Chris Grabenstein’s Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is a contemporary middle grade mystery first published in 2013. Twelve middle schoolers in the fictional town of Alexandriaville, Ohio, are the first to experience famous game maker Luigi Lemoncello’s new library during an overnight visit, complete with games, competitions, and trivia contests. The next morning, Mr. Lemoncello surprises them with a new game: the first to escape the library wins a valuable prize. The book won an Agatha Award for Best Children’s/YA Mystery in 2014, and it was named a Children’s Literature Assembly of NCTE Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts in the same year. This guide follows the 2013 Random House Children’s Books first edition.

Plot Summary

Twelve-year-old Kyle Keeley loves games of all kinds, especially the board games and video games created by beloved game maker, Mr. Luigi Lemoncello. As the story opens, Kyle plays an indoor-outdoor scavenger hunt game designed by Mr. Lemoncello. Kyle narrowly beats his two older brothers in the game but breaks a window doing so. Kyle is grounded for a week—including no games. Kyle’s friend Akimi Hughes asks him the next morning on the bus if he completed his optional essay for a school contest; the winners will be the first to visit the new, grand library in Kyle’s town of Alexandriaville, Ohio. Not that interested in books, Kyle did not write the essay. When he realizes the new library will offer games and computers, though, he dashes off a very brief attempt.

At school, Kyle discovers that Mr. Lemoncello designed and funded the new library, and that he plans to judge the essay contest. Mr. Lemoncello credits much of his success to the help of Alexandriaville’s old public library in his childhood. Regretful that he missed out on a great opportunity, Kyle tries to hand in a much stronger essay late, but his teacher refuses to accept it. Undeterred, Kyle finds an email address for Mr. Lemoncello and sends the essay directly to him.

Mr. Lemoncello arrives at Kyle’s school to announce the essay contest winners. Dr. Yanina Zinchenko, world-famous librarian, explains that the 12 12-year-old winners will experience the grand new library in an overnight visit. She tells the assembled schoolchildren that the winners should bring their toothbrushes plus a change of clothes. She cryptically suggests bringing two pairs of underwear. Then Mr. Lemoncello walks onto the stage and announces the winners. Kyle’s friends Akimi and Miguel Fernandez are among them, along with Sierra Russell, who’s always reading quietly since her parents’ divorce; Andrew Peckleman, a boy who works in the school library; Haley Daley, a popular and goal-driven girl; and Charles Chiltington, who got help from a tutor on his essay. Kyle’s name is called last, and he is thrilled.

That Friday night, the children enter the library. They play a trivia game with the prize of sleeping in the library’s opulent bedroom suite, which Charles Chiltington wins, and they compete to find dessert for the prize of early entry to the Electronic Learning Center. Kyle and Akimi pair up to win that. Other activities that night include watching an IMAX movie and seeing animatronic presidents debate.

The next morning, Mr. Lemoncello announces a new game: the first to escape the library within 24 hours will win the chance to appear in Lemoncello game commercials and earn money as the company spokesperson. Three children choose not to stay, and another is eliminated early, leaving eight players. Kyle and Akimi join forces; soon Sierra is part of their team as well. Kyle attempts escape via the high windows above the Reading Room, but they are blocked. Meanwhile, Charles focuses on the fake book covers labeled “Staff Picks” in the library entryway and soon begins to find rebus clues in the hard copies of those titles. Kyle guesses that the different books pictured on the backs of their new library cards are a clue; his team pursues those. Soon Miguel joins Kyle’s team, and Charles bullies Haley and Andrew Charles into joining forces with him. The two teams race to find the way out.

By late that night, despite Charles’s insistence that he will win easily, as his family never loses at anything, he is concerned that Kyle’s team is doing well. Charles convinces Andrew to steal Sierra’s library card to gain access to the private meeting room where Team Kyle’s collected clues and hints are displayed. Andrew is caught in the morning and ejected from the game. Haley decides to change sides. After several more games of physical skill and mental cleverness, Charles attempts to strongarm the last clue from Kyle in a physical confrontation. Charles is caught and removed from the game. Kyle and his friends decipher the last of the clues and escape the library just in time, thanks to teamwork, creative thinking, and a few lucky chances.