SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.chrisgrabenstein.com/
CITY: New York
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 357
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born September 2, 1955, in Buffalo, NY; married; wife’s name Jennifer (or J.J.; a voice-over actress).
EDUCATION:University of Tennessee, B.S.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Formerly worked at a bank in New York, NY; comedian in New York clubs; J. Walter Thompson (advertising agency), New York, copywriter, 1984-88; Bates Worldwide (advertising agency), New York, creative director, 1988-91; Young & Rubicam (advertising agency), New York, group creative director, 1991-2001; Bart & Chris (radio creative services), New York, and Seattle, WA, cofounder.
MEMBER:Mystery Writers of America (past president of New York City chapter, current president), International Thriller Writers, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
AWARDS:Anthony Award for Best First Mystery, 2006, for Tilt a Whirl; Agatha Award for Best Children’s/Young-Adult Novel, 2008, and Anthony Award for Best Children’s/Young-Adult Novel, 2009, both for The Crossroads; Agatha Awards for Best Children’s/Young-Adult Novel, 2009, for The Hanging Hill, 2011, for The Black Heart Crypt, and 2013, for Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library.
WRITINGS
Contributor to the anthology Death’s Excellent Vacation, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner. Short story published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.
The first “Mr. Lemoncello” book was adapted by the author as Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: The Graphic Novel, illustrated by Douglas Holgate, Random House Children’s Books (New York, NY), 2023. The “Jacky Ha-Ha” series has been adapted as graphic novels by Adam Rau, with illustrations by Betty C. Tang.
SIDELIGHTS
Chris Grabenstein [open new]has written dozens of fun, humorous, and exciting middle-grade novels, including the blockbuster bibliophilic “Mr. Lemoncello” puzzling series and the wisecracking “Smartest Kid in the Universe” series. Many of his titles, such as the “Jacky Ha-Ha” series, were written in partnership with the renowned and prolific James Patterson, his onetime boss and longtime associate. Grabenstein[suspend new] first gained fame in the literary world with his “John Ceepak” mystery series, which follows the adventures of police officer John Ceepak, a veteran of the Iraq war who lives his life by a strict moral code. In 2008 Grabenstein branched out with his first effort for younger readers: The Crossroads, a ghost story that opened his “Haunted Mystery” set and received both the Anthony Award and the Agatha Award. Since that time, he has completed a number of stand-alone as well as series titles, among them the irreverent Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers. “I think writing for kids is a blast,” Grabenstein told Kidsreads contributor Amy Alessio. He added: “I get to be a kid again and remember what it was like to be 10 and a nerd. I get to use more of my imagination.”
[resume new]About his earliest experiences with literature, Grabenstein told ComicBuzz: “Because I grew up in a time when we didn’t read books in school (we had to do color coded essays in a program called SRA), comic books were what made me fall in love with reading and storytelling. Superman. Archie. Richie Rich. Classics Illustrated. And, of course, Mad.”[suspend new] Grabenstein graduated with a degree in communications from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where he spent his available time acting at the university’s Clarence Brown Theatre. He then left Knoxville for New York City, working evenings during the early 1980s as an improvisational comedian in a troupe that included the well-known actor Bruce Willis. Grabenstein supported himself by day with a clerical job in a bank. However, writing was something he did from the time he was a child, and always with an eye to entertain. As a child, he had written plays, skits, and puppet shows for him and his brothers to perform for their parents, charging five cents admission per performance. In New York, he continued writing skits, this time for his friends, and they were performed at a small theater in Greenwich Village. From here Grabenstein moved on to writing scripts for Jim Henson’s Muppets.
Grabenstein got his first steady writing job, working for the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency, by answering a unique ad placed in the newspaper by ad exec and future novelist James Patterson, the man who ultimately became Grabenstein’s boss. The notice included a page-long writing-aptitude test that Patterson had created. Grabenstein responded and was the first person hired. For nearly two decades, he wrote commercials there and for Young & Rubicam. In 2001 he made the break to become a novelist by penning his crime tale Tilt a Whirl, which became the first of his “John Ceepak” adult mysteries. Other titles in the series include Hell Hole and Rolling Thunder.
Grabenstein kicked off his “Haunted Mystery” series with The Crossroads. The book follows the story of eleven-year-old Zack Jennings, whose mother has recently passed away after a battle with cancer. Zack is convinced that his mom now haunts the New York City apartment where he and his father still live, and he is immensely disturbed by this. When Zack’s father remarries and the new family moves to Connecticut, Zack feels a sense of relief, convinced he can now move on with his life without having his mother’s ghost watching his every move. However, Zack’s preoccupation with the dead does not end once he leaves the city.
In his new town, Zack meets Gerda Spratling, his neighbor and an older woman who is the last surviving member of the family that originally founded their town. Gerda still mourns for her husband, although the man has been dead for fifty years. Mr. Spratling died at the crossroads across from the Jennings’ new home, and Gerda visits that place, where a tall oak tree grows, every week in homage to her late husband. Zack senses something evil about that oak tree, and after a freak lightning strike breaks the tree in half and strange things begin to happen all over town he is convinced that the oak has released something bad. With help from Gerda and a new friend, the preteen sets out to save the town he has adopted as his own. Jessica Miller, in a review in School Library Journal, declared Grabenstein’s first effort for younger readers to be “a well-told ghost story with plenty of twists and chills.” A writer in Kirkus Reviews remarked that the “fast-paced action chapters, tight plotting … and a sympathetic main character” in The Crossroads “keep things moving.” In Booklist, Connie Fletcher applauded the novel’s “creepy atmosphere, believable story, and suspense that engulfs readers from the very first page.”
Grabenstein’s “Haunted Mystery” series continues with The Hanging Hill, as Zack’s ability to see ghosts once again draws him into an adventure. While attending a rehearsal of the play his stepmother, Judy, has written, the boy witnesses the appearance of a number of ghosts, and strange things start to derail the performance, upsetting the director. Zack then teams up with actress and classmate Meghan to investigate the supernatural occurrences. “Readers will race through terse sentences and demonically paced chapters to reach the satisfying, Indiana Jones-like … ending,” a contributor in Kirkus Reviews observed. Robyn Gioia, in a review in School Library Journal, declared of The Hanging Hill that “the story line is hauntingly delicious as the fully fleshed-out creepiness comes tempered with humor.”
In The Smoky Corridor, the third installment in the “Haunted Mystery” series, Zack does battle with a ghoul that lives beneath his haunted school. After meeting the ghosts of the Donnelly brothers, who died on the grounds years earlier in a mysterious fire, he learns that a brain-eating zombie guards Confederate treasure that is buried under the school, protecting it for a voodoo-practicing spirit that hopes to inhabit the body of a living human. The “well-constructed twists and turns, realistic (rather than slapstick) humor, [and] nifty puzzles” earned The Smoky Corridor praise from a contributor in Kirkus Reviews. According to Connie Tyrrell Burns, writing in School Library Journal, “Grabenstein is a riveting storyteller; most kids won’t be able to put this book down.”
In The Black Heart Crypt a gallery’s worth of criminal-minded ghosts escape from their crypt and plan to wreak havoc, much to Zack’s dismay. As Halloween approaches, thirteen members of the notorious Ickleby clan, including an eighteenth-century highwayman and a Prohibition-era gangster, break their confinement and set out to punish Zack, whose witchy great-aunts were the ones who cast the spell imprisoning the spirits. When the Icklebys take possession of the body of one of the spell casters’ descendants, Zack is forced to seek help from his relatives to restore peace. In the words of a Kirkus Reviews critic, the “events [in The Black Heart Crypt ] spiral to a suspenseful climax, and the mix of corpses and comedy add up to a faintly macabre tone.” Hazel Rochman, writing in Booklist, complimented the “fast-paced action” in Grabenstein’s novel, adding that “the horror is timeless.”
Grabenstein collaborated with Patterson in the “I Funny” middle-grade book series. Illustrated by Laura Park, I Funny: A Middle School Story, book revolves around Jamie Grimm, whose goal in life is to be a comedian. Jamie collects jokes and studies star comedians. Jamie wants to enter the Funniest Kid Comic Contest. Readers soon learn that Jamie’s life is not all laughs, despite his connection and dedication to comedy. The “tale includes twists and turns that make for an engrossing read,” wrote School Library Journal contributor Diane McCabe. In Laugh Out Loud, Patterson and Grabenstein tell the story of Jimmy and his friends efforts to start a publishing company.
Grabenstein and Patterson are coauthors of other books, such as Treasure Hunters, about four siblings searching for the father who is missing at sea. “There’s little time to breathe as the Kidds pinball from one spot of trouble to the next,” wrote a Kirkus Reviews contributor. Potty Mouth and Stoopid revolves around David and Michael, who must live with their terrible nicknames and the bullying that never seem to go away despite each grade advancement. Elizabeth Swartz, writing in School Library Journal, recommended the book “to fans of goofy, realistic school stories.”
Grabenstein is the sole author of the “Mr. Lemoncello” series, which begins with Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. Luigi Lemoncello is a rich game-maker and wants to build a library that is also a technological marvel in his old hometown. When the library is built, he invites twelve-year-old kids to preview the building. After the children arrive, he challenges the dozen youths to find their way out of the library using only what is in the library. The winner will be the library’s new spokesperson. Writing in Publishers Weekly, Eric Meyer remarked: “Book lovers will relish the lavish sprinkling of book titles and references,” adding that those who like puzzles “will enjoy figuring out the clues.”
Mr. Lemoncello’s Great Library Race finds Mr. Lemoncello challenging Kyle and his friends from the previous book to a new fact-finding adventure. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called the book “good entertainment with some meaningful messages.” In Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics, Kyle and his buddies and the book’s readers face another challenge: find out why books are disappearing from the library. Sarah Bean Thompson, writing in Booklist, called the story “another winning love letter to libraries and librarians.”
