Reid Comes Through Again!

Hey, everybody is the great land of summer! Our good friend Reid has sent us not just one but two of his first-class reviews! He always tells us about very cool books, so let's hear what he will tell us today:

The Mysterious Benedict Society and The PerilousJourney is a follow-up to the last and is even better! In it the special children go on a hair tingling adventure with the Ten Men on their trail. They catch taxis and go on boats to follow a path of clues Mr.Benedict has left for them. This book gets you even closer to the danger than ever before. It is a very interesting text that I hope you will read. And if you do read it you are guaranteed to like it. 

Mr Lemoncello's library is about a boy named Kyle that really wants to check out a book at the new library. The new game maker that is world-famous designed it! And, Kyle just found out about an invitation only lock-in.He is so excited that it is finally time for the lock-in. But when he gets there he realizes that he is going to have to get ready because what will happen next he will never forget. So read this book and you will never forget it either. So make sure you get it or else you will not have the adventure of a lifetime.

Thanks, Reid! I enjoyed that book (which is actually called Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library) and I would LOVE to work at that library! The Mysterious Benedict Society books sound great too.

So, guys, take a clue from Reid and check out these books. Still time left for lots of fun summer reading!

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library--a Fun Book

And what a fun book it was! And what a library it was! Holographic librarians, 10-foot tall images projected onto a Wonder Dome, anti-gravity boots that take you up to the top shelves of high bookcases--but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you about Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein.

In the little town of Alexandriaville, Ohio, the town's library was torn down twelve years ago but the
billionaire game designer Luigi Lemoncello has rebuilt it in the old bank building. As a grand opening, he will choose some kids to participate in a game--find a way out of the library within 24 hours after being locked in. (there's a good reason why he was so attached to that old library and decided to build the new one) But to get into the contest, each kid has to write an essay on why he or she should be chosen.
Kyle Keely, seventh grader, has played all of Mr. Lemoncello's board games and video games and would love to get into the grand opening game but forgot to write the essay. So, about 30 minutes before it's due, he scribbles down on one page. But guess what--he gets chosen! Along with his friends Akimi and Miguel, the cheerleader Haley Daley, the bookworm Sierra and spoiled rich kid Charles Chiltington. The whole town cheers as the kids go into the library for the game--and this is no ordinary library but a high-tech grand palace of a library, complete with marble floors, a cafe, holograms, a private suite with video games, and a basement where robotic arms retrieve books from the shelves. But getting out will be a lot tougher than they thought. Mr. Lemoncello is, to say the least, eccentric. They all have to decipher clues to get out and those clues lie in odd places all over that enormous library. And they are much more difficult to decode than expected. Can Kyle and friends even find them all? If they do, could they possibly understand those obscure references? And don't forget that bratty Charles Chiltington is planning to win and keep all the fabulous prizes for himself--and Chiltingtons never lose!

This was a very fun book. Chris Grabestein knows how to keep the action moving along. You also get a chance to figure out the clues along with the characters, which is always fun. (check out the puzzle in chapter 28)  I found myself really rooting for the characters, some of whom really need to win this contest. And there are references to other great books all over, as in chapter 36 when the kids ask Mr. Lemoncello the consequences of losing a round of a game and he says, "Something bad...In fact, something wicked will probably this way come." And you guys will just LOVE the eccentric and unpredictable Mr. Lemoncello, who will remind you a lot of Willy Wonka. How could you not like a guy who wears shoes that make burp-sqeeking noises! In short, this is a book guys would really enjoy. This guy did! Plus, there's a really cool interview with the author at the end of the book. So how could you lose? Check this one out, boys. And don't forget that it's the Community Read Book for this year.

So let me ask a couple of questions to start a community discussion:

Why is the town called "Alexandriaville"? (hint--it has to do with a library)

Remember Mr. Lemoncello's quote about "something wicked"? What book did it come from? And who was the author?

What would you rather have--a tour of Willy Wonka's candy factory or Mr. Lemoncello's library?

All, right, guys, can't wait to hear those answers!

The Community Reads a Very Cool Book

That's right, guys, the library system will hold a Community Read from September 27--October 17. That means we'll try to get as many people as possible to read the same book. This year we've got a really fun book for all of us reader guys--it's Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein.

So what's the purpose of a Community Read? The grownups say, in fancy grownup language, "A Community Read is designed to bring people together to talk about a single book and to establish a community of readers and learners." In other words, we want to get a whole lot of people in the Charlotte area to read a particular book, talk about it, have fun talking about it and even get into some interesting discussions. That's what I'd like to do with Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. I'll write a review soon (I'm about halfway through the book) and it would be great if a lot of boys sent me reviews on this book. I will also, later on, post some questions related to this book and you could answer them. That could make for some fun and lively discussions! Remember that the instructions for sending in reviews are on the left-hand side of this page.

By the way, if you haven't already noticed, the library has redesigned its website. It's very cool and a lot easier to use. If you go to the site, www.cmlibrary.org, click on the Services box, then click on the Children's Services box and scroll down, you'll see a section of eight resources for kids and adults. Included in that section is this blog! Pretty neat, huh? I owe a great debt of thanks to Jessica Davis and Katy Rust, two of the library's technical magicians, who worked long and hard to get it there. (and don't mind that this blog is located in the Children's section--the library didn't have room to create a MANLY MAN section to put our blog)