Mr. Lemoncello and the Titanium Ticket

Mr. Lemoncello's Library #5

by Chris Grabenstein

Welcome! For the first time, you are invited INSIDE Mr. Lemoncello's one-of-a-kind Gameworks Factory in book five of the fun-filled, action-packed bestselling series from the much-loved coauthor of the I Funny and Max Einstein series!

Now with a brand-new look packed with shelf and kid appeal!

Far away from his magical library, everyone's favorite game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, is building something new. Something SECRET. And he's about to let the world see it. He'll reveal that hidden deep within the Lemoncello-tastic new building is a single ticket. A titanium ticket.

Four lucky boys and girls are about to win the chance to go inside the building on a spectacular scavenger hunt that will take them through bigger-than-life live-action games—towering, skyscraper-size Jenga; dizzying real-life Chutes and Ladders; death-defying games of Rush Hour; plus ball pit moats and more! Each game will get the players closer to the titanium ticket. But the real secret? Mr. Lemoncello is thinking about his legacy, and whichever player finds the ticket will be the first to win a spot in an elite group of kids who will compete in the next books to win Mr. Lemoncello's ENTIRE EMPIRE!

* "A worthy successor to . . . Willy Wonka." —Booklist, starred review of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Mystery, Childrens, Audiobook, Adventure, Fantasy

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 2020

About the author

CHRIS GRABENSTEIN is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. His books include the LEMONCELLO, WONDERLAND, HAUNTED MYSTERY, DOG SQUAD, and SMARTEST KID IN THE UNIVERSE series, and many fun and funny page-turners co-authored with James Patterson. You can visit Chris at ChrisGrabenstein.com.

Reviews

[Dramapuppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my review of the 4th Lemoncello book, I complained that there weren't enough books. I wanted to revel in my love for the literary form, not waste my time reading about foolish video games!

Well, I'm a total hypocrite because this volume isn't about books either, but I loved it. Turns out, if you swap video games for board games, I'm totally willing to overlook the lack of library.

I'd argue that the difference between All-Star Breakout Game and Titanium Ticket isn't entirely Grabenstein happening to stumble back onto something that makes me feel more nostalgic. Life size board games are more fun and quirky than VR challenges that pale in comparison to books that actually take place in those settings.

I also liked the new characters. They were a great change of pace, and I found everyone just as likable as the characters from the earlier books. The new titanium ticket competition that seems as if it will span multiple books was a win for me as well. It provides an overarching plot without being a convoluted diversion from the actual competition (I'm thinking of the weird plagiarism storyline in book 3).

The last couple books in the series lagged for me, but this one is a total return to form. Rather than inventing ways to bring the main characters back for new and less fun adventures, Grabenstein has created a whole new cast for a whole new story that entertains me the way the first book did. Total Lemoncello success.

[Sharanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mr. Lemoncello books are just as amazing as ever!! I love how wacky Mr. Lemoncello is (omg the banana shoes!!!), and I also love the puzzles and book references sprinkled in throughout!

[Brandee · Rating 5 out of 5]

YEAH!!! BOOK 5!!!! So glad that Grabenstein wrote another book in this fun, hysterical series!! I was really sad to see it end with book 4 and I hope that it continues from here as well!! In this book, we meet some new characters. The Ohio classics do come back to help the adventure but it was nice to meet some new faces. We still have the villain and the underdog but it isn't necessarily super predictable so it is still so much fun to read. In this book, we are in Hudson Hills where Mr. Lemoncello's game making factory is located. Of course, he is up to something secret and children must compete in a variety of games and puzzle solving to even get a glimpse at the secret project. I absolutely love that this book brought in a lot of classic games that readers remember and have probably played. Of course many of them have a little Lemoncello twist but it is so fun to solve the puzzles with the characters and try to predict where each trap door and answer will send them. I read this book in basically one sitting and am itching for another one. There is one piece of the puzzle that technically didn't happen in this book that could easily make for a book 6!

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how the book had a different point of view than the usual books - but kept the original cast of characters.
SORAYIA:👍
JACK:👎

"Time to bake the potato!"
"Oooo. She's baking the potato!"
"Pull her plug!" shouted one of Jack's friends.
"I can't," Jack shouted, frustrated. "She upgraded to a battery-powered microwave!"
"That's because I'm a smart shopper," taunted Soraiya.
"Oooo," said the crowd, enjoying the smackdown.

