Extra Book 2: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library



The puzzle book was another category I doubled up on.
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein fulfilled the category “Book revolving around a puzzle or game” in the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. I read the book for the challenge not realizing I had already fulfilled the category with The Lying Game. I went with Ruth Ware’s book instead of this one because it was a kid’s book.
I have a great affinity for children’s stories. Some of the greatest stories ever written were intended for children. But I didn’t want to bog the blog down with too many choices in the children’s lit category. The blog is for adults and how many adults still read kid’s books? I know you’re out there but not the majority.
The story was perfect, an escape room in a novel. My family has become obsessed with escape rooms. I’ve always loved a good puzzle. Many of the computer games I enjoy are puzzle-oriented. And this book hit all my favorite things.
The tale begins with three brothers competing to finish a scavenger hunt their father has set on them. The youngest, Kyle Keeley, wins through stealth and cunning. We learn right from the beginning that perhaps he’s not the sharpest pencil in the case, but he has determination, smarts, and dedication on his side. These skills help him get into the contest and help him inside Mr. Lemoncello’s Library.
The challenge begins when the town’s library reopens with a contest for children to find a secret exit. Mr. Lemoncello is the creator of many fun board and sports games for children and he constructed the new library with the same ideas. Twelve children are invited to spend the night, to solve the clues, and find the secret exit. It’s like a murder-mystery game without a murder.
My daughter and I also watched the movie after we read the book together. What a disappointment. The book relies on logic, technology, and teamwork to solve the riddles and escape the library. The movie morphed the technology into magical elements and removed must of the fun of the book. Also, it was terribly written and acted. Cooperation by the children was the key to getting them through the puzzles. The movie pitted them against each other ala Hunger Games. No thanks.
A short fun read that comes up with some wonderful puzzles. If you liked The Da Vinci Code, you’ll like this book.
     I give Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Five library cards.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book 46 The Kiss Quotient

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang fulfilled the “Debut Book” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. Ms. Hoang's book debut to great acclaim in 2018. It is a steamy romance with a happy ending. The book is perfect. I’ve studied romance writing for about ten years. The natural arc of a romance has been tattooed on my brain by many workshops, professional books, and colleagues. If you read Romancing the Beats by Gwen Hayes, it sounds so easy, so formulaic. But trust me, a good romance has that arc well buried under layers of great story, interesting characters, and conflict. Ms. Hoang perfected the model on her first go. The story depicts a wealthy Asian woman with autism. She wants to find a soul mate or at least a date and settle down, fulfilling the expectations of her parents. Her intellectual mind says “hire an escort and practice” to get versed in sex and relationships. Thank goodness she finds the right guy on the first try. The Kiss Quotient
Read more

Book 49 Lost in Austen

Image
Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure by Emily Campbell Webster fulfilled the “ Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Book ” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. As a child of the 80s, I read Choose-Your-Own-Adventure stories voraciously. In fact, I can remember with the first five writing all the page numbers and rereading until I hit every page. I’m not obsessive. Why do you ask? When I saw the category, I was thrilled. Tons of the new versions have come out in the last thirty years. (Man, I ’m old.) I recently found The Oregon Trail Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books. There are two old obsessions rolled into one, right there. I joked that every ending but one had to be “Your party dies of dysentery.” But for this super serious blog, I wanted a grown-up novel. But not too adult that it wasn ’t super fun. Because I’m six. I was thrilled to see the huge list of books in this genre for adults. In fact, I found one very adult story the other day. Choose-Your
Read more

Book 36 The Life of Pi

Image
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel fulfilled the “Book Seen Read on TV or in a Movie” category of the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge. This novel was not originally on my List Challenge for the category. I decided to use it over Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court or Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time . Time is running out for the blog. I still have many novels to finish and some are very long. House of Leaves , I’m looking at you.  I opted to add a novel I’d already read in 2019. I’ve made three oops while doing this project. I read two for the category “A Book Written by Someone from Asia, Africa, or South America.” And I read two for the “Book Revolving around a Puzzle or Game” category. And I read The Life of Pi . I don’t know where I felt it fit, but the story works here.  My research shows novel was on Gilmore Girls . Checking a couple lists, I found it was at least mentioned. Footage of Rory or someone else actually reading the novel c
Read more