Book Review: Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race

Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race

(Mr. Lemoncello's Library #3)

by Chris Grabenstein

Blurb: On your mark. Get set. Lemon, cello, go!

Everyone's favorite game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, is testing out his new Fabulous Fact-Finding Frenzy game! If Kyle can make it through the first round, he and the other luck finalists will race- by bicycle, bookmobile, and even Mr. Lemoncello's corporate banana jet!- to find fascinating facts about famous Americans and win spectacular prizes! But when a few surprising facts surface about Mr. Lemoncello, it might be Go To Jail and Lose A Turn all at once! Could Kyle's hero be a Fraud?!

It's Winner Take All, and Kyle and other kids will have to dig deep to find out the truth before the game is over for Mr. Lemoncello and his entire funtastic empire!

Cover Review: I love the bright, colorful covers these books have. They hint at the wonder and excitement contained within. While it may not give a clue to the exact plot, it does say you're going to have fun reading this book.

My Thoughts

Plot: Like the two previous books, the plot is engaging and keeps moving along through the whole book. It makes for fun and easy reading that you could do in a day. I enjoy the lightheartedness of these books, especially after reading some of today's teen books. The one thing I thought could have been better would be not revealing the villains so early in the plot. I'd rather the reader had discovered them later on as the characters did.

Characters: Kyle is still our protagonist, and he's still learning, which is nice. In this book, he learns that sometimes the quickest way isn't always the best way.

In this book we also get some new characters for Kyle to interact with. Most notably, Abia, a Muslim girl who is teamed up with Kyle. It gives both characters a chance to grow and teach them about each other.

World: While it takes place in our world, it adds a sense of whimsy to the story with Mr. Lemoncello's games and inventions. I wish they were all real. Hover ladders? Drone slippers? A living room with a trampoline floor? Who wouldn't want those?

Other: Also like the previous books, this one has an important message written in. This one is about false news and research, encouraging kids to do their own research and not believing everything on the internet. That's an important message in today's society. I really liked all the little themes that Grabenstein worked into this novel too. Like keep trying and not being discriminatory.

My Rating:

Let's talk! Have you read this book, or any of the other Mr. Lemoncello books? What's your favorite whimsical book? Tell me in the comments.