My fave quote that me and my brother keep quoting everywhere:)

[Karaline (new bio) · Rating 3 out of 5]

No one knew ANYTHING about music ANYTHING!! I would’ve had that ticket!! lol
Edit: I actually agree with this old review but I came back to say what did they have to make Kyle a star I liked the old Kyle this Kyle is not old Kyle

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the word play, puzzles, and book references in this series for middle-grade readers. I also love that the heroes of the books are good kids who are not afraid to seem childish to others when they're having fun, and that the adults in the stories are good role models. (Even the villains have parents who are involved in their children's lives, though they do teach them to cheat to win.) Nowadays, with all the middle-grade and young-adult novels with dysfunctional families and kids with destructive habits, Mr. Lemoncello is delightfully refreshing!

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so much fun to be back with Mr. Lemoncello, Kyle, Akimi, and some of the others from the previous 4 books. I loved the addition of new characters Soroiya and Simon. What's not to love? There's games, and puzzles, and riddles, and lots and lots of running and racing and climbing and sliding down things, and food, lots of food, especially the kind you have to crawl through or get a face full of. Yeah, if I was a 12-year-old kid and I'd be all over this.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I 'll write a detailed review later. I was so excited about this book and got into it so much, I stayed up half the night reading it. Any review wouldn't make any sense this late! This should make sense at least: just another 5+ star Lemoncello Library book.

[Lovely Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

I don’t know why this one was written. It introduced way too many new characters and tried to force a backstory to make the reader care.

Also, Jack is a jerk.

Not to mention, this audiobook had a different narrator and I really missed Jesse Bernstein

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! What a classic! Reminded me of Charlie & chocolate factory! One of my favorite authors & series!

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series! So fun. This one was about board games, so definitely as much fun as the others!

[Victor The Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Titanium Ticket”, the fourth book in the Lemoncello series continues to have more of that exciting game fun while bringing some new kids that are playing in order to see who will get that ticket. There’s also an interesting and even emotional side story that centers on one of the contestants who happens to be tied to Mr. Lemoncello‘s past. It definitely leads up to the start of what’ll be revealed. A- (91%/Excellent)

[Myrtle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book got sort of confusing but I figured it out. Also, am I the only one that noticed that EVERYONE in the Skrindle family's name started with S? There was Simon, Stephen, Samuel, and Sally. Weird!!! I couldn't put the book down though.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our ears were GLUED to the story! My son loved the riddles and puzzles. A hard copy would have been fun to have, to see them - but then we’d miss out on the great narrator - I wouldn’t be able to do the characters justice reading it out loud.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read! We loved all the game references and word puzzles. We *may* have bought hard copy to participate in contest this August 🥳

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute book. I liked how they incorporated new characters while still bringing back the ones we have come to love. This was a fun story. I can’t wait for the next one.

[Katy L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a very good 📖 and it is very suspenseful too. If you like the 🍋 cello 📚 then you will like this 📖 SO MUCH EVEN BETTER THAN THE OTHER ONES! (Carter, 8 years old)

[Elizabeth P · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is probably about a 2 to 2.5 for me. Although it does seem fun-packed, there were a few things I didn't like about this one. First of all, it seems to borrow more heavily from TV shows, movies, books, and games than previous Lemoncello books did. Secondly, I didn't like how two teams at the end got away with rampant cheating without any consequences. I want the rules to be the same for everyone, and here the "good guys" seemed to benefit from bending the rules while the "bad guys" suffered consequences for breaking rules. Lastly, it's also possible that I'm just starting to get tired of this series. They can start to feel pretty "samey" after awhile.
In the end, though, I think people who like the Lemoncello books will still probably like this one.

[Angela Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Grabenstein just keeps me coming back for these stories! After four previous books in this series, I was wondering how he'd keep the creativity going. In the fifth book we're introduced to a new cast of main characters! The original Ohio gamers are still there in the background, but now we're following a group of kids in a different state and town. Mr. Lemoncello brings his over-the-top, fantastical gaming to the home of his manufacturing plant! Here we meet three new competitive gamer/puzzlers: Simon, Soraiya, and Jack.

He's got all the great relationship dynamics as before as well as the puzzles and camaraderie. It's a great addition to the series and I can't wait to see where these new characters take us!

[Ethan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new installment of the Lemoncello series is just as amazing as I was hoping it would be. It was witty, funny, and had all kinds of fun riddles I can't wait to crack. I loved the new characters that the book introduced and the fun twist that was added to all of the classic board games.

The plot was amazing and the fact that Mr. Lemoncello was giving away his entire game empire was both sad and exciting. I can't wait to see where that is taken in the future installments of this series. This definitely raised the bar for the rest of the Lemoncello books, and I can't wait to see what may happen in this series.

