The opportunity to spend the night in the new town library turns into a weekend of puzzles and games for Kyle Keeley and eleven other kids. The essay contest winners are locked into the library and must complete puzzles - and follow the rules - to find the secret exit from the library. The first student out wins the grand prize.
This was my favorite book of the whole summer! I know my summary is really short, but I don't want to give away too much of the story because it unfolds so wonderfully.
This reminded me of one of my all-time favorite books, The Candymakers, in the contest and the tone and voice of the story and the interactions of the characters. It reminded me of The Westing Game because of the puzzles and the eccentric benefactor. Finally, it reminded me of the Winston Breen books because of the puzzles and clues. There are countless references to amazing books, and reading is extolled as a valuable investment of time. And the library is held up as a beacon in the community. I loved everything about this book. If I was a classroom teacher, this would be one of my first read-alouds of the year. I may still try to read a chapter of it to my library students this fall. I think this would work with kids in third grade and up.
Excellent! Outstanding! A joy!
5 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 4.5
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