By Chris Grabenstein
4Rbooks 6/6 grades 4-8
Amazon 4.6/5 grades level 3-7
Goodreads 4.49
Common Sense Media Not Yet Reviewed
277 pages
Synopsis
Mr. Lemoncello is back in the news. In his best, but not secret, Willy Wonka way Luigi Lemoncello wants to find the right person to continue his work and his empire. Some to run the game business, the library, the amusement park, and everything else that’s a Lemoncello.
He is making Titanium Tickets available. Some, from the last book, already have theirs. Others will be available to a select few who apply online. The finalist will go on one last adventure, in true Lemoncello fashion. There will be puzzles to solve, games to play, and quests to enjoy. At the end, there will be one final winner.
Kyle Keeley, (advanced gamer and winner of the first Lemoncello contest) is back. He’s joined by previous contestants Simon (engineer and builder) and Soraiya (smart and sweet). New contestants are Gloria (business whiz), Betina (creative with lots of flair), Patricia (internet influencer), and Jacob (math whiz), all picked based on their unique skills and talents. Finally, there is Colton, a random selection just because Mr. Lemoncello thought everybody should have a chance, and Teddy, a friend of Mr. Lemoncello’s lawyer.
The children are transported to New York where they work through challenges in the NY public library, Mr. Lemoncello’s hotel, the Lemoncello office building, and the new Lemoncello amusement park. Kyle is desperate to win, it would be a dream come true to follow in Mr. Lemoncello’s place.
Parental Guidelines
A few mild scary moments.
Recommendation
This is book 6 of the Lemoncello series (there is also a prequel book). I have read all 7 of the books and highly recommend them (I’ve reviewed two. Read the others before I started my blog). They are fast paced, interesting, and enjoyable reads. They are good for any type of reader, advanced to struggling. Children can enjoy the stories and have fun working out the puzzles and riddles.
One of the best features of Mr. Grabenstein’s books is the incidental knowledge that he includes. There are references to great literature, historical facts and figures, and geographical information, also. A classroom teacher, or homeschool parent, could develop many extension activities from the information within the novel.
This is the final book of the series as it is now constructed, but I can imagine more books in the future told from a different perspective.
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