Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
By Chris Grabenstein
Random House, 2013
Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is about a boy named Kyle Keeley who wins an essay-writing contest and gets to stay in his town’s new library. While at the library, Kyle is amazed by all of the books and the new state-of-the-art technology that helps patrons of the library find the right book for them. While in the library, Kyle and his friends discover that the library was also built as a game in which the contestants need to use the books in the library to escape within 24 hours. Throughout the book, the contestants encounter various challenges including riddles, codes and traitorous friends. I recommend this book because it is a hilarious and cleverly written story of friends who do not give up and who stick together even when it is hard.
The Name of This Book Is Secret
By Pseudonymous Bosch
Little Brown & Company, 2007
The Name of This Book Is Secret is about two kids named Max-Ernest and Cassandra. Cassandra is a survivalist who believes that disaster is always about to strike. Max-Ernest is a hypochondriac who is allergic to most foods. His parents are divorced because they couldn’t agree on what to name him. In the beginning of the book, despite how unlikely it may seem, Max-Ernest and Cassandra become friends. While digging in their schoolyard, Max-Ernest and Cassandra discover a box labeled “The Symphony of Smells.” The box is filled with vials that contain different smells, which correspond to letters in the alphabet. The two friends suddenly find themselves in the middle of a mystery involving a dead magician, his notebook and a “symphony of smells.” I would recommend this book because it is an interesting and well-written mystery that will leave the reader in fits of hysterical laughter.
The Mysterious Benedict Society
By Trenton Lee Stewart
Little Brown & Company, 2008
The Mysterious Benedict Society is about four kids named Sticky Washington, Constance Contraire, Kate Wetherall and Reynie Muldoon, who enter a contest that they find in a newspaper ad. The ad says, “Are You a Gifted Child Looking for Special Opportunities?” Reynie, who narrates the story at the beginning, is an orphan who takes a series of mysterious tests because of his curiosity about the ad. Sticky is a genius who has a photographic memory. Kate is an orphan who ran away from her orphanage in order to join the circus. Constance is a short girl with a short temper and a talent for composing annoying poetry. Together the four begin to work for a man named Nicholas Benedict who suffers from narcolepsy, a disease that makes him fall asleep at random times. I would recommend this book because it is an intense mystery that will keep the reader reading from the moment that he or she picks up the book.
The Candymakers
By Wendy Mass
Little Brown & Company, 2010
In The Candymakers, the four main characters, Logan Sweet, Daisy Carpenter, Miles O’Leary and Philip Ransford III enter a contest in which they compete to create the best candy. Miles is allergic to rowboats, the color pink and carousels. Daisy is a kind and caring girl who can lift massive amounts of candy at once. Philip is a rude boy who writes mysterious notes in his notebook. Logan is the son of the candymaker who runs the candy factory in which the four contestants make their candy. Logan suddenly discovers clues that indicate that someone is trying to steal his father’s secret ingredient for his chocolate. The contestants soon find themselves working together in order to discover who is the thief while still trying to win the contest. I would recommend The Candymakers because it is a mystery about a funny topic, which the reader will savor and regret finishing.
By Josh Stiefel