[re-resume new]The series’ sixth book is Mr. Lemoncello’s Very First Game, a prequel rewinding to the late 1960s, when thirteen-year-old Luigi Lemoncello gets his first break upon solving a tricky rebus at Professor Marvelmous’s summer carnival booth. Hired at once, Luigi befriends the professor’s niece Maggie, and together they frequent the library, enjoy a local radio station’s treasure hunts, and try to solve the ornate puzzle box Marvelmous created. Grabenstein encourages young readers to solve the puzzles themselves with instructions and clues—and even offers his email address for help with one left up in the air. The sneering Chadwick Chiltington makes for a nasty antagonist. Appreciating the emphasis on “teamwork and empathy,” a Kirkus Reviews writer noted that the “fast-paced narrative includes good reading suggestions … and occasional solid advice.” This reviewer hailed Mr. Lemoncello’s Very First Game as “splendiferous,” and in Booklist John Peters called it “an ‘awesometastic’ lead-in likely to inspire a wave of revisits to the earlier books.”[suspend new]
Grabenstein’s “Welcome to Wonderland” series starts with Home Sweet Motel, in which the eleven-year-old PT tries to find a way to save the increasingly decrepit Wonderland motel in Florida, which was established by his grandfather in the 1970s. “This appealing chapter book offers an original setting, a mystery, and some colorful characters,” wrote Booklist contributor Carolyn Phelan. Other titles in the series include Beach Party Surf Monkey and Sandapalooza Shake-Up. In the latter title, P.T. and best friend Gloria set about trying to run the Wonderland’s new Banana Shack restaurant, beat the rival Conch Reef Resort at a sand-sculpture contest, and prove the innocence of housekeeper Clara when a royal tiara goes missing. A Children’s Bookwatch reviewer affirmed that Grabenstein’s tales of the “world’s wackiest motel … just get better and better.”
Grabenstein teamed up with Patterson for the “Max Einstein” series, featuring a twelve-year-old girl genius. In The Genius Experiment, already attending college, Max attracts attention by playing speed chess in the park and helping the homeless with new inventions, which gets her recruited by a mysterious humanitarian organization. But she has to dodge the shadowy Corporation to make sure her brains are used for good causes only. A Children’s Bookwatch writer called The Genius Experiment “upbeat, tongue-in-cheek, and just plain fun.”
In Rebels with a Cause, Max has gone into hiding in New York City to avoid the Corp’s evil Dr. Zimm, but her fellow genius friend Siobhan’s pleas for help with water problems in Ireland get her moving again. She and her comrades end up going on to India to keep helping those in need while constantly dodging the Corp. A Kirkus Reviews writer affirmed that this “fast-paced story features a diverse team of protagonists that realistically tackles some of the world’s most pressing social-justice issues.”
Katt vs. Dogg, another Grabenstein-Patterson collaboration, finds the jovial Oscar, a dogg, and the prim and prissy Mollie, a katt, coincidently lost in the woods when their respective families vacation at Western Frontier Park. Realizing they need to overcome their animosity to survive, they escape a mountain lion, face down some weaselboars, cross a wide river, and make it back to their camps—only to find their brethren insisting that the pair bring the old rivalry back to life. In Booklist, Sharon Rawlins affirmed that “this timely anthropomorphic tale conveys how hatred and prejudice can be overcome.”
Grabenstein teamed up with his wife, J.J., to write Shine! Seventh-grader Piper, whose deceased mother was a cellist and father is a choir director, fears that musical talents have utterly eluded her. When her new school, Chumley Prep, announces an award for someone who excels, Piper defies mean girl Ainsley to win the science fair and raise her hopes. Doing good deeds, however, keeps making her late for class—but whether she wins the award or not, she has learned how to shine for herself. Praising the realistic middle-school scenarios and well-drawn characters in Shine!, a Publishers Weekly reviewer affirmed that “this encouraging story of self-discovery celebrates friendship, kindness, and self-actualization.”
Turning to the picture-book format, Grabenstein wrote No More Naps! A Story for When You’re Wide-Awake and Definitely NOT Tired, illustrated by Leo Espinosa. The very stubborn Annalise Devin McFleece, pigtails swinging, absolutely refuses to take a nap as her father strolls her through the park on a sunny day. But when a gentleman on a bench hears that a nap is available, he seizes the chance, and as the idea catches on, everyone from a drummer to a hairstylist to the pigeons, ducks, and fish are taking a snooze. In the resulting quiet, Annalise finally starts nodding off, but there are no more naps left for her—unless a cat might have one to spare. A Publishers Weekly reviewer of No More Naps! proclaimed that Grabenstein’s “idiomatic twist” makes for “an amusing reframing” of nap taking, and a Kirkus Reviews writer concluded that “preschoolers will find the defiant protagonist’s protests a little bit thrilling and 100% funny” in this “screamingly” humorous tale.
[re-re-resume new]Grabenstein kicks off a fresh series with The Smartest Kid in the Universe, in which seventh grader Jack McQuade is content to play it cool and leave efforts to others—until accidentally eating a whole bowl of experimental knowledge jelly beans turns him into a walking encyclopedia. With the chance to join crush Grace Garcia on the Riverview Middle School quiz bowl team, and maybe learn enough Spanish to impress her, Jack gets caught up in Principal Malvolio’s plot to sabotage the team, sell the school, and find treasure buried beneath it.
Reveling in the multifaceted “race against time,” School Library Journal reviewer Michele Shaw found in this novel “something for everyone, from adventure to angst as well as puzzles and trivia.” In the New York Times Book Review, Rob Harrell observed that “what Grabenstein does best is create an engaging, likable group of kids, drop them into a crazy, over-the-top situation and watch the sparks fly.” Harrell declared of the first “Smartest Kid in the Universe” book: “Complete with cutting-edge candy, a scheming principal, buried pirate treasure and the chance to ride along with the smartest middle schooler ever, this book is fast-paced and fun from beginning to end.”
The series’ second book, Genius Camp, finds Jake targeted by whiny bazillionaire Zane Zinkle, formerly recognized as the universe’s smartest kid. Zane aims to cut a number of brilliant kids down to size with Operation Brain Drain while brainwashing the general populace with the new zPhone—but Jake, throwback best friend Kojo, and Grace aim to stop him. Between the suitably juvenile humor and glancing digs at capitalism and the like, a Kirkus Reviews writer deemed this novel a “light, fluffy marshmallow of a book.”
A canny canine carries the day in Grabenstein’s Dog Squad. Life has not been easy for Fred, who was left behind by his owners and held his own at a city shelter before ending up at Second Chance Ranch, where strays are taught acting. After missing a chance at stardom in a Broadway musical that tanks, Fred luckily fills in for the famous Duke in the streaming series Dog Squad. Overcoming self-doubts, being no purebred, he not only impresses on-screen but saves the occasional baby and puppy in real life—and even aims to selflessly help Duke escape his abusive trainer. In School Library Journal, Jennifer Strattman called Dog Squad a “hilarious series starter,” written in “tight, snappy prose” and subtly “laced with positive messages.” Strattman added that “expertly paced conflict and characterization” help make for an “allegorical, fast-paced, rollicking adventure.”
Felines become the focus in the sequel Cat Crew, in which a team of rescued cats assembled for a fresh series–with Fred on the scene–must contend with competition from the cruel Kitty Bitteridge’s strictly trained Abyssinians. A Kirkus Reviews writer observed, “Once again, short, high-energy chapters full of action, animal dialogue, and animated illustrations recount fast-paced heroics.”[suspend new]
Grabenstein notes that his training as an actor has benefited his work as an author. “I use my improv and acting every day as a writer,” he told Alessio. “I come to the keyboard in character and act out the scenes in my head as I write them. I have a loose outline but use the improv techniques—create a character, put them in a situation, keep saying yes, keep moving forward, and see what happens—to get from point to point.” [re-re-re-resume new]Regarding how he goes about writing for middle graders, Grabenstein told Bianca Schulze of Children’s Book Review: “I try to remember what I felt like when I was that age. And the first thing—and everything I write, I remember: I did not like to read when I was a kid. They used to call me a reluctant reader. I would like to consider myself a super critical reader.” He went on to explain: “I just wanted stories that got like a movie projector going in my brain. And if you did that, if you grabbed me by the first page and didn’t let go, then I would devour your book in a day. But if you describe the dew on the grass and the emotional feelings of the leaves as they drifted down from the limbs of the tree, you would basically be putting me to sleep. So, I always try to write for kids who might be like me.”[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 1, 2005, Jenny McLarin, review of Tilt a Whirl, p. 69; May 1, 2006, Donna Seaman, review of Mad Mouse, p. 32; October 1, 2006, Allison Block, review of Slay Ride, p. 41; September 1, 2007, Thomas Gaughan, review of Hell for the Holidays, p. 61; May 1, 2008, Connie Fletcher, review of The Crossroads, p. 51; March 1, 2009, Thomas Gaughan, review of Mind Scrambler, p. 29; April 1, 2010, Thomas Gaughan, review of Rolling Thunder, p. 27; August 1, 2011, Hazel Rochman, review of The Black Heart Crypt, p. 59; October 15, 2012, John Peters, review of I Funny: A Middle School Story, p. 50; May 1, 2013, Thomas Gaughan, review of Free Fall, p. 27; June 1, 2013, Sarah Bean Thompson, review of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, p. 74; October 5, 2015, Sarah Bean Thompson, review of Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics, p. 51; March 15, 2016, Carolyn Phelan, review of Jacky Ha-Ha: My Life Is a Joke, p. 62; July 1, 2016, Kay Weisman, review of Word of Mouse, p. 77; February 15, 2017, Carolyn Phelan, review of Beach Party Surf Monkey, p. 78; August 1, 2016, Carolyn Phelan, review of Home Sweet Motel, p. 68; June, 2017, John Peters, review of Laugh Out Loud, p. 103; August 1, 2017, Sarah Bean Thompson, review of Mr. Lemoncello’s Great Library Race, p. 62; August 15, 2017, John Peters, review of Pottymouth and Stoopid, p. 53; April 1, 2019, Sharon Rawlins, review of Katt vs. Dogg, p. 72; April 15, 2021, John Peters, review of Dog Squad, p. 51; April 1, 2022, John Peters, review of Mr. Lemoncello’s Very First Game, p. 62.
Children’s Bookwatch, February, 2016, review of Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics; July 1, 2017, review of Beach Party Surf Monkey; December, 2018, review of The Genius Experiment; October, 2019, Diana Perry, review of Sandapalooza Shake-Up.
Detroit Free Press, October 19, 2005, Ron Bernas, review of Tilt a Whirl.
Entertainment Weekly, December 15, 2006, Gilbert Cruz, review of Slay Ride, p. 92.
Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2005, review of Tilt a Whirl, p. 818; May 1, 2008, review of Crossroads; May 1, 2009, review of Mind Scrambler; June 15, 2009, review of The Hanging Hill; July 1, 2010, review of The Smoky Corridor; June 1, 2011, review of The Black Heart Crypt; February 15, 2013, review of Riley Mack Stirs Up More Trouble; March 15, 2013, review of Free Fall; May 1, 2013, review of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library; December 15, 2014, review of The Island of Dr. Libris; October 1, 2015, review of Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics; February 15, 2017, review of Beach Party Surf Monkey; August 15, 2017, review of Mr. Lemoncello’s Great Library Race; January 15, 2019, review of Katt vs. Dogg; May 15, 2019, review of Rebels with a Cause; December 1, 2019, review of No More Naps! A Story for When You’re Wide-Awake and Definitely NOT Tired; October 15, 2021, review of Genius Camp; March 15, 2022, review of Mr. Lemoncello’s Very First Game; September 1, 2022, review of Cat Crew; March 1, 2023, review of Evil Genius; March 15, 2023, review of NO Is All I Know!; September 15, 2023, review of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: The Graphic Novel.
Library Journal, September 15, 2005, Nicole A. Cooke, review of Tilt a Whirl, p. 60; June 1, 2006, review of Mad Mouse, p. 549; September 1, 2006, review of Slay Ride, p. 878; March 15, 2007, review of Whack a Mole.
New York Times Book Review, January 10, 2021, Rob Harrell, review of The Smartest Kid in the Universe, p. 18.
Publishers Weekly, August 8, 2005, review of Tilt a Whirl, p. 216; May 8, 2006, review of Mad Mouse, p. 49; September 11, 2006, review of Slay Ride, p. 36; March 5, 2007, review of Whack a Mole, p. 42; September 17, 2007, review of Hell for the Holidays, p. 34; March 2, 2009, review of Mind Scrambler, p. 46; March 8, 2010, review of Rolling Thunder, p. 38; October 29, 2012, review of I Funny: A Middle School Story, p. 57; March 18, 2013, review of Free Fall, p. 62; April 22, 2013, review of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, p. 56; August 12, 2013, review of Treasure Hunters, p. 60; August 8, 2016, review of Home Sweet Motel, p. 68; October 3, 2016, review of Word of Mouse, p. 123; May 1, 2017, review of Pottymouth and Stoopid, p. 57; September 16, 2019, review of Shine!, p. 78; October 21, 2019, review of No More Naps!, p. 74; March 13, 2023, review of NO Is All I Know!, p. 49; March 8, 2021, review of Best Nerds Forever, p. 55.
Reviewer’s Bookwatch, October, 2013, review of Free Fall; July, 2014, Theodore Feit, review of Free Fall.
School Library Journal, November 1, 2008, Jessica Miller, review of The Crossroads, p. 120; August 1, 2009, Robyn Gioia, review of The Hanging Hill, p. 103; July, 2010, Connie Tyrrell Burns, review of The Smoky Corridor, p. 88; December, 2012, Diane McCabe, review of I Funny: A Middle School Story, p. 127; June, 2013, Michele Shaw, review of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, p. 124; July, 2013, Michele Shaw, review of Riley Mack Stirs Up More Trouble, p. 81; January, 2015, Michele Shaw, review of The Island of Dr. Libris, p. 93; December, 2015, Michele Shaw, review of Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics, p. 101; March, 2016, Jessica Bratt, review of Jacky Ha-Ha, p. 136; August, 2016, Brenda Kahn, review of Home Sweet Motel, p. 88; May, 2017, Elizabeth Swartz, review of Potty Mouth and Stoopid, p. 91; July, 2017, Michele Shaw, review of Mr. Lemoncello’s Great Library Race, p. 72; July, 2017, Elziabeth Pelayo, review of Laugh Out Loud, p. 77; November, 2023, Elisabeth LeBris, review of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: The Graphic Novel, p. 62; October, 2020, Michele Shaw, review of The Smartest Kid in the Universe, p. 75; May, 2021, Jennifer Strattman, revie of Dog Squad, p. 75.
Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 2012, Caitlyn Augusta, review of I Funny: A Middle School Story, p. 473.
ONLINE
A Nest in the Rocks, http://anestintherocks.com/ (March 9, 2017), “Interviewing Author Chris Grabenstein.”
Beatrice, http://www.beatrice.com/ (September 29, 2005), Ron Hogan, author interview.
Bookreporter, http://www.bookreporter.com/ (September 26, 2009), Joe Hartlaub, reviews of Tilt a Whirl, Mad Mouse, Slay Ride, and Mind Scrambler.
Brightly, https://www.readbrightly.com/ (April 28, 2024), “Making Mr. Lemoncello Proud: Chris Grabenstein on the Value of Libraries Today.”
Children’s Book Review, https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/ (April 28, 2024), Bianca Schulze, “Chris Grabenstein on Writing Books for Kids.”
Chris Grabenstein website, https://chrisgrabenstein.com (April 28, 2024).
Comic Buzz, https://comicbuzz.com/comicbuzz-chats-with-chris-grabenstein/
ComicBuzz Chats With Chris Grabenstein
From the Mixed Up Files, https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/ (December 1, 2019), “Interview with Chris & J.J. Grabenstein, coauthors of Shine!”
Info Marketing Blog, http://infomarketingblog.com/ (February 3, 2018), Lawrence Bernstein, “An Interview with Mystery Writer Chris Grabenstein.”
Kidsreads, http://www.kidsreads.com/ (November 1, 2009), Amy Alessio, author interview.
Middle Grade Mafia, http://middlegrademafia.com/ (December 21, 2014), Kevin Springer, “The Writer’s Block: An Interview with Chris Grabenstein.”
Mystery Reader, http://www.themysteryreader.com/ (June 4, 2007), Lesley Dunlap, review of Tilt a Whirl, and Kathy Sova, author interview.
Newsday, https://www.newsday.com/ (May 18, 2019), Ian Armstrong, Collin Chattaway, Julianna Kramer and Natalia Owadally, “Meeting Author Chris Grabenstein.”
Orange County Library System website, https://ocls.info/ (March 26, 2021), Scottie Campbell and Mike Donohue, “Q&A with Author Chris Grabenstein.”
Publishers Weekly, https://www.publishersweekly.com/ (July 6, 2016), Natasha Gilmore, “Four Questions for … Chris Grabenstein.”
Random House website, http://www.randomhouse.com/ (January 15, 2012), “Chris Grabenstein.”
Spinetingler, http://www.spinetinglermag.com/ (March 22, 2010), Jack Getze, author interview.
Writer’s Digest, https://www.writersdigest.com/ (February 19, 2023), Clay Stafford, “A Conversation with Chris Grabenstein on Writing for Kids.”
YAYOMG!, https://www.yayomg.com/ (November 6, 2019), “Shine! Interview with Author J.J. Grabenstein.”
CHRIS GRABENSTEIN is the multiple award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the LEMONCELLO, WONDERLAND, HAUNTED MYSTERY, SMARTEST KID, and DOG SQUAD series. He co-authored the acclaimed SHINE! with his wife J.J. Grabenstein as well as nearly three dozen fast-paced and funny page turners with James Patterson including the I FUNNY, JACKY HA-HA, TREASURE HUNTERS, and MAX EINSTEIN series. He’s written Audible Originals, short stories, and stage plays. After graduating from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Chris moved to New York City and started doing improvisational comedy in Greenwich Village. During those years, he also wrote for the Muppets and helped create the CBS holiday classic The Christmas Gift starring John Denver. He then spent seventeen years writing radio and television commercials for brands such as KFC, Dr Pepper, Seven Up, and many others. His first boss in advertising was James Patterson. Chris, the current president of the Mystery Writers of America, and his wife J.J. still live in New York City with two cats and lots of ideas.
HOW DID CHRIS BECOME AN AUTHOR?
Chris Grabenstein has always had a big imagination. He’s also always loved making people laugh.
Author Chris Grabenstein
Chris started writing a long time ago. He and his four brothers used to write scripts and put on skits or puppet shows in the basement of their home in Buffalo, New York. Admission was a nickel. They usually earned ten cents a show, because their mom and dad were the only customers.
Author Chris Grabenstein
Chris winning his first writing award in the fifth grade! It was an essay contest, just like in ESCAPE FROM MR. LEMONCELLO’S LIBRARY.
When he was ten, Chris moved from Buffalo, NY to Signal Mountain, Tennessee and had a great English teacher in the seventh grade who told him he would make his living as a writer one day.
Author Chris Grabenstein
Limericks from Chris’s middle school composition book
After graduating from Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga—where he had more great English teachers, edited the school newspaper, and was president of the drama club—he studied communications and theater at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Author Chris Grabenstein
In high school, Chris (on the left) had hair longer than the mop’s
He wrote for the college paper and acted in over fifty different stage productions.
Author Chris Grabenstein
“South Pacific” at UT’s Hunter Hills Theater
Recently, the University of Tennessee named Chris a Distinguished Alumnus. He and his wife also sponsor a Luigi L. Lemoncello Scholarship at UTK for students interested in a career as a children’s librarian.
Chris moved to New York City in 1979 with six suitcases, a typewriter, and very little money. For five years, he performed with some of the city’s top Improvisational Comedy troupes, making up scenes and songs on the spot in front of live audiences, just like they did on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
Author Chris Grabenstein
Chris making up a funny Shakespeare scene with the late Robin Williams
A young actor named Bruce Willis was also in Chris’ comedy group before he became BRUCE WILLIS. From time to time, the late Robin Williams would drop by to perform with Chris and his comedy gang. When not writing scripts for his friends to perform in the small Greenwich Village theatre (which was actually another basement, just like the one where he and his brothers did puppet shows), Chris also wrote for Jim Henson’s Muppets.
Author Chris Grabenstein
Chris wrote for Jim Henson’s Little Muppet Monsters show on CBS
In 1986, he and his college buddy Ronny Venable wrote a TV movie for CBS called The Christmas Gift. It starred John Denver and can still be seen almost every year—usually during the holidays, usually on the Hallmark Channel, usually at three o’clock in the morning.
Author Chris Grabenstein
Chris also spent close to twenty years writing radio and television commercials for Burger King, Seven Up, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dr Pepper, Chef Boyardee, and many, many others.
Author Chris Grabenstein
Click here to watch two commercials created for Chef Boyardee—filmed by Academy Award winner Giuseppe Tornatore, scored by Academy Award winner Ennio Morricone
His first boss was a very talented advertising writer named James Patterson. Now they’ve written books together.
Chris and James Patterson having fun filming a promo for their I FUNNY books.
In 2001, Chris quit his job as an executive at one of the world’s largest advertising agencies. He spent the next four years having everything he wrote rejected by publishers, producers, and strangers he met on the street. In 2005, his first books started being published. They were mysteries for adults, which none of his two dozen nieces and nephews could read because, at the time, they weren’t adults.
