Mr. Lemoncello's Very First Game by Chris Grabenstein is a prequel to the Mr. Lemoncello series.
Before Mr. Lemoncello was the famous game maker and philanthropist he is today, he was a dreamer and one of ten children in a poor household in Ohio. In this story, we meet thirteen-year-old, puzzle-savant, Luigi Lemoncello. Luigi is always looking for way to have fun and creates games for his family and friends to play. But his siblingings, especially his older sister, wish he would be more practical and serious. But that just isn't Luigi.
So, he is excited when he gets the chance to work a summer job with the carnival that lets him earn money while pursuing his passion. But life can sometimes knock a dreamer down and bullies, failed attempts and all around bad luck seem to get in Luigi's way.
Can Luigi be true to himself, find the missing pieces, crack the codes and reach the end of the game?
This was a fun read, as all Grabenstein's book are. My mind is spinning with activities to do and what discussion questions to ask if I were to choose this book for my 4-6th grade book club.
As with all of the Lemoncello books, the reader is encouraged to be true to who they are and get in on the fun and play the game along with the main characters. And if you have read the other books, there are so many nods to the original series that is fun to see. Lots of familiar names and places.
I don't have too much else to say about this book. It was a fun read, as I expected it to be. Probably good for your 4th grade + readers. This one gets 4 stars from me.
That's all for now!
-M-