ESCAPE FROM MR. LEMONCELLO'S LIBRARY Author: Chris Grabenstein Publisher: Random House Pages: 304
Publication Date: June 25, 20...moreSTARRED Review from Kirkus:
ESCAPE FROM MR. LEMONCELLO'S LIBRARY Author: Chris Grabenstein Publisher: Random House Pages: 304
Publication Date: June 25, 2013
When a lock-in becomes a reality game, 12-year-old Kyle Keeley and his friends use library resources to find their way out of Alexandriaville’s new public library. The author of numerous mysteries for children and adults turns his hand to a puzzle adventure with great success. Starting with the premise that billionaire game-maker Luigi Lemoncello has donated a fortune to building a library in a town that went without for 12 years, Grabenstein cleverly uses the tools of board and video games—hints and tricks and escape hatches—to enhance this intricate and suspenseful story. Twelve 12-year-old winners of an essay contest get to be the first to see the new facility and, as a bonus, to play his new escape game. Lemoncello’s gratitude to the library of his childhood extends to providing a helpful holographic image of his 1968 librarian, but his modern version also includes changing video screens, touch-screen computers in the reading desks and an Electronic Learning Center as well as floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stretching up three stories. Although the characters, from gamer Kyle to schemer Charles Chiltington are lightly developed, the benefits of pooling strengths to work together are clear. Full of puzzles to think about, puns to groan at and references to children’s book titles, this solid, tightly plotted read is a winner for readers and game-players alike. (Mystery. 9-13) (less)
"'Sunny, funderful' Sea Haven, New Jersey, is having a great season, thanks in large part to Fun House, a reality TV...moreHere's what some critics wrote...
"'Sunny, funderful' Sea Haven, New Jersey, is having a great season, thanks in large part to Fun House, a reality TV show that borrows the worst parts of Jersey Shore and Survivor. Police officers John Ceepak and Danny Boyle have become accidental TV stars by arresting a drunken Paulie "The Thing" Braciole, a self-identified "Guido" from Staten Island whose signature move is twitching his massive, steroid- enhanced pecs. But then Paulie is murdered. Ceepak and Boyle quickly target Paulie's steroid supplier for the crime, but soon the chaos produced by a drug-dealing motorcycle gang, traditional organized crime types, the producers of Fun House, and an Ohio police force recruiting Ceepak roil the already choppy law-enforcement waters. Grabenstein's newest Sea Haven novel enriches the formula of summer, Springsteen lyrics, deep-fried junk food, and alcohol-fueled antics with a knowing, cynical, insider's take on reality TV. He also continues to make his tales harder-edged and his heroes more world-weary. Fun House is still a beach read, but it's an even better beach read than previous installments." —Booklist
"The cast and crew of a reality TV show, Fun House, invade Sea Haven, N.J., in Anthony Award-winner Grabenstein's amusing seventh mystery featuring straight-arrow cop and Iraqi War vet John Ceepak (after 2010's Rolling Thunder). The reality show soon spills into another kind of realism: murder. First, someone shoots TV star and cultural icon Paulie Braciole (aka "The Thing") through the head, then Thomas Hess (aka Skeletor), while away from his drug-dealing, Nazi-type motorcycle gang "brothers," likewise becomes a single-gunshot victim. As a third target is announced, Fun House ratings soar. The show must go on, and it's up to banged-up-Toyota-driving Ceepak and his wiseacre sidekick, Danny Boyle, who provides a hipper, Springsteen-quoting alternative to his senior partner's Charlie Chan-like persona, to put everything together..." —Publishers Weekly
"How low can reality TV go? Think murder.
After beat cops are unable to keep a lid on a perpetually volatile situation, macho New Jersey police detective John Ceepak and his partner, cheeky narrator Danny Boyle, draw the short straw and are assigned to monitor the personnel involved in the hit reality television show Fun House (think Big Brother crossed with Jersey Shore, with a dash of American Chopper), currently filming at the resort town of Sea Haven. The carnival of dysfunction is overseen by slick, sleazy producer Marty Mandrake. Unfortunately, both clueless Mayor Sinclair and Chief Baines think the detectives' involvement is a great way to minimize danger while bringing helpful publicity to Sea Haven. Set at the "Coin Castle," Fun House features a predictably twisted collection of hard-partying troublemakers like Paulie "The Thing," Soozy K and Paulie's nemesis, steroid-addicted Vinnie, known as Skeletor because of his muscle-and-bone physique. As it happens, Skeletor is a wanted fugitive, part of a biker gang sought by New Jersey police for two years. Ceepak's plans to arrest him cause all kinds of trouble with higher-ups. The issue gets a new dimension when Paulie turns up brutally murdered and Skeletor is tagged as the prime suspect. Predictably, Mandrake wants the production to keep rolling. He has the mayor's ear, which means a tumultuous investigation and more killings before the case is solved.
Ceepak and Boyle's seventh caper (Rolling Thunder, 2010, etc.) moves like lightning as it puts its cartoonish cast through their paces." -- Kirkus
"Chris Grabenstein's Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers is a fun romp. It's funny and filled with great cha...moreFrom mystery critic Lesa Holstine
"Chris Grabenstein's Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers is a fun romp. It's funny and filled with great characters. The villains are truly nasty and a little stupid. The group of heroes are appealing characters. Chris Grabenstein has been one of favorite authors since I read his first John Ceepak mystery. He continues to win my loyalty with every book. Now, he's added one of my favorite sub-genres to his repertoire, the comic crime caper. Share this book with a kid you love. But, do yourself a favor. If you enjoy a comic adventure, read it for yourself." —Lesa Holstine, librarian and blogger(less)
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