When I was a kid, going to the library was the best treat I could imagine (except Disneyland, of course). Yes, I was a nerd. How could you tell?
Imagine if I could have visited the one in this book: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
I was one of six children and our family didn’t have a lot of money, but we could go to the library and take home as many books as we could carry. The library was magical, and I have fond memories of libraries from Alaska to Germany and back again. My first internship was in a military library. My first work study job was in an elementary library. In college, I worked in the UNLV library, the Law Library of Las Vegas, and a small medical library. It hardly needs to be said – I love libraries.
You’d think a book about a state-of-the-art library with holographic displays, animatronic figures, and interactive desks would amuse and delight me. You’d be right!
I want this library in my town. Heck, I want to live in this library. It’s half library and half Disneyland, and 100% incredible.
The story is good, too, by the way, but I’m just so enraptured by the library, everything else was gravy.
To be fair, it’s good gravy. The kids are likable and believable, and the puzzles were engaging. It’s a charming book and will resonate with book lovers and library fanatics, for sure. I’m not as sure about the appeal to reluctant readers, but there is a lot of action, so I’m sure they’ll be fine. It’s just that, if you’re a reader, there is a lot here to love – from literary references and puzzles to the library itself. Now I have to figure out how to get a library like this one built near me.
5 Where-Is-This-Library Stars
