotuslandcomics]

Just in Time for the 10-Year Anniversary of The Novel’s Original Release, The Full-Color Graphic Novel Adaptation Features Action-Packed Art by Douglas Holgate, The Bestselling Illustrator of 'The Last Kids on Earth!'

[kidlitdad]

Book Review: Mr. Lemoncello's Very First Game

And also my very first post on tumblr. This is the 6th (and final?—I hope not) book in Chris Grabenstein's Mr. Lemoncello's Library series, but this one is a prequel. It's the origin story of how a young Luigi Lemoncello gained his moxie and began his journey to becoming the gazillionaire mirthmaker readers got to know over the first 5 books in the series.

In this book, we meet Luigi and his huge family. Luigi is the 6th child in a family of 10 siblings. With so many people around, he escapes to find peace at the local public library and later on at a summer carnival where he meets Professor Marvelmous, a showy carnival barker who becomes somewhat of a mentor to young Luigi.

Luigi's talent for creating games and solving puzzles had already been honed by the time we meet him in this book, but the wacky Wonka-esque personality isn't there yet. He's shy and somewhat reserved. He takes risks, but his pluckiness is easily snuffed out by bullies from rich families—the ringleader being Chadwick Chiltington of the infamous Chiltington family readers of this series have already come to know and loathe.

Through the encouragement of his parents, the mentorship of Professor Marvelmous, and the friendship of his close friends—the three musketeers plus Maggie, Professor Marvelmous's niece—Luigi begins to overcome his obstacles and starts to tackle life with a whimsical unfailing attitude and begins his path to success.

4/5 stars

Read-alikes:

Book Scavenger — Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory — Roald Dahl

The Gollywhopper Games — Jody Feldman

The Mysterious Benedict Society — Trenton Lee Stewart

The Puzzling World of Winston Breen — Eric Berlin

[beautifulfaaces]

Cameron Andres

Facts

Canadian actor

Filmography

Maxwell [Big Top Academy: School's Out Edition: 2020]

Maxwell [Big Top Academy: 2018-2019]

Lil Luigi [Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library: 2017]

Troy [Diagnose Me: 2015]

Appearance

brunette

brown eyes

Roleplay

playable: child, teenager