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.
Character Analysis
Kyle Keeley
Kyle is the 12-year-old central protagonist of the story. He lives with his parents and two older brothers (Mike, 17, and Curtis, 15) in Alexandriaville, Ohio. Kyle attends public school, where he is in seventh grade. He enjoys both video and board games, especially those designed by Mr. Luigi Lemoncello. At the beginning of the story, Kyle is not “big on books” (12), meaning that he does not enjoy reading for leisure. Friendship comes easily to Kyle, as evidenced when he boards the bus in the morning: “Kyle fist bumped and knuckle- knocked his way up the bus aisle […] Almost everybody wanted to say ‘Hey’ to him” (15).
Subtle conflict is evident in Kyle’s life with regard to his brothers. Mike is a talented athlete, and Curtis is known for his excellent academic work; because Kyle’s talents do not lie in those areas, and because Kyle is the youngest, he feels it is difficult to compete with them. He consequently enjoys playing board games with Mike and Curtis because that is “just about the only chance he ever got to beat them fair and square” (3). In commenting about Kyle’s attempt to complete the essay, his mother compares Kyle to his brothers: “Kyle can be just as smart as Curtis and just as focused as Mike—when he puts his mind to it” (31) Kyle smiles and thanks his mother for complimenting him. A parallel example occurs when Kyle’s success with the essay contest earns him a $500 gift card for Lemoncello games, which he promptly shares with his brothers and parents; their gratitude at the end of a fun shopping spree makes Kyle happy: “Kyle was enjoying his rare moment of glory, playing Santa Claus for his whole family” (45).
Despite a slight rivalry with his brothers, Kyle is upbeat, positive, and easy-going, characteristics that remain steady throughout the book. Kyle maintains a sincere optimism, the kind that makes the experience of playing games fun. Even when he misses the essay deadline, Kyle wishes his friends the best with encouraging comments and support. He knows from playing games that it is best to continue on and not lose hope: “[…] this is just a Move Back Three Spaces card. A Take a Walk on the Boardwalk when someone else owns it. It’s a chute in Chutes and Ladders. A detour to the Molasses Swamp in Candy Land!” (27). He writes a much better second draft; he sends it directly to Mr. Lemoncello when his teacher refuses it. His perseverance results in a win.
More good qualities become evident in Kyle as he enjoys the library lock-in and begins the escape game. He shows open-mindedness and kindness with the other players, and he good-naturedly goes along when others offer up ideas. As the puzzles and games increase in complexity and pace, Kyle manages to keep steady and to calm and rally his team members. He demonstrates strong leadership capabilities that he did not display at the story’s start, making him a dynamic character. His solid leadership is evident when he is willing to sacrifice his success in the game for his teammates in the Extreme Challenge. Kyle is also a dynamic character in that he gains a much stronger appreciation for stories and the reading experience over the course of the game.
Mr. Luigi Lemoncello
Mr. Luigi Lemoncello is a creator of games. Luigi’s childhood home was crowded with noisy siblings; consequently, he utilized the public library as a place of quiet and inspiration. Mrs. Tobin, the public library director, helped him to produce and sell his first game. Mr. Lemoncello is intent on showing the wonders and helpfulness of the public library to the current 12-year-olds in Alexandriaville, as they have not had a town library in their lifetimes.
Mr. Lemoncello is wacky, happy, and full of puns: “As Dr. Zinchenko informed you, I’d like to say a few brief words. Here they are: ‘short,’ ‘memorandum,’ and ‘underpants’” (50). He also enjoys making frequent reference to great works of middle grade literature. The escape game is a birthday gift for Mr. Lemoncello, and he excitedly joins Kyle and his teammates near the end to see how the game plays out. Mr. Lemoncello is primarily a Trickster character archetype with his puzzles, riddles, games, and appearance, as well as his plays on words.
Dr. Yanina Zinchenko
Dr. Zinchenko is described as a “world-famous librarian.” She dresses professionally and speaks in a polished and formal style. She is responsible for checking the new library’s readiness before its opening. Dr. Zinchenko, according to Mr. Lemoncello, is the designer of the escape game. She begins dropping clues long before Kyle and the others realize they will be invited to participate in it.
Charles Chiltington
Charles is a 12-year-old seventh grader who attends school with Kyle. A Shadow character archetype, he is the strongly antagonistic force in the story. A static character, he shows in his first scene how intent he is on winning the essay contest when he recalls one the Chiltington family philosophies: “We eat losers for breakfast” (20). He never deviates from this attitude, insisting frequently throughout the escape game that he will win simply because people in his family never lose. Charles proves himself to be a bully, a liar, a thief, and ultimately, a loser when he is ejected from the game for breaking the rules.
Sierra Russell
Kyle notices Sierra on the bus the morning the essays are due and reflects how little she has to say since her parents’ divorce. She reads frequently and enjoys online games about books and writers. Kyle kindly draws her into a partnership with him and Akimi in the escape game, where she quickly proves her worth with good ideas and strong knowledge. Sierra is a dynamic character because she changes from preferring the quiet solitude of online games to “realizing how much more fun it was to play this kind of game with real friends instead of virtual ones on the internet” (217).
Haley Daley
Haley is another dynamic character who demonstrates change in her attitude and personality. Haley makes derisive comments to Kyle, Akimi, Miguel, and Andrew on the day the essays are due, calling them “nerds” and telling Kyle he is “immature.” She is haughty and condescending in considering her chances for winning the escape game prize (appearances in Mr. Lemoncello’s commercials) and has no problem lying to Charles and Andrew when she joins their team. Haley has a change of heart over the course of the challenge when she witnesses the kindness and positivity of the members of Kyle’s team. She changes teams, disgusted with Charles’s and Andrew’s actions. She also states aloud the desire to prove herself to her new team, and she is quick to credit everyone on the team though she is first to escape the building.
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By Chris Grabenstein