When given a chance, he rewrote one of his rejected adult manuscripts (The Crossroads) and turned into a ghost story for younger readers. He had so much fun, he kept on writing for kids.
Now he’s had over six-dozen different books published, is working on several new projects, and is also branching out into graphic novel versions of the Lemoncello stories.
Yes, like we said, Chris is always writing! This morning, he wrote a grocery list, a note to J.J., and a letter to Santa Claus. It’s never too early.
Chris and J.J. live in New York City with their cats Luigi & Phoebe Squeak and lots and lots of ideas.
Chris Grabenstein
USA flag
Chris Grabenstein is the Anthony award-winning author of the John Ceepak/Jersey Shore mysteries Tilt-a-whirl, Mad Mouse, and Whack-a-Mole plus the holiday thrillers Slay Ride and Hell for the Holidays. In 1986, he and his college buddy Ronny Venable wrote The Christmas Gift starring John Denver for CBS TV and it still shows up every holiday season on cable TV.
Genres: Children's Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult Fantasy
New and upcoming books
October 2024
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The Boy Who Cried Underpants
(Stinky, book 1)October 2024
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Jack and the Beanstink
(Stinky, book 2)November 2024
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Mr. Lemoncello's Fantabulous Finale
(Mr. Lemoncello, book 6)
Series
John Ceepak
1. Tilt-a-whirl (2005)
2. Mad Mouse (2006)
3. Whack-a-Mole (2007)
4. Hell Hole (2008)
5. Mind Scrambler (2009)
6. Rolling Thunder (2010)
Ring Toss (2011)
7. Fun House (2012)
8. Free Fall (2013)
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Christopher Miller Holiday Thriller
1. Slay Ride (2006)
2. Hell for the Holidays (2007)
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Haunted Mystery
1. The Crossroads (2008)
2. The Hanging Hill (2009)
aka The Demons' Door
3. The Smoky Corridor (2010)
aka The Zombie Awakening
4. The Black Heart Crypt (2011)
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Daniel X (with James Patterson)
5. Armageddon (2012)
6. Lights Out (2015)
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Ocean's Eleven
1. Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers (2012)
2. Riley Mack Stirs Up More Trouble (2013)
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I Funny (with James Patterson)
1. I, Funny (2012)
2. I Even Funnier (2013)
3. I Totally Funniest (2015)
4. I Funny TV (2015)
5. School of Laughs (2017)
6. The Nerdiest, Wimpiest, Dorkiest I Funny Ever (2018)
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Treasure Hunters (with James Patterson)
1. Treasure Hunters (2013)
2. Danger Down the Nile (2014)
3. Secret of the Forbidden City (2015)
4. Peril at the Top of the World (2016)
5. Quest for the City of Gold (2018)
6. All-American Adventure (2019)
7. The Plunder Down Under (2020)
8. The Ultimate Quest (2022)
9. The Greatest Treasure Hunt (2023)
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Mr. Lemoncello
0.5. Mr. Lemoncello's Very First Game (2022)
1. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (2013)
2. Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics (2016)
3. Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race (2017)
4. Mr. Lemoncello's All-Star Breakout Game (2019)
5. Mr. Lemoncello and the Titanium Ticket (2020)
6. Mr. Lemoncello's Fantabulous Finale (2024)
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House of Robots (with James Patterson)
1. House of Robots (2014)
2. Robots Go Wild (2015)
3. Robot Revolution! (2017)
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Welcome to Wonderland
1. Home, Sweet Motel (2016)
2. Beach Party Surf Monkey (2017)
3. Sandapalooza Shake-Up (2018)
4. Beach Battle Blowout (2019)
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Jacky Ha-Ha (with James Patterson)
1. Jacky Ha-Ha (2016)
2. My Life Is a Joke (2017)
3. Jacky Ha-Ha Gets the Last Laugh (2023)
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Max Einstein (with James Patterson)
1. The Genius Experiment (2018)
2. Rebels With A Cause (2019)
3. Saves the Future (2020)
4. World Champions! (2021)
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Smartest Kid in the Universe
1. The Smartest Kid in the Universe (2019)
2. Genius Camp (2021)
3. Evil Genius (2023)
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Katt vs. Dogg (with James Patterson)
1. Katt vs. Dogg (2019)
2. Katt Loves Dogg (2021)
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Dog Squad
1. Dog Squad (2021)
2. Cat Crew (2022)
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Stinky (with J J Grabenstein)
1. The Boy Who Cried Underpants (2024)
2. Jack and the Beanstink (2024)
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Novels
The Explorers' Gate (2012)
The Island of Dr. Libris (2015)
Word of Mouse (2016) (with James Patterson)
Pottymouth and Stoopid (2017) (with James Patterson)
Laugh Out Loud (2017) (with James Patterson)
Shine! (2019)
Scaredy Cat (2021) (with James Patterson)
Best Nerds Forever (2021) (with James Patterson)
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Novellas and Short Stories
The Christmas Tree Thief (2008)
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Series contributed to
Mystery Writers of America Presents
Super Puzzletastic Mysteries (2020)
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Plays hide
Curiosity Cat (2010)
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Picture Books hide
No More Naps! (2020)
No is All I Know! (2023)
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Omnibus editions hide
Best of James Patterson for Kids Boxed Set (2018) (with James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts)
Q&A with Author Chris Grabenstein
March 26, 2021
Scottie Campbell & Mike Donohue
Q&A with Chris Grabenstein - Home Sweet Motel - One Book, One Community - Shelf Centered
One Book, One Community encourages communities to come together through the reading and discussion of a common book. This year, Orlando Sentinel selected Home Sweet Motel, the first book in Chris Grabenstein’s Welcome to Wonderland series. In anticipation of the event, Chris appeared as a guest on the library’s podcast Shelf Centered. Here are a few moments from that interview.
“I HAVE TO APOLOGIZE TO ORLANDO. I THINK WALT DISNEY GETS A LITTLE BIT OF A DIG IN THIS BOOK.” – Chris Grabenstein
FOR THOSE UNFAMILIAR WITH YOUR WORK, WHAT CAN THEY EXPECT FROM HOME SWEET MOTEL?
I think all of my books are kind of fast-paced and funny, there’s humor and heart. I was what they call a reluctant reader when I was the same age as all the kids who read my books. I like to think I was a super critical reader – I just wanted to read books that weren’t boring! I didn’t want to read the “broccoli books” – everybody said, “This book’s good for you, you should read this book.” I guess I’m writing books for the kid I used to be.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE INSPIRATION BEHIND HOME SWEET MOTEL?
Whenever I go on the road and visit schools and things, I see kids in motels where I’m staying and they’re having a blast. I realize a motel is one of the best places to be a kid. There’s all this free food – waffles that you put chocolate syrup on, this whip cream you can use. You can jump up and down on the bed and no one’s going to yell at you too much. So, I started thinking what if – because all my stories start with “what if?” – what if I could be a kid who lived in a motel? What could be better than that?
HOW IMPORTANT IS HOME SWEET MOTEL BEING PART OF ONE BOOK, ONE COMMUNITY?
I was overjoyed to hear it. Several of my books have been picked up in other spots around the country, particularly the Lemoncello books, where they’ll do One Book, One Community reads. It’s amazing how much the adults like reading kid’s books. I’ve gone to some schools where everybody from custodians to bus drivers to the staff and kids and kid’s families have read the books and it always gets some neat discussions started. These books are a lot of fun but there are some things in there that make you think a little bit.
I think it’s terrific that parents, kids and people in the community can all share a story in common and have something to talk about. It just makes reading that much when you’re able to talk about what you read with other people.
WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST TO YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN PURSUING A PATH IN WRITING?
I always think of myself as a writer than an author because I think of myself as an entertainer. I think that might be a way to approach whatever you’re writing. By eighth grade I’d made up my mind I wanted to be a writer of some sort. I thought being a writer meant using big words and I asked my parents to give me a dictionary and a thesaurus for my birthday. I wrote these essays with big words that I was using completely wrong, but then I realize that your real job is to grab the reader’s attention and once you have that attention: don’t let it go.
So, I always tell kids when I go to schools, “Write your homework assignments as if your teacher did not have to read anything you’ve written unless you’ve made them want to read it. Because teachers get bored too.”
Chris has done improv with Robin Williams and worked in advertising with James Patterson, to hear those stories and more listen to the full interview at ocls.info/podcast.
ComicBuzz Chats With Chris Grabenstein
With the release of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: The Graphic Novel today from Random House Books for Young Readers, we are delighted to be joined by New York Times bestselling author Chris Grabenstein.
Could you please tell us a little about yourself?
I’m the award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lemoncello series, the Smartest Kid series, the Dog Squad series, the Wonderland series, the Haunted Mystery series, and The Island of Dr. Libris. Together, my wife J.J. and I wrote the acclaimed Shine! I’ve also done two picture books – No More Naps and No Is All I Know – with illustrations by the very talented Leo Espinosa.
I’m the co-author (with James Patterson) of the #1 Bestsellers I Funny, House of Robots, Treasure Hunters, Jacky Ha-Ha, Word of Mouse, Max Einstein, Katt Vs. Dogg, Best Nerds Forever, and many others.
I started writing a long time ago. My four brothers and I used to put on skits and puppet shows in the basement of our home in Buffalo, New York. Admission was a nickel. We usually earned ten cents a show because Mom and Dad were our only paying customers.
When I was ten, we moved to Signal Mountain, Tennessee where I had a great teacher who told me (when I was in the 7th grade) that I would “make a living as a writer one day.”
I studied communications and theater at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville then moved to New York City with six suitcases, a typewriter, and very little money. For five years, I performed with some of the city’s top Improvisational Comedy troupes, making up scenes and songs on the spot in front of live audiences, just like they do on the TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
A young actor named Bruce Willis was also in my comedy group and, from time to time, the late Robin Williams would drop by to perform with us. I also wrote for Jim Henson’s Muppets.
In 1986, my college buddy Ronny Venable and I wrote a TV movie for CBS called The Christmas Gift. It starred John Denver and can still be seen almost every year—usually during the holidays, usually on the Hallmark Channel, usually at three o’clock in the morning. We usually clear about ten dollars a year each in residuals.
I spent sixteen years as an advertising exec writing radio and television commercials for Burger King, Seven Up, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dr Pepper, and many, many others. My first boss was a very talented advertising writer named James Patterson. Now we write books together.
