apigonfire's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the “hidden” references to the different books. :)
And I enjoyed that the protagonist was able to step into the shoes of his nemesis. A good lesson for us all!
And I enjoyed that the protagonist was able to step into the shoes of his nemesis. A good lesson for us all!
healingtothemax's review
4.0
The punny funny booky wooky all-ages welcome MG series continues with this installment's satirical focus on tween TV. Author Grabenstein shifts the story spotlight onto the series villain to boost readers' empathy for others, be it friend or foe. May we all remember lessons learned at younger ages irregardless of stations, televised or on a private channel.
yapha's review against another edition
4.0
Another fun game filled adventure involving readers and gamers, this time exploring the world of fiction. Highly recommended for fans of the series grades 4 & up.
augureader's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The final instalment of this series with the existing cast of (kid) characters was a fitting end to the series, but also a bit disappointing, especially when compared to the last book. The fiction world was wonderful to delve into, and many wonderful books and characters were mentioned, but somehow, I didn’t feel the same magic as I did with the other books. I don’t think I’ll continue with this series past this story arc, but I’m glad I found a series to recommend to younger readers.
sillymilly14's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
All the books following the original all feel the same, but I still enjoy them.
orion's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
jbrooxd's review against another edition
4.0
Another fun Lemoncello adventure for Kyle and his friends! The game this time isn't based on specific books but more about fiction genres and trying things that might be new to you as a reader. Plenty of book references, though, throughout the story.
I'm personally over Charles Chiltington. I am ready for Kyle to have a new opponent. I can't believe that teachers and Kyle's parents don't call out this kid's sucking up behavior. Have none of the adults paid attention to this kid's antics in the last few books? I appreciated the author's effort to give Kyle an opportunity to see why Charles is the way he is, but frankly, no matter how much the kids understand the influence Charles' dad has over him, Charles' own choices to fall into line undercut any empathy they might have for him. I think it is different when you have a kid who WANTS to be different. Charles obviously has no interest in changing his ways.
I'm personally over Charles Chiltington. I am ready for Kyle to have a new opponent. I can't believe that teachers and Kyle's parents don't call out this kid's sucking up behavior. Have none of the adults paid attention to this kid's antics in the last few books? I appreciated the author's effort to give Kyle an opportunity to see why Charles is the way he is, but frankly, no matter how much the kids understand the influence Charles' dad has over him, Charles' own choices to fall into line undercut any empathy they might have for him. I think it is different when you have a kid who WANTS to be different. Charles obviously has no interest in changing his ways.
bibli0phagist's review against another edition
4.0
I have always been a fan of the Mr. Lemoncello’s series and I found myself anxiously awaiting this book. In fact, I reserved the book in audio, ebook, and hard cover editions from my library months ahead of time. I was able to acquire the audio and ebook right away. Since I couldn’t wait for the hardbook I went to the store and bought it for myself.
I enjoyed that this book focused on fictional stories because it aligns so well with Mr. Lemoncello’s character. With that being said, I often found the clues and riddles to be more nonsense driven than storybook fact driven.
The optical illusions at the start of the book were a nice change in pace and added a new element to the series.
With all this being said, it absolutely kills me to state that I enjoyed the story, but felt an excellent opportunity had been missed/wasted.
Regardless of my feelings, I will continue to remain excited for (hopefully) future stories in the series.
I enjoyed that this book focused on fictional stories because it aligns so well with Mr. Lemoncello’s character. With that being said, I often found the clues and riddles to be more nonsense driven than storybook fact driven.
The optical illusions at the start of the book were a nice change in pace and added a new element to the series.
With all this being said, it absolutely kills me to state that I enjoyed the story, but felt an excellent opportunity had been missed/wasted.
Regardless of my feelings, I will continue to remain excited for (hopefully) future stories in the series.
verkisto's review against another edition
3.0
This book, the fourth in the Mr. Lemoncello's Library series, just isn't quite as much fun as the first three. The stories all tend to be the same, with some library competition that takes place at the library, always involving Kyle, Charles, and his friends, but this time Grabenstein decides to give us more insight into Charles, the antagonist of the series. Based on the afterword to the book, this was the whole point of the story, but it fell flat with me for two reasons:
1. We don't need to have Charles' background to understand his motivations.
2. It seemed clear from the previous books what his background was, based on his behavior.
Also, it became clearer with this book that it's clearly a juvenile series. I've said before that I give some juvenile books leeway with how broadly they draw the characters and create the themes, but Holes and the Harry Potter series both have the kind of subtlety and nuance seen more often in adult fiction. Here, the way Grabenstein drew his characters and events actually started to grate on me.
The story is as readable and compelling as the first three books, but as the series progresses, it begins to lose its shine with me. I doubt I'll stop reading them all together (they don't take that long to read, and I've come this far already), but I think I'll let my expectations lower a bit with the next release.
1. We don't need to have Charles' background to understand his motivations.
2. It seemed clear from the previous books what his background was, based on his behavior.
Also, it became clearer with this book that it's clearly a juvenile series. I've said before that I give some juvenile books leeway with how broadly they draw the characters and create the themes, but Holes and the Harry Potter series both have the kind of subtlety and nuance seen more often in adult fiction. Here, the way Grabenstein drew his characters and events actually started to grate on me.
The story is as readable and compelling as the first three books, but as the series progresses, it begins to lose its shine with me. I doubt I'll stop reading them all together (they don't take that long to read, and I've come this far already), but I think I'll let my expectations lower a bit with the next release.