[Carrie]

I listened to the audiobooks for all of the Mr. Lemoncello books so far and this one is by far the best! Not simply because the life-size versions of classic board games were clever and fun, not just because the introduction of new characters infused energy into the series, but narrator Kirby Heyborne breathes life into all of the characters. I am particularly happy to see Mr. Lemoncello as an adult, eccentric as he may be, previous audio versions made him sound like a hapless goofball. Now he comes across as a fun-loving, brilliant, adult with a vision for the future.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read that made me smile a lot, especially since I listened to this one. Mr. Lemoncello had the wacky happiness and enthusiasm I envisioned when silently reading the earlier books in this series. I loved the clear line between the good guys and the bad, the variety of characters with many different strengths, as well as the wild games and ingenious challenges throughout this book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This next book that begins, hopefully, a new cycle of Lemoncello adventures is every bit as good as the last series of four books. The kookiness just gets better with each book! We all love them.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Game-maker extraordinaire Luigi Lemoncello is building something secret. And hidden deep inside his secret building there is one . . . and only one . . . titanium ticket.

When the building is finished, four lucky boys and girls will participate in a spectacular scavenger hunt, zooming through life-size live-action games, each one of which will get them closer to the well-concealed titanium ticket. The boys and girls must complete the hunt and solve the phrase that is the key to finding the ticket. Mr. Lemoncello promises that the lucky winner of the titanium ticket will join an elite group of kids who will compete for ownership of Lemoncello Gameworks and all things Lemoncello.

With a ticket search and the prospect of winning the company, "Mr. Lemoncello and the Titanium Ticket" pays homage to Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” while delivering its message of kindness and empathy and encouraging collaborative teamwork. As with the earlier books in the series, there is sufficient backstory here for the book to work as a stand-alone, but the previous books are filled with so much fun that readers are sure to want to read the earlier four stories.

This fifth installment of the Lemoncello Library series brings some new characters into the amazing Lemoncello competitions. Soraiya Mitchell is as kind and fair as bully Jack McClintock is mean-spirited and duplicitous. Simon Skrindle is the kid that everyone roots for, the one kid that’s far smarter and much more capable than anyone realizes. Kyle, Haley, Akimi, and Andrew all have a part to play in these new games, serving as advisors to the other competitors who’ve won the right to move on to the next level in the search for the titanium ticket.

As the plot takes some surprising twists, the unfolding story draws the readers into the mystery of the secret construction and then into the excitement of the games themselves. As in earlier books, the main part of the story involves Lemoncello-created games. Here the participants are interacting with life-size games . . . and those games are ones every reader will recognize: Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Battleship, Stratego, Rubik’s Cube, Rush Hour, Don’t Break the Ice, and, oh, so many more. It’s almost as much fun looking for classic board game names as it was looking for middle-grade book titles in the earlier stories. And, as in previous books, there are word puzzles, riddles, and rebus puzzles throughout the story that readers can figure out right along with the characters in the contest.

There are some moments of solemnity and seriousness amid the fun and games, mostly surrounding Simon and his particular backstory. The revelations surrounding it and the newest Lemoncello building give readers some unexpected insight into Luigi Lemoncello’s background.

The targeted audience here is the middle school reader, but these endearing stories, with their strong emphasis on thinking, with their intransigent messages of compassion, friendship, and kindheartedness, have earned themselves a far larger following. With mega-doses of amazing Lemoncello legerdemain, readers will find much to appreciate here. And there is no doubt that, as soon as readers finish this book, they will already be anxiously awaiting the next installment in this magical series.

Highly recommended.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifth book into a series, the formulae is known and relied on by writer and reader to deliver the expected reaction. This middle-grade series targeted (mostly) at (reluctant) boy readers has always relied on funny puns, mild bathroom jokes and overwhelmingly all-ages bookish fan-love for literature of classics to contemporary "kids" books. What is astonishing here is author Grabenstein's continued fleet-footed ability to change-up the elements, adding characters, altering setting, raising the challenge's stakes and its payoff. Previous book centered on empathy, a timely topic at any age. Herein Grabenstein changes setting with his salute to Dahl's classic Willy Wonka factory visit, introduces a new "team" playing out similar dynamics of bully-bullied/have-have nots with cameos of our "core" kid cast. There's more of Mr. Lemoncello as a human being with regrets, concerns and dreams rather than the all-knowing mysterious wizard working behind the scenes of his Oz-like playground. Most welcome - with the audio version - is the switch in narration for a very nuanced and thoroughly enjoyable vocal performance by Kirby Heyborne rather than the very famous and enthusiastic Jesse Bernstein from the previous installments. Either by ear or eye, page or screen, this series continues to deliver on its promise of edutainment to the utmost extremes!