After my advertising career, I spent four years having everything I wrote rejected by publishers, producers, and strangers I met on the street. Now I’ve had over six-dozen different books published and I’m working on several new projects
My wife J.J. and I still live in New York City with our cats Luigi & Phoebe Squeak and lots and lots of ideas.
Can you tell us about the origins of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: The Graphic Novel?
Several years ago, the folks at Jimmy books did a graphic novel version of JACKY HA HA, one of the books that James Patterson and I had written together. I wasn’t involved in that transformation but I was thrilled and delighted when I saw the result. All those figments of our imagination sprang to vivid, visual life. I went to my terrific editor at Random House, Shana Corey, and said, “Do you think we could ever do that sort of graphic novel thing with a Mr. Lemoncello story?” Shana said, “Yes!”
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What can you tell us about Kyle Keeley?
Kyle is the youngest of the three boys in his family. The only time he can beat his big brothers – one is a super jock, the other is a super genius – is when they all play board games. The germ of Kyle’s character came from my own memories of being the third son in a family of five who could never beat my two big brothers at anything except when we played board games. Kyle will do anything to win. Why, he’d even kick out a window if it gave him an edge over his brothers in a wild scavenger hunt. He is a superfan of all things Lemoncello and, more than anything, wants to be in the new library for its opening games.
When you first thought about Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: The Graphic Novel, visually, did you have style in mind?
I wanted the visual style to be as fun and fast paced as the story. As a big fan of Mad Magazine (I got my first subscription when I was ten), I also love a loaded frame filled with small, funny details. Douglas Holgate was the perfect match. His drawings are as wacky and nimble as my story.
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How did Douglas Holgate, Marta Todeschini and Juliet Goodman join the team?
Through trust and faith! I am very fortunate to work with Random House Graphic. They have the world’s best (IMHO) art directors and editors. They knew exactly who to reach out to. And once they found the perfect people, they ran them by me and I said, “Wow, you found the perfect people!”
Who is Mr. Lemoncello?
Luigi Lemoncello is the world’s richest, wackiest, zaniest, and generous game maker. A bazillionaire, he builds a futuristic library for his small hometown because, when he was a kid, the librarian was one of the people who encouraged him to follow his dreams. Having been fortunate enough to work with both Robin Williams and Jim Henson, I think Mr. Lemoncello is a little bit of both. The spontaneously zany antics of Robin Williams. The creative genius and generous heart of Jim Henson.
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What made Douglas and Marta the right artists for Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: The Graphic Novel?
They got the picture. Douglas took my words about Mr. Lemoncello coming on stage like “a happy grasshopper” and turned him into a lanky, loose-limbed delight. Marta’s colors are spot on – setting mood and place. Early readers have raved about how beautiful the finished book looks.
Was it a difficult process to create the graphic novel?
Not really. I spent sixteen years creating, mostly, TV commercials for big ad agencies and clients. I just had to dust off my “storyboarding” technique. I also applied some of what I know about screenplay structure and writing to the graphic novel script. Of course, the book has many more words than the graphic novel. And big chunks had to be cut. But, since the book has been out in the world for ten years, I have received thousands of reviews, emails, and fan mail letters. I knew exactly which set pieces in the novel nobody ever cited as their favorites. Those were the first bits cut. I also knew the most quoted lines from the book. They all stayed!
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Do you have a favourite scene from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: The Graphic Novel?
When Kyle goes on his extreme challenge and it’s a race against the clock between him and some very scary sliding bookcases down in the basement. This was always one of the most visual scenes in the book. Now it zips across several pages with very few words and lots of fun sound effects. (I wrote some of those but I think Douglas’s are even better!)
Is there a particular character from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library that you enjoy writing?
That has to be Mr. Lemoncello. He is such a wackaloon, prone to flights of fancy and verbal gymnastics. If he’s going to give a few brief remarks, they’ll probably be a string of words like “Short. Concise. Underpants.” He is, as they say, a hoot.
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How would you describe Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: The Graphic Novel?
I’ll let the starred review from Booklist do it for me: “A worthy successor to the original madman puzzle-master himself, Willy Wonka.” Now in full color and fun, action-packed panels!
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
Because I grew up in a time when we didn’t read books in school (we had to do color coded essays in a program called SRA), comic books were what made me fall in love with reading and storytelling. Superman. Archie. Richie Rich. Classics Illustrated. And, of course, Mad. I hope we’ve done the genre proud because the genre has done so much for me!
We would like to say thank you to Chris for chatting with us. We would like to wish Chris and the whole of the Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: The Graphic Novel team the best of luck with the book.
Making Mr. Lemoncello Proud:
Chris Grabenstein on the Value of Libraries Today
by the Brightly Editors
Chris Grabenstein is the New York Times-bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, a middle grade novel about nonstop fun inside a library. When renowned game inventor Luigi Lemoncello invites a dozen lucky kids to be the first to experience the wonders of his new state-of-the-art library in an overnight lock-in, Kyle Keeley is super excited to be chosen. But when morning comes and the library doors remain locked, the kids discover that Mr. Lemoncello has one last game in store for them. Using only the library’s resources, Kyle and the others must follow book-related clues and solve literary puzzles to find their way out. We were so excited to chat with Chris about his own relationship with books growing up, the value of libraries as a resource for kids, and the coolest library he’s ever visited.
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is a Brightly Book Club for Kids pick. Click here to discover book-inspired activities and tips for discussion, and join the reading fun!
The Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series has been hailed as great for both bookworms and reluctant readers alike. Were you a reader growing up or were you more like the main character Kyle? Did you write the books with reluctant readers in mind?
I was more like Kyle — a reluctant reader, or, as I like to call us, hypercritical readers who only want to read fun, fast-paced, action-packed stories that we enjoy reading. No good-for-you broccoli books. So, yes, I try to write all of my books with the young me in mind. Hopefully, the stories become mental movies that whisk even the most reluctant readers along in their wake.
But I’ve also heard from hundreds of readers — kids and adults — who love the bookworm character Sierra Russell. They either are or were Sierra, with their nose constantly in a book.
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is very much an ode to libraries and all that they offer their communities. Why do you feel that libraries are important resources for kids today?
Libraries are wonderful for so many reasons. They are the epitome of the democratization of knowledge and, as Mr. Lemoncello says, “Knowledge not shared remains unknown.” For kids, the library can become the one place where they are free to pursue an independent study. I remember being young and fascinated by comedians like the Marx Brothers. The library was the place where I could dig into my own personalized pursuit of comedy. In a lot of the schools that I visit, the library is the hub of the school. All classes and subjects are linked to the mothership of knowledge!
The characters take different approaches to Mr. Lemoncello’s challenges, from working alone to helping out others. What were you hoping to convey to readers about the power of teamwork?
Teamwork makes the dream work! I really tried to give every kid on Team Kyle a chance to shine individually, but their talents are magnified because they are working together. I think this is something I really learned working in advertising and film production. A talented team of experts, all of them skilled in their individual craft, can make something much bigger and better than any single artiste attempting to do it all themselves.
You reference many real-life books and authors throughout the story. How did you decide which ones to include? Have you actually read them all?
Full disclosure — I have not read ALL the books. But, one day, I hope I do. Some of the books were chosen simply because their titles gave me the clues I needed. Most, however, were culled from lists of the best books for middle grade readers and Newbery Medal winners.
What was the inspiration behind Mr. Lemoncello and his wacky personality?
Mostly me! When I visit schools, teachers start calling me Mr. Lemoncello instead of Mr. Grabenstein (which, by the way, was my dad’s name — I’m just Chris). I used to do improvisational, free-form comedy and I wanted to give Mr. Lemoncello that kind of wacky dialogue. Also, years ago, I wrote for Jim Henson and the Muppets. He was such a bundle of creative imagination and, when I worked for him, could financially realize anything he dreamt up. There is a lot of Mr. Henson in Mr. Lemoncello.
What’s the best library you’ve ever visited and why?
I love them all — particularly the main branch of the New York Public Library. One of the coolest I’ve visited was the Schaumberg Public Library outside of Chicago where my librarian-friend Amy Alessio, who was a technical advisor on Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, worked. They had a video room on the first floor, a cafe, collaboration stations in the young adult section, and so many cool things that made learning and doing research fun. Mr. Lemoncello would’ve been proud.
Chris Grabenstein on Writing Books for Kids
Bianca SchulzeBy Bianca Schulze50 Mins Read
AGES 0-3
AGES 4-8
AGES 9-12
AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
BEST KIDS STORIES
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Growing Readers Podcast Chris Grabenstein on Writing Books for Kids
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A podcast interview with Chris Grabenstein
The Children’s Book Review
In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, Chris Grabenstein talks about writing, reading, and his new hilariously profound picture book No Is All I Know and the latest book in The Smartest Kid in the Universe series: Evil Genius.
We discuss Chris’s time in a top New York City improvisational comedy troupe performing with Bruce Willis and sometimes even Robin Williams. How writing for Jim Henson’s Muppets, co-writing the movie The Christmas Gift (starring John Denver), and working in advertising with James Patterson has shaped his writing now, as well as the art of never being boring when writing for kids.
Listen to the Interview
The Growing Readers Podcast is available on all major platforms. Subscribe Now.
Chris Grabenstein is the multiple award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the MR. LEMONCELLO, HAUNTED MYSTERY, WELCOME TO WONDERLAND, SMARTEST KID IN THE UNIVERSE, and DOG SQUAD series. He also wrote THE ISLAND OF DR. LIBRIS, SHINE (with his wife J.J.), the picture book NO MORE NAPS, and many, many other books, plays, and audiobook originals. Chris and J.J. Grabenstein live in New York City with two cats and lots of ideas.
Read the Transcription
Bianca Schulze: Well, hello, Chris. Welcome to the Growing Readers podcast.
Chris Grabenstein: Oh, thank you so much. It’s good to be here. And let’s watch some readers grow. Let’s water these readers so they can grow.
Bianca Schulze: Absolutely, absolutely. Well, before we get into talking about your new books, Chris, I loved reading some really fun facts about you on your website. I’m going to share a few. I have them written down here. So, you performed with some of New York City’s top improvisational comedy troops, and Bruce Willis was in your comedy group before he became Bruce Willis. And the late Robin Williams, who I adored, would drop by to perform with your comedy gang. So, what was that like being in that comedy troupe?
Chris Grabenstein: It was fun. Bruce was just— we were all, you do those kinds of things in, like, basement theaters down in Greenwich Village, hoping that an agent or a talent scout will come by, and you make no money whatsoever. And Bruce was just Bruce, the bartender. I was Chris, the Typist, and so we were all doing something else to make our money while we did that. And then I think he got cast in an off-Broadway show, which sort of started his trajectory.
