69 pages • 2 hours read
Chris GrabensteinEscape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2013A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Themes
The Dichotomy of Old and New
Both Mr. Lemoncello’s choice to allow a group of 12 12-year-olds to preview the library and Dr. Zinchenko’s elaborate escape game are built on the theme of “The Dichotomy of Old and New.” Mr. Lemoncello is an eccentric older gentleman with a love of the old-fashioned public library with its helpful librarian and quiet spaces good for reading, thinking, and being alone. He wants children in his hometown to experience the same love and appreciation for the traditional public library that he had in his childhood. His choice to fund the new public library is in defiance to those responsible for the loss of Alexandriaville’s former one: “Back then, many said the Internet had rendered the ‘old-fashioned’ library obsolete, that a new parking garage would attract shoppers” (33). Mr. Lemoncello includes plenty of old books and materials in the new library; one of the escape game books, How to Use Your Library, still has the old-fashioned paper card and glued-in card pocket for signing out the book. Older research materials are available in the Stacks in the basement, and he devotes an entire special collection to his nostalgic Lemoncello-abilia Room, which includes a museum-style set-up of his childhood bedroom. Kyle finds old, classic board games in the Board Room. The first game of the library lock-in is based on trivia questions from 1968.
While many facets of Mr. Lemoncello’s library represent the old, they contrast with everything new. Dr. Zinchenko, in her polished red suit and professional, austere sentences, represents a modern, businesslike, efficient librarian. She juxtaposes Mrs. Tobin, who taught young Luigi tongue twisters and gave him a red Barbie doll boot for use as a game marker. Many of the wondrous features of the new library rely on high-tech gadgets and impressive video and sound technology, such as the space flight simulator and other educational gaming in the Electronic Learning Center. The video surveillance and ceiling intercom system, as well as the way Mr. Lemoncello and Dr. Zinchenko communicate by earphone, directly contrast the old public library, where Mr. Lemoncello did not even hear the police sirens from inside on the day the bandits robbed the bank.
Some features of the library represent a marriage of old and new, such as the way the Dewey Decimal categories (first published in 1876 by librarian Melvil Dewey) are seen in high-definition images on the rotunda ceiling Wonder Dome, and the holographic form of Mrs. Tobin welcoming the children to the “library of the future” (63).
The Benefits of Creative Thinking and Open-Mindedness
Mr. Lemoncello conveys a strong theme of “The Benefits of Creative Thinking and Open-Mindedness” in actions and dialogue. Mr. Lemoncello promotes the students’ own creative thought process through the essay contest. His love of books is consistently evident as he drops references and titles into much of his conversation. He kicks off the library lock-in with words from a favorite childhood writer: “And let us pause to remember the immortal words of Dr. Suess: ‘The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more place you’ll go’” (50). Books are treasured items for Mr. Lemoncello; treating the library, the books, and each other “gently” is the most important rule of the lock-in and escape game experience.
As the children move from the party to the library lock-in and eventually to the escape game, Dr. Zinchenko emphasizes the benefits of learning and thinking outside the box. When Andrew comments on the library’s lack of windows, she says, “A library doesn’t need windows, Andrew. We have books, which are windows into world we never even dreamed possible” (53). Later, Dr. Zinchenko announces the second game in terms of brain power and resourcefulness: “So use your wits and use your library. Go find dessert!” (65) When Mr. Lemoncello explains the escape game to the parents, he focuses on the students’ aptitude for creative thinking: “This is their chance to discover that a library is more than a collection of dusty old books. It is a place to learn, explore, and grow!” (75).
The puzzles themselves take skill and creative thinking to solve; for example, many of the individual rebus images could mean more than one thing, so context of the entire message is necessary for sensible deciphering. Kyle senses that some of the clues are in the open, and that it is a matter of seeing things differently to understand them; Sierra solves the statues puzzle this way, resulting in call numbers clearly posted. Dr. Zinchenko drops clues from the moment she escorts the children to the library; only by remembering her detailed words do several clues make sense. The last puzzle of the escape game is a final nod to the benefits of creative thinking and learning: Reading really will set you free, because your imagination can travel and explore via a book no matter where your physical body is.
Fair Play Versus Cutthroat Competition
Playing fair has a positive, forward-moving connotation in the story. It is represented in many ways: Kyle’s acceptance of his teammates’ ideas, the chest-thumping and knuckle-knocking between Kyle and Miguel, Team Kyle’s inherent desire to help others (when Haley is stuck on the book return conveyor belt), Kyle’s attempt to steer Charles in the direction of a clue (with the Sherlock Holmes books in the Reading Room), and the team’s acceptance of Haley when she wants to switch sides and join Team Kyle. Mr. Lemoncello attempts to even the playing field when Charles loses his teammates by compensating him with an extra clue. Early emphasis on fair play and treating one another in a “gentle” manner is set into place with Dr. Zinchenko’s rules for the library lock-in. Team Kyle gets a reminder in the escape game to avoid stealing with the Commandment clue.
Kyle and Charles are dramatic foils in attitude, personality, and actions. In the escape game, their differences make them clear and obvious opponents; Charles, however, first begins to make his individual character well-known to readers when he accosts Kyle in the toy store to tell him how childish it is to share his gift card with his family. Kyle tries to steer Charles toward a clue so that he, Kyle will not unfairly gain information. Charles, on the other hand, actively attempts to steal both Kyle’s hints gained thus fair (by sending Andrew into Team Kyle’s conference room) and the last book each team needs to win the game. Charles plots steps ahead to steal the book, purposefully slowing his pace; he does this so that Kyle will do the work of finding and pulling the book. When Kyle does, Charles pounces to steal it from Kyle’s hands. In a dose of dramatic irony, because readers are privy to Charles’s thoughts and solo actions occasionally, readers know that Charles is capable of stealing and lying when he tries to blame Kyle for their physical struggle. Mr. Lemoncello knows that Charles is lying, and that he broke a clearly stated rule to earn eviction from the game. Ultimately, Mr. Lemoncello plays fair by giving Charles every opportunity to participate equally, but he dismisses Charles when Charles proves too cutthroat for fair play.
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