Mr. Lemoncello's Fantabulous Finale

October 15, 2024
Grades 4-6 One last round of clever games, puns, rebuses to solve, literary references, tests of character, and valuable prizes for a cast of 13-year-old contestants brings this bright and bookish series to a (supposed) close. In fact, Mr. Lemoncello dangles the most valuable prize of all: declaring that his entire multibillion-dollar gaming empire is up for grabs and there will be but one big winner. So it is that a new set of brainteasers takes Kyle and a rapidly dwindling group of other platinum ticket-holders from the mammoth new amusement park Lemoncelloland to the Dewey depths of the Lemoncello Library. Along with taking one (possibly) final opportunity to dish out nods and sly pokes to dozens of fellow authors past and present, Grabenstein caters to series fans by trotting out characters from past episodes, yet again pulling the rug out from under the exaggeratedly villainous Chiltingtons, highlighting the theme that true winning requires not just individual effort but cooperation too, and closing with a properly magnificent shower of balloons. It all adds up to a "wondermous" wrap-up.

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