And then Robin Williams loved doing improvisational comedy. And at that time, this was like the early 1980s; there were only two troops in New York City, and he’d find out where we were performing, and his people would say Robin might come by, and word would spread. Somehow word would spread. And suddenly, our little basement theater that had maybe 1520 people every Saturday night was jam-packed. Don’t tell the fire department with, like, 100 people, and it was terrific. Robin Williams was the shyest person I have ever met in my life. He would go out on the stage, and the people would love everything, laughing their heads off, and he’d come backstage and go: Do you think they liked it? Yeah. You’re Robin Williams. They loved it.
Bianca Schulze: That’s fantastic. Well, you’ve also written for Jim Henson’s Muppets. You co-wrote a movie, The Christmas Gift, that starred John Denver. And I live right near Denver. And anyway, that’s irrelevant, but—
Chris Grabenstein: They filmed it in Georgetown, Colorado.
Bianca Schulze: Oh, you did?
Chris Grabenstein: They did. It was the first script my buddy and I from college wrote, so we didn’t write the final shooting script, nor were we invited to the shoot. But I have been to Georgetown since I think I was out there when I was in advertising on a business meeting. So, let’s go up to Georgetown, and they’ve got, like, quite a shrine to the movie up there.
Bianca Schulze: Oh, that’s so cool. I’m a skier, so we tend to drive past Georgetown a lot. I should probably stop and check it out.
Chris Grabenstein: They’ve got a wonderful holiday market Christmas tree thing, and they have a lot of John Denver, like, sing-along things in Georgetown.
Bianca Schulze: Oh, very cool. I’m glad I know that now. Well, you’ve also written radio and television commercials for many big brands, including food and beverage giants Burger King, Seven Up, Dr. Pepper, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. And another quick tangent because this is where our lives kind of connect. I used to be a television extra, and I was in a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial.
Chris Grabenstein: It might have been in one of mine. I ran the business for six or seven years in the 90s. In the 1990s, when I was doing that.
Bianca Schulze: Teah, it was the 90’s and was in Australia. So, I don’t know if they ran the same ads, but so fun. Well, and for the last fun fact, your boss was a very talented advertising writer named James Patterson, and now you write books together. A lot of books.
Chris Grabenstein: I think we’ve done— People can’t see, but you can see that shelf— we’ve done three dozen books together.
Bianca Schulze: Yeah. That’s amazing. I know. I was going to start counting how many books you’ve actually written. And I’m going to tell you the truth; I gave up. Do you even know how many books?
Chris Grabenstein: I don’t really know. If you start adding in, like, I sometimes get asked to contribute to short story collections or essay collections, and it’s somewhere near like six dozen. I think.
Bianca Schulze: Yeah. That’s amazing. Chris, who do you wish could see you now?
Chris Grabenstein: Oh, the kid who picked on me when I was in the 7th-grade bully, Bobby Younger, who almost got his name in a book once because my very first book for kids was going to be a bully in it. And I said, well, I’m finally going to have my revenge. That’s one of the great things about being a writer. You can finally have revenge on some people. So, I’m going to have my main character in this ghost story. My first book for kids was called The Crossroads. And I’m going to have my main character picked on by a bully who’s going to pick on the exact same way that Bobby Younger picked on me because he’s now a big famous doctor somewhere, I think in Tennessee somewhere. But I’m gonna let everyone know that Bobby Younger, when he was a kid, was nothing but a mean bully.
And so, I wrote it. And my main character, there’s a ghost who helps him. He says, pull down Bobby Younger’s pants and show everyone, even though he’s 14, he wears big boy underpants because Bobby Younger poops his pants. So, I was having all this fun, and I’m writing it all up. Then my mother called me up, and she said, Chris, guess who I just talked to? I said, who? Mrs. Younger. Remember her? Is lived down the street from us? Yes. Had that boy named Bobby. Yes. She reads all your books. Reads them two or three times. So, I quickly called up Random House. I said we need to do a global name change. Please change Bobby Younger to Kyle Snirts. Or an old lady in Tennessee is going to have a heart attack. So that’s why I wish Bobby Younger could see me now.
Bianca Schulze: That’s hilarious. I was trying so hard not to laugh too loud because I wanted everybody to hear you. That was amazing. I love your voices, too, Chris. I have never seen you read one of your books, but I can just imagine that you bring the house down with all of your character voices.
Chris Grabenstein: I do. In live in person, people say you should do the audiobooks. I say, no, I’m too big and broad. My wife is the audiobook narrator in this family. Because you don’t want my voice in your head. Well, I don’t know. I was a disc jockey. That’s how I paid my way through college and used to do funny voices on the radio, too.
Bianca Schulze: Yeah, you definitely have that tone of a radio voice. Well, let’s get into writing books for children. I want to know what drives you and guides you in creating books for kids.
Chris Grabenstein: I try to remember what I felt like when I was that age. And the first thing— and everything I write, I remember: I did not like to read when I was a kid. They used to call me a reluctant reader. I would like to consider myself a super critical reader. I just wanted stories that got like a movie projector going in my brain. And if you did that, if you grabbed me by the first page and didn’t let go, then I would devour your book in a day. But if you describe the dew on the grass and the emotional feelings of the leaves as they drifted down from the limbs of the tree, you would basically be putting me to sleep. So, I always try to write for kids who might be like me.
And I think there’s probably even more now with the advent of video games and handheld devices that can dazzle and quickly gratify your entertainment needs, that I try to write fast-paced, fun reads for kids. And then I always tell other authors that you have to remember what you felt like when you were a kid, not what you did. Because kids today don’t want to read about it—unless you do like a period piece, a time-traveling piece, and said it. I was a kid in the late 60s, early seventies. I don’t think they want to hear about my bell bottoms, but the way you felt when you were a kid.
The example I sometimes use is if you were at the chalkboard, which we had when I went to school. Nobody has a chalkboard now, so don’t put a chalkboard in your book, but if you were at the front of the class and you hadn’t done your homework. And you didn’t know how to do the math problem because you hadn’t done your homework. Those props have all changed. But that feeling that you had, like, I should have done my homework, and that would still be the same for a twelve-year-old kid today.
So, what I do is when I was in 6th grade, there was a band called The Monkees. They did Daydream Believer, and songs like that were very big. And we used to listen at recess; we used to listen to Monkee’s music. So, I put on The Monkee’s music, and I look at my old pictures from fifth and 6th grade, and I just try to remember how I felt when I was that age.
Bianca Schulze: Yeah, that’s fantastic. Now I have the hey, hey, we’re the Monkees.
Chris Grabenstein: And people say we monkey around, but we’re too busy singing to put anybody down. Great lyrics back then.
Bianca Schulze: Great lyrics, exactly.
Well, ahead of our chat, I gave you a couple of questions, and something that you wrote back with was with your writing, never be boring. And I think that just those simple words are it’s such excellent advice, especially, like you said, when we’re competing against technology devices and kids wanting to make all the TikTok dances.
So, on the theme of never being boring, I read so many children’s books, and what I love about your books is that your writer’s voice feels current without sounding like a grown-up trying too hard. And so, how do you find the right voice? And I feel like you just touched on that a little bit. But if we were to dig deeper beyond just trying to remember what it feels like to be a kid, what’s the secret to finding a writer’s voice that isn’t boring? And is it just having a really good editor?
Chris Grabenstein: No. In my case, it all started or didn’t all start. I probably was doing it originally, but a lot of it stems from those almost 20 years I spent doing advertising. And James Patterson was my boss. He was the executive creative director. I was like the junior copywriter, like the first kids in the door. And they actually had training programs back then. I don’t think any corporations do that anymore. They can’t afford to do it.
But he came in one day to teach us about creative how to write advertising. And back then, he had this big bushy beard, and he came into a conference room, and he stood at the Lectern, very serious Madison Avenue kind of setting, said, all right, I’m going to show you, teach you how to make a million dollars a year in advertising. The secret is— and before he could say another word, this kind of knucklehead guy came running in the door with a banana cream pie and slammed it in James Patterson’s face. And there was custard and goo and crust clinging from his beard, and he cleaned himself up a little bit. And all of us because we’re like new hires, going, he’s so fired. He’s so fired.
And Jim cleaned himself up a little bit, and he said, okay, I just showed you how to make a million dollars a year in advertising. Throw a pie in their face. And once you have their attention, say something smart. And that’s why most of my books start with a pie in the face. Something is happening. If you grab my attention and have something going on, I’ll stick around. You can drop in; you can peel the layers of the onion and do the exposition later. It’s like, yeah, I want to know I’m in capable hands. Because this started out with a bang, and he’s the one.
Because when we did advertising—this again, I did it 1984 to, like, 1999. So, DVRs had not been invented yet. So, our big bane was the remote control. We had literally three to 5 seconds to get the readers, the viewers the listeners’ attention. Or they could reach for that remote control and zap us to the next channel because there weren’t as many channels back then. Or if you were in a car and they stopped playing the music that you were really listening to the radio for and a commercial came on, if you didn’t like that commercial, you could push the button. So, his advice always was, always write as if nobody wants to or has to read anything you’ve written that you have to grab their attention with every word, every sentence, every paragraph. So, I always hear that in my head.
And I have some internal rules like in The Smartest Kid in the Universe or a Lemoncello book. The chapters are not going to be more than 500 to 700 words long, and each one’s going to end with a cliffhanger because I come from a theater background, too. So, when the curtain falls at the end of Act One, something happens that makes you go I think I’ll come back and see what happens in Act Two. Because you could go, this is boring. I’m going to go. Now I can go out to the parking lot pretty easily. No one will notice. So, you always have to. When you do a play, and someone described—because I’ve just started doing picture books, every time you turn the page of a picture book, every second page has got to be a curtain riser. It’s got to be something to make the kids say, show me what happens next.
So, there’s certain technical things you do, but overall, the overriding thing is, don’t be boring.
Bianca Schulze: I did love when I was reading Evil Genius, just how the chapters are so short. And as a mom of three kids, some nights you don’t have a lot of time, but you want to make sure you get some reading in. And just to do one quick chapter and have your kid go, please, please, just one more, just one more. And I love that your books allow that. So, it’s great.
Chris Grabenstein: That’s intentional. I put that in. I get a lot of nice emails from teachers. If they do read aloud in the classrooms, they get to go, One more, one more. Then she’ll go; it’s recess. You get to go out and play. No, read one more chapter. Those are my favorite emails.
Bianca Schulze: Is there anything that you do in your day-to-day practices to aid your creativity that you could share to inspire creativity in anyone listening?
Chris Grabenstein: Go for a walk without any earbuds or headphones for 30 minutes. And it’s kind of hard to do. There’s so many great podcasts to listen to, and I have so much Bruce Springsteen music I love, and books, audiobooks. I listen, so I try to go for a three-mile walk every day. I used to go running, but then the hips and the knees started saying, no, you’re not going to be able to do that anymore. So, I do try to go for like a three-mile walk.
And what I try to do is not listen to anything for the first mile of that walk. And I got to get back into doing what I used to do when we had a dog is I’d take the dog on four walks a day. One would be in the morning, and that was a great time for daydreaming. And then the second walk would be around 11:30. So, you’d be in the middle of writing, and ideas would bubble up. And then the third walk would be at 4:30 when I’m burned out. I can’t write anymore. But I’d find that I’d start daydreaming, and I’d start thinking about when I was going to write the next day.
And all through my career, when I was writing for commercials and stuff, walking has been very important, walking and daydreaming, if you can walk without distractions. I read somewhere that Charles Dickens used to walk for like 5 miles a day. He was quite a walker. Because walking, there’s something about the rhythm of the pace. And I walk in Central Park here in New York City. So, I’m not like sightseeing. I kind of know where I am. I know the trees, I know where the water is, and I’ll take time to admire the changing of the seasons, but it becomes almost meditative. So, I say, go for a walk.
Bianca Schulze: Yeah, that’s such great advice. And I think that’s also why some writers say their ideas come to them once they’re lying down in bed. And I suspect that’s because that’s the first time in the entire day that they have stopped, and they’re just in their own head without all the input from the world, too. So, I think having a walk during the day with no earbuds is great advice.
Chris Grabenstein: Very interesting. There was a guy back in my advertising day. I hope I get this right. I think his name was James Webb Young. And they asked him so many times, where do you get your ideas for commercials? Where do you get your ideas for commercials? That he did a semi-scientific analysis and wrote this thin, thin little book called A Technique for Producing Ideas. And in there, he said, the first step is to do everything rational that you can to take in.
Like, if I’m working on the Smartest Kid book, all the research about the stuff I found about ingestible knowledge and stuff, I put all that into my brain. Then you sit down, and you write the bad ideas. You write the first-level ideas. Then is, either the third or fourth step in his process is to walk away from the project completely. Go do something like watch a play, watch a movie, listen to some music, or go for a walk, because that gives your subconscious time to chew on and process all the things you put into your conscious brain. And then you will have an AHA moment.
I always tell my wife I can’t believe I’ve made my living since 1984, trusting that an idea will pop up about Kentucky Fried Chicken or about Mr. Lemoncello, whatever it is. Like, my whole career has been based on trusting that some moment when I’m washing dishes, taking a shower, walking the dog, or just walking, an idea will bubble up in my head. You have to do the homework first. You have to put in all the rational thoughts. But if you trust your subconscious, it will play and come up with a connection that you go, oh, yeah, and thought about that.
Bianca Schulze: There is a saying that you need to be a reader before you can be a writer. And so I’m curious if you agree with that. And if so, was there a pivotal moment in which you considered yourself a reader?
Chris Grabenstein: Yes, I think that is absolutely true. That Stephen King, who is one of my—I always read his book on writing a memoir of the craft. That was what encouraged me that maybe I could go from writing 30-word commercials to when I was writing adult books, 120,000-word books. But he says that definitely.
And I think I was a reader, even though I was a reluctant reader when I was growing up. In the grade that I now write, for, like third through 5th, 6th grade, we didn’t have books in school. There was a technique or a teaching program sweeping the country called SRA. And sometimes when I talk at schools and some of the older teachers will start going, oh, yeah, I remember that. And there were these big boxes of color-coded essays. The essays were only three or four pages long. You’d read those, and then there’d be ten to 20 questions, content questions that you had to answer. When you did enough blues, you got to read the reds. From the reds, you went to the silvers and the gold. So, I think they were teaching us how to take SAT tests because that’s pretty much the format of an SAT test. So, we never read books in school.
So, my fun reading, and that’s what I would encourage. Let your kids read for fun. I read a lot of comic books. I was more into the Archie comic books and the Richie Rich comic books. I guess I read them— I remember reading Superman comic books, too. And I read a lot of Mad magazines. And so, I still have some of my collection of Mad magazines here in my office, and that’s what I read for fun. And I would save up my money all year, my allowance. We’d go to Florida in the summer, and there was a store there called Web City, which was like this goofy department store, and they had all the Mad books, and they cost like $0.25 or $0.50 back then, and I’d have my $5. I’d saved up all my holiday money and my birthday money, and I would buy like ten Mad books.
So, I would think that my teachers would go, that’s not reading. But it was reading. And it taught me so much about how to use words because Mad Magazine was all parodies and satires and taking the stuffing out of people. It was kind of fun. That informed me more than almost anything except Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons because those informed me a lot, too.
Bianca Schulze: Watch me pull a rabbit out of a hat again. Nothing up my sleeve. Presto.
Chris Grabenstein: Fanmail from some flounder.
Bianca Schulze: Now, we could have talked about so many of your books, but I want to talk about your newest books. So, we have your picture book, which is No Is All I Know. And then we have the latest edition of the Smartest Kid in the Universe series, which is Evil Genius. So, I’m going to start with No Is All I Know and how it showcases the power of saying yes. Will you talk us through what readers can expect from No Is All I Know?
No Is All I Know: Book Cover
No More Naps: Book Cover
Chris Grabenstein: First, incredible illustrations by Leo Espinosa. He is so good. He did my first picture book ever, which was called No More Naps, which I did mostly because here in New York City, in our apartment building, the folks across the hall that way had a girl named Devin. The folks over this way had a girl named Annalise. I said these kids are never going to hear their name in a book unless I write it. So, I came up with No More Naps about Annalise Devin McFleece, who will not take a nap.
And so, we did that, and Leo Espinosa illustrated those. And his illustrations were so terrific that I had another idea for No Is All I Know. So, we waited till he was available. He’s a very popular illustrator, and I think we waited two years. I think it took two years, but we said no, we’re going to wait for Leo. But that whole story started firstly—it’s sort of as a companion piece to No More Naps. As a kid and no more naps. No, I will not take a nap. No and then we started thinking, well, there’s kids who say no to everything.
I had a nephew once who would never, no matter what you cooked him for dinner, all he wanted was craft macaroni and cheese. The stuff in the blue box with that Cheetos kind of powder that you mix with margarine, I think. And we would just make that morning, noon, and night because he said no to everything. And so, you take that, and when you do improvisational comedy, there’s only one rule in improv, and that is to say yes. And because if we’re doing a scene together, you and I, we’ve never met before, but I know you know improv, and I know improv, I should be able to say, wow, it’s hot in here, and you pick up the ball. And if I say—
Bianca Schulze: I’m sweating.
Chris Grabenstein: Exactly. And then I say, well, I told you we shouldn’t climb into this dog’s mouth. And you’d say, well, we’re a canine dentist. How else are we going to fix this canine’s canine tooth? Come on, give me the microscope. Oh, I forgot to shrink it. So that’s how you do improv. You start with a yes and attitude. And so, I thought, this is a great kind of opportunity to teach this lesson because a lot of kids, when they’re in that toddler stage, say no to everything. Will you clean up your mess? We had a lot of fun with it.
Leo did some great pictures of will you get dressed? No. Bad choice to go running out the door without any clothes on. And then when this kid has been saying, no, I won’t go to sleep. No. All he has is macaroni and cheese. He gets a little groggy and a little sleepy when his bubbly cousin Jess comes over. And Jess, of course, always says yes. And the hero of our story goes, oh, wow. The little scene we just improvised was much better than if you said, no, it’s not hot in here. I’m kind of cold. And we’d be like, okay, well, we got nowhere. Exactly. So, by Jess saying yes, all of a sudden. And Leo did a great job showing where the imagination can go. And so, it’s really a story about the amazing power of saying yes.
Bianca Schulze: And Oliver learns that, and I love that. It is really a book about saying yes, but because it has that big, giant no on the cover, it attracts the attention of the kids. I’ve seen it firsthand. It’s like, OOH, that’s a big no. And then I read it out loud with my son, who isn’t a big— Like, he doesn’t say no to everything, but he certainly says no a fair amount. And he read it along. And every time we got to the no part, I would stop, and I would point to the word no, and he would read the word no. And he loved getting to just be free and say the word no, no as much as he could. And it was just so enjoyable.
And then for him to get that realization about how it is better to be, yes, I mean, it was so lovely to do as a read-aloud with my kid side by side, and I can just imagine story times in preschool classes and kindergarten classes and just how the kids will engage with it. So, I think it’s so fantastic.
Chris Grabenstein: I’ve read it out loud a few times in front of kids, and they do start picking up on that no pretty quickly.
Bianca Schulze: Yeah.
Chris Grabenstein: And even the endpapers that Leo did, where there’s one bright green yes in the sea of nos, and your eye immediately goes to the yes because the yes is probably—because of the colors he chose or whatever, but it stands out symbolically as the most powerful, more powerful word. It can get rid of all those nos with one bright green yes.
Bianca Schulze: Okay, here’s what I want to know next. Do you have a favorite double-page spread in the book?
Chris Grabenstein: Oh, in this book? Wow. There is one. In the first book we did, no more naps. But I love Leo’s work is so brilliant because you can go through it, like, ten times and see new things. I think this is probably my favorite page, but the one where he’s out playing with Jess, and across the pages, the words are very simple, where Jess said yes to everything. But first, we see some of the things that Oliver didn’t like to do before, like swing on a swing or eat ice cream. Now he’s meeting dogs. He’s splashing in puddles. He’s drawing. I was with Leo yesterday. He tells me the one where he’s drawing is his favorite scene because that’s what he loves to do, say yes to everything.
Jess Said Yes to Everthing Illustration
So, I think that’s my favorite because it just shows, like, wow. I mean, literally, you open the page, and this whole new world is open to you, and all you have to do is say yes.
Bianca Schulze: My favorite double-page spread, and it was my sons too. You and you sort of touched on this particular spread, is when Mom asks, are you ready to get dressed? And on one page, Mom’s holding up a shirt. And on the opposite page, Oliver Snow can be seen from behind, pun intended, running out the door naked. And I just found it so unexpectedly adorably funny. We loved that page because you just went expecting to see this little cutie patootie running out the door. And I loved that little bit of humor that was added there.
Chris Grabenstein: Yes, it gets a big laugh every time we reveal that page. So, it’s another again; it’s that turning the page, like, what’s on the other side of this curtain? It is a pie in the face. So, all the things we’ve been talking about.
Bianca Schulze: Well, when a young reader reaches the final page of No Is All I Know. What impact do you hope that this book has had on them?
Chris Grabenstein: That they might reconsider their options. I tell the story now when I was talking to some kids about it yesterday when I first moved to New York City, we went to a Chinese restaurant, and someone said, you got to try the cold noodles of sesame. So, what is it? Well, it’s like spaghetti, except it’s cold, and it’s got cucumbers and onions and peanut butter. I went, oh, man, I’m not going to eat that. And finally, they convinced me to do it. And now, every time I go out to a Chinese restaurant, guess what I order? Gold noodles with sesame sauce because it’s delicious, and I can even compare. This restaurant does it much better than this restaurant, and I’ve become something of an expert on it.
I came from a meat and potatoes kind of Irish, German, Greek kind of family where that’s all I ate was my dad. All he wanted was meat and potatoes and put some Heinz ketchup on it. So, to come to New York City, where you had all these opportunities to try things, and some of them you may not like, but if you say yes, all of a sudden, your world starts expanding. So, I hope that kids will say yes. Maybe I’ll try something besides macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight.
Bianca Schulze: Let’s take this moment to move on to The Smartest Kid in the Universe series. It’s a really fun series that appeals to even the more reluctant readers. And it sounds like you do write these books with the reluctant reader in mind. Is that true?
Chris Grabenstein: Yes, always. Constantly, as I’m writing about what I would have liked to have read when I was ten years old, instead of The Red Badge of Courage, which I vaguely remember, after we did SRA, we read Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage written, I think, in 1867. So, it was kind of contemporary stuff.
Bianca Schulze: I don’t want to give any spoilers away because we may have listeners that haven’t read book one and book two. So, I’m hoping that you will walk us through what readers can expect from Evil Genius, and maybe you need to give a little brief backstory without spoilers. I’m afraid if I share anything, I might give away a spoiler, so I’m going to let you sort of talk us through it.
Chris Grabenstein: Well, the story picks up with Jake McQuade, and we pretty quickly reestablished this in the new book. I always try to write my series book, so you don’t have to have read the first ones and know what’s going on. You can pick them up anywhere. Some writing conference I went to early in my career said, if you’re writing a series, write each book so they don’t have to have read the ones before it but will want to read those ones too. So, you give enough, but not too much. But Jake McQuade was an average kid, kind of a slacker. Went to school because that’s where his buddies were. He could play video games and played a little basketball, but he was kind of a lazy kid, an underachiever C average. That’s fine. Average is fine by him.
But one day, he is really hungry for a meal, and he goes to the hotel where his mother is the events coordinator because he knows everybody in the kitchen, and they will make him a free meal if Mom’s working late. But he has to wait. And in the room where he’s waiting, he finds a jar of jelly beans, which he does not know are actually ingestible knowledge capsules. He eats the whole jar because he’s hungry, and about half an hour later, he’s speaking Swahili. So, he immediately became the smartest kid in the universe. And that’s all established in the first two books.
But what is always fun with me because this is kind of my superhero book; it’s the way Jake McQuade ate jelly beans and the way that Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider to become Spider-Man. So, it’s a normal, ordinary kid who has something extraordinary happen to them and then suddenly has all these new responsibilities because he has all these new powers, but he’s always worried that the jelly beans are going to wear off or that there might be dark holes. He may not know everything.
And in this story, the inciting incident is Hazem Farooqi, the brilliant mad scientist. Very funny, too. I don’t know why he just cracks me and my editor up. Hazem Farooqi is, like, our favorite character in the books. He’s a very funny guy. He has a new jar of jelly beans because Jake wants to make sure I’ve got some backup in case these ones start wearing off and someone steals the jelly beans. So, the big question of this story is, what if this incredible superpower fell into the hands of someone who wanted to use them for evil purposes instead of good?
Because think about it, if you were the smartest kid in the universe, you could probably manipulate the stock market. You could do all sorts of incredible things to make yourself rich and powerful. Where Jake has chosen to save his school, to help his friends, and that sort of thing. So that’s where the evil genius, while he’s also battling with, are my own superpowers wearing off. Is there someone now who’s even more super? Maybe these new jelly beans were even better than the ones that I ate. Yeah, I hope I give away too much.
Bianca Schulze: No, I think that was perfect. And I’m glad I had you share it because I probably would have. I love the undercurrent of will, this ingestible knowledge that he has obtained, and this power. Will it just one day not show up? Especially when he needs it. And I love that undercurrent throughout because it keeps you just so curious.
The other thing that you said was you can just pick this book up and read it on its own. I love that I read from One, Two, and Three, but you definitely can just pick them up. And here’s why I think you’re really clever, Chris because it’s true. Everybody does a little recap in their subsequent books. So, if it’s book two, they recap book one, and if it’s book three, they’re recapping a little bit of one-two, and it can get a little bit boring and tedious. Sometimes I want to skip through those pages, but with your books, I don’t. I love that it’s just you give just enough so that the reader understands what’s going on, so they can just pick up book three or book two or read them in whatever order. So, I love that you just really are so concise, and the word that I want is not coming to me. But you just provided the right amount of information, and I don’t know how you figured out what to include.
Chris Grabenstein: Well, you don’t want to do an info dump. It’s interesting. One year I was judging a bunch of mysteries, and there were a lot of them that I don’t know if it was the editor’s style or something that had, like, a first chapter info dump. Like, here’s everything that happened in the last six books in this series, and now let’s start this story.
So, what you want to do again, is hit them with a pie in the face, start the story, get it going, and then drop in the information that they need to know to understand what’s going to happen next as your reader needs to know it. It’s almost like you’re given this information on a need-to-know basis. If I don’t really need to know everything that happened in the first couple of books, I just need to know what happened in those books that impact what’s about to happen in this book.
Bianca Schulze: Yes, absolutely. And then it sounded like you did some research on ingestible knowledge. Is this actually a real thing?
Chris Grabenstein: Yes, it is.
Bianca Schulze: Oh, my gosh.
Chris Grabenstein: Really scary because, again, I was on one of my walks, and I had a goofy idea. I don’t know why. I was like daydreaming—it might have been close to Halloween. I used to hate when those people would give me Smarties. I didn’t like Smarties. Those are those pastel-colored I like Smarties. I know a lot of kids when I say I hate Smarties. They’ll go; they’re my favorite. Good for you. But I never liked them. I always felt I was cheated. I could have had a little Snickers bar or Hershey’s bar or something, but I say, oh. And I remember I did a couple of commercials in London and maybe in Australia. We went to Australia. Do you have Smarties in Australia? The chocolate ones?
Bianca Schulze: So, yeah, it’s more like an M&M.
Chris Grabenstein: Exactly. So, I had those, and I never liked those Smarties as much as I liked M&Ms. So, Smarties were like my least favorite candies and of all kinds. But I don’t know why my brain went, oh, what if you could eat a Smarty, though, and become a Smarty? What if there was such a thing as ingestible knowledge? So, I had that what if because that’s most of my stories start with a what if. And I came home, and I think I just Googled ingestible knowledge. And all of a sudden, up came this Ted Talk by this eminent MIT professor, and I believe his real name is Blackbridge, and I call him Negroponte in the book because that’s Blackbridge as the translation.
And he had given Ted Talks for, like, 20 or 30 years, and in each one, he would predict something. And he said, well, someday there’s going to be you’ll be able to read newspapers and books on your telephone. And people laughed at him, and he said, well, someday there will be a device in your car that will help you navigate by linking with satellites positioned in space and people. That’s going to happen, buddy. So, long story short, everything this guy predicted at Ted Talks over the years came true. So, they asked him, well, what’s the next big thing? And he said, well, I may not be around to see it. It may take 20 or 30 years, but the next big thing is ingestible information, I think he called it. You’ll take a capsule, and you’ll know Shakespeare. You’ll take another capsule, and you’ll know how to speak French.
And the way it’ll work—I think I have a copy of this on my website—I think I have a little clip from his Ted Talk there. It’ll make its way through your bloodstream and find where to deposit this information in your brain. And so, I said, okay, that’s all I need because we are writing—this is semi-science fiction. You just have to have enough facts to make your fiction seem plausible. And I did more research about it and found out where knowledge comes from, and there are people working on this.
Bianca Schulze: Oh, my gosh. That’s just blowing my mind. I totally thought this was something, like, completely fictional, but this is crazy. I don’t even know what to say about that, Chris.
Chris Grabenstein: Somebody told me that those pills might have nanorobots. Like those nanobots? Those tiny little, microscopic—I don’t know.
Bianca Schulze: You’re blowing my mind.
Chris Grabenstein: So, eat your jelly beans, kids.
Bianca Schulze: Yes. And that was another thing. All I wanted to do was eat jelly beans. And in book two, all I wanted to do was eat marshmallows the whole time. So, thank you for that.
All right, well, can you share a highlight from Evil Genius?
Chris Grabenstein: Do you want me to read from it?
Bianca Schulze: Oh, that would be amazing. Would you do that?
Chris Grabenstein: Yeah, I can do that because I’m getting ready. We’re doing a little book party tonight, so I should be prepared. This is a little piece I heard yesterday, actually. The guy Kirby Hayborne, who does the audiobooks, did my audiobook for The Island of Dr. Libris, and he was perfect. And I found out he was an improvisational comic, so he kind of knew what I was playing. So he hears my voices completely. So, he’s much better than I am, is what I’ll tell you. So, this is from chapters 13 and 14. When those jelly beans go missing, Jake gets a phone call on his cell at school, and the principal says, you’ve got to go outside to take that; Jake hustles out of the building and taps the answer icon on his spring. [Chris reads from Evil Genius.]
The Island of Dr Libris: Book Cover
Bianca Schulze: I love it. And the way you do his voice is so fun. Now, I don’t know if this is a trick or of the trade, but I noticed when you are holding the book that you have different lines highlighted. Is that to sort of a little code for yourself for when you’re reading when to switch?
Chris Grabenstein: Bingo.Yes. That’s an old trick that my wife does when she marks up her scripts when she’s doing an audiobook. But it’s just like it’s a quick visual cue, like someone else is talking here, so you don’t get lost in the pages.
Escape From Mr Lemoncellos Library Graphic Novel: