You often see references to this book as a combination of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Night at the Museum, which is an apt description.

Luigi Lemoncello, an eccentric, Willy Wonka-type man, builds a new library in Alexandriaville, Ohio.  As a special treat before the grand opening, he offers the opportunity for a select few children to spend the night in the library and be the first ones to see all the wonderful surprises he’s packed into this incredible building:  new board games, video games, hover boards, holograms, and statues that come to life.  What they don’t know is there is an extra challenge in store for them–finding their way back OUT of the library.

I read this with my 9yo daughter.  We both loved it. Along with pictogram puzzles, rebuses, and riddles to solve, there are a lot of references to other books thrown in throughout, and we had a lot of fun picking them out and beating each other to the punch to name the book the phrases came from. There is also a surprise at the end which makes you want to re-read the book from the beginning.

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein       #1 Mr. Lemoncello’s Library