Summary from
Goodreads:
Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if
not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and
particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and
creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the
building of the new town library.
Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library
for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning
comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every
clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route. And the stakes
are very high.
In this cross between Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory and A Night in the
Museum, Agatha Award winner Chris Grabenstein uses rib-tickling humor to
create the perfect tale for his quirky characters. Old fans and new readers
will become enthralled with the crafty twists and turns of this ultimate
library experience.
Review:
I feel like this book was written for me. Do you ever read
(or in this case listen) to a book and go, “does this author know me?” And
okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but this is the ultimate book for teachers and
Youth Services librarians. The children’s book references abound! The praise of
libraries, of learning, of researching, and of sharing is so astounding that I
can’t help but read this book and feel amazing for the job that I do.
I have had a lot of tough days in the last couple of months.
Books have always been a source of escape for me. This was more than that. It
was such a positive, understanding, and enjoyable book about the services
provided at a library, and all the magic knowledge can award people.
This is also a book for Ravenclaws. Seriously, the riddles,
word problems, trivia, and information in here is a Ravenclaw’s dream vacay.
Basically, all the characters win an overnight in the new town library (before
the public has access). Then, a famous game inventor turns figuring out how to
leave the library into a giant, scavenger hunt/escape game. Much research,
reading, game playing, clue solving, riddle answering and games ensue.
I also loved the characters. I love that Kyle is a good guy.
He shares his initial essay award with each member of his family. He’s open to
anyone joining his team. He goes to help people who need him, even when it
interrupts game time. He’s a truly good main character. I love his friends too.
I of course loved Sierra, the character who was always reading. And Akimi was
great too. I really did not want Andrew Peckleman to win.
What’s genius about this book is that it is designed for
book lovers, but it will also appeal to people who aren’t readers. It appeals
to the game show lovers, the reality show watchers, the Escape Room goers, and
the gamers out there. It is seriously a book that can appeal to a lot of
different people.
I loved the narrator as well. I listened to the audio, and I
was pleasantly surprised to hear my favorite Rick Riordan book reader.
Bernstein had the voices down! He clearly knew how to read kids voices and how
to build suspense. I’m really impressed by his reading of this. There were a
few times where I wished I had the physical book because I would have liked to
read the clues instead of hear about them –some of them involved pictures and
were rather visually orientated. But, I got the point.
I liked that all the kids playing were rather intelligent. I
mean what other kids would enter an extra credit essay contest to spend the
night in a new library? The game aspect to it all was not mentioned until way
past the essay-writing stage.
I also loved the library. I want a sky dome, animatronics in
the kids room, a bunny that says, “hush,” and “Goodnight room,” Dewey screens,
game rooms, etc. This was one amazing library. My jaw kept dropping each time
more of the library was revealed. The setting was pure magic, but also totally
and completely believable. I can see libraries going in this direction.
This book had it all: good setting, wonderful characters, a
game to end all games, tons of book references, a survival of the fittest type
competition, riddles and clues to solve, friendships, competitions, and so much
more. The one thing I thought was missing was YA references. The kids were sort
of in that age between kid and teen, but still. They were reading Sherlock
Holmes and adult nonfiction about banks, and referencing a million kids books a
minute. Where was the YA representation? But, all in all, I loved it. I give it
a 10/10.