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The minute I got this book in, I immediately read it. And even though I was wary of the new characters, I was not disappointed.

Mr Lemoncello and his wacky ideas are back in the 5th instalment! The main characters of the previous books have a smaller role, but still appear. And we have a whole new set of characters - Simon, Soraiya, and Jack. These new ones are just as richly imagined - and now there’s a titanium ticket involved (sort of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory theme there).

I love the references to classic board games and the life sized versions of them. I do think though that pretty much all the villains in this series are the same - they have inside info, are always angry at someone, treat people bad, wear solid color clothes, and seem to think they’re better than everyone else. I’d really love to see a different type of villain, because even in the author’s other books the villains behave pretty much the same.

Overall, great read!! And I’m sure they’ll be another one coming out because of that ending 😉

[Pam Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Skrindle has never played a board or video game because his grandfather blames Mr. Lemoncello for the deaths of Simon's parents. Simon is a natural puzzle solver. He has also secretly created board games in the attic where Grandma and Grandpa will never go. During a field trip to Mr. L's game factory, he makes a suggestion which earns him an invitation to the annual over-the-top company picnic. Four kids from the town will be paired in series of challenges with champions from the previous library games. The challenges this time are not based on using library resources to answer resources. The contestants will play oversized versions of familiar games including a Battleship challenge using mini submarines in a large pool. Each win provides letters in the puzzle leading to the location of the titanium ticket. The ticket will lead to being entered in more games and eventually an opportunity to inherit Mr. L's empire. Simon's nemesis Jack, king of snide remarks and a stereotypical bully, is determined to knock Simon out of the competition even if he has to resort to dirty tricks. He never realizes that Mr. L may have a few tricks of his own to play. A brilliantly impressive tribute to many of our favorite games. Score one for the good-hearted nerds.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

This series has dragged on to long . Here's the thing, This series could have been a good trilogy it would have been a good series about some friends bonding about a library. But oh no! it had to drag onto six books. These (after about the first three) are carbon copy's of the first book. They are just so childish. It was set in a realistic world, but then it just built up Mr. Lemoncello to be this giant hero who practically saves the world by literally just creating a few games. They then proceed to create fake conflict to make everything have a plot. There comes a time for books to retire and sit in your library to reread every once in a while, this is not one of them, it has dragged on painfully too long. It sits at the bottom of my book list to date. It is a good book for a 11-12 year old to start reading but beyond reading it to fill your time or to learn about libraries (only for the first book) it doesn't fulfill you. It leaves your brain after you read it only leaving a large empty gap of your time that you wish you could take back.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun zany book filled with puzzles-check

Great cast of characters that are super smart, competitive, compassionate and totally relatable - check

Great story filled with wacky and silly games, scenarios and made up words (always a fan favorite) - check

Mr. Lemoncello, his banana shoes and all things yellow - check

Fantabulous as always. The 5th installment of the Lemoncello series might be my new favorite. Simon Skrindle and Soraiya Mitchell lead a new cast of puzzle loving kids. This dynamic duo's skill equals those of Kyle Keeley and the gang from prior books.

Chris Grabenstein's imagination knows no bounds with this action packed, puzzle solving fun in a book. Great title for kids grades 3 and up. As a librarian I definitely recommend this series, especially to reluctant readers as it has a bit of everything kids love and can relate to.
Fingers crossed for a book #6 in the future. Highly recommend, because hellooooo It's a Lemoncello!

[Flossmoor Public Library (IL) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

The lemony fun continues in the fifth book of this fun series! Mr. Lemoncello's adding a new building to his game factory complex in Hudson Hills, New York. What is it for? Simon Skrindle's going to find out despite the fact that his grandfather despises Mr. Lemoncello and his game empire. When it's revealed that Mr. Lemoncello is looking for a successor to inherit his game empire and there will be a game tournament to decide the winner of the first titanium ticket, Simon knows he had to try. The literal personal invitation (wax seal and all) doesn't hurt, either. But Simon's nemesis, Jack McClintock, is determined to beat Simon. Will Simon be able to play the games and succeed?

I love the Mr. Lemoncello series and this book did not disappoint. The new characters introduced in this book were the New York equivalents of the original characters from Ohio, who also make appearances. The story was easy to follow, especially if you've read the first four books, and it was so fun to read that I didn't want to put it down! Recommended to anyone who loves puzzles, underdogs, or is just waiting to hear "On your mark, get set, lemon, cello, go read this book!"

- Miss Anna