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Book Review: Mr. Lemoncello's Very First Game

And also my very first post on tumblr. This is the 6th (and final?—I hope not) book in Chris Grabenstein's Mr. Lemoncello's Library series, but this one is a prequel. It's the origin story of how a young Luigi Lemoncello gained his moxie and began his journey to becoming the gazillionaire mirthmaker readers got to know over the first 5 books in the series.

In this book, we meet Luigi and his huge family. Luigi is the 6th child in a family of 10 siblings. With so many people around, he escapes to find peace at the local public library and later on at a summer carnival where he meets Professor Marvelmous, a showy carnival barker who becomes somewhat of a mentor to young Luigi.

Luigi's talent for creating games and solving puzzles had already been honed by the time we meet him in this book, but the wacky Wonka-esque personality isn't there yet. He's shy and somewhat reserved. He takes risks, but his pluckiness is easily snuffed out by bullies from rich families—the ringleader being Chadwick Chiltington of the infamous Chiltington family readers of this series have already come to know and loathe.

Through the encouragement of his parents, the mentorship of Professor Marvelmous, and the friendship of his close friends—the three musketeers plus Maggie, Professor Marvelmous's niece—Luigi begins to overcome his obstacles and starts to tackle life with a whimsical unfailing attitude and begins his path to success.

4/5 stars

Read-alikes:

Book Scavenger — Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory — Roald Dahl

The Gollywhopper Games — Jody Feldman

The Mysterious Benedict Society — Trenton Lee Stewart

The Puzzling World of Winston Breen — Eric Berlin