July 1, 2017
POPGr 3-6-Eccentric billionaire game maker Luigi Lemoncello is back with all-new games and contraptions. In his ultramodern, high-tech library, Lemoncello unveils his newest creation, the Nonfictionator, which is capable of generating historical holograms, including Abraham Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt, who then converse with library patrons. Kyle Keeley, Akimi, and the other young contestants are back in this third installment facing their greatest challenge yet-the Great Library Race. Teams of contestants must travel by bookmobile and Mr. Lemoncello's private jet as they discover clues about historical figures such as Thomas Edison and the Wright brothers. When Kyle's team unearths evidence that suggests that the title character is a fraud who stole the ideas for his blockbuster games, it is up to the young sleuths to learn the truth before Lemoncello's empire and library are ruined. Lemoncello's nemesis game rivals, the Krinkle brothers, along with a slew of other nefarious characters, try to mastermind an evil takeover. Fans will embrace this new entry, which, like the previous books, features lightning-fast pacing and zany plotlines. Educators will be pleased by the emphasis on careful research and fact-checking. VERDICT Chock-full of literary references, this title will have readers racing to pick up the next volume in this popular series.-Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
August 15, 2017
Participants in one of Luigi Lemoncello's board-games-without-a-board discover the value of careful research and teamwork. Middle schooler Kyle Keeley and his mostly white friends and fellow trustees of the splendiferous Lemoncello Library are delighted when its founder, the irrepressible inventor, offers them another challenge: a Fabulous Fact-Finding Frenzy that will take them far from home. Kyle, a boy from Mr. Lemoncello's hometown of Alexandriaville, Ohio, who often jumps to conclusions, is paired with hijabi Abia Sulayman from Boston. Her serious, careful approach (disappointingly, expressed in stiffly formal, mostly contraction-free syntax) turns out to be a good counterbalance--and both are eager to win until their research turns up information that could destroy the Lemoncello reputation, threatening his game-building empire and their beloved library. Luckily, all four of the finalists in this research game team up to dig deeper to find the true facts. This third volume of a popular series will be equally welcomed. As before, Grabenstein blends suspenseful adventure, humor, and wishful thinking, seasoning it with riddles, rebuses, wonderful wordplay, and plentiful allusions to children's literature. He makes some political statements, too. At one point, Lemoncello's lawyer reminds the researchers that "public opinion can often be swayed by emotion with little regard for facts." At another, Muslimah Abia reminds her friends to judge people as individuals rather than members of a group. Good entertainment with some meaningful messages. (Fiction. 9-14)
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August 1, 2017
Grades 4-7 Legendary game maker and library supporter Mr. Lemoncello is back with a new game designed to make research fun: Fact-Finding Frenzy. If Kyle and his friends are first to unravel the clues and puzzles about famous historical figures, they'll win fabulous prizes and the opportunity to travel around North America with Mr. Lemoncello's new holographic exhibit. But while researching their way to a win, Kyle and his teammate discover some facts that could put Mr. Lemoncello's reputation, his entire game empire, and the library at risk. As Kyle and his teammate search for information, they learn that not everything they read or hear can be trusted. Grabenstein weaves in themes of finding sources, discerning fact from fiction, and judging the credibility of the Internet in an engaging manner sure to entice readers to partake in their own research quest. With just enough mystery and twists to keep readers guessing, this third series offering is a valuable and useful tool for classrooms and libraries in teaching the importance of doing responsible research. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Not only will this book see heavy promotion, the publisher is launching a Race Back to Book One series campaign that will make keeping Mr. Lemoncello in the library a challenge.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2018
In the third Lemoncello title, Kyle and other trustees of the Lemoncello Library attempt another challenge: "The Fabulous Fact-Finding Frenzy." Traveling by bookmobile, plane, and bicycle, the teams race around digging up facts on famous Americans. When negative information on Mr. Lemoncello surfaces, the kid-researchers dig deeper into the truth. Built-in book recommendations and an emphasis on real facts make this a standout literary adventure.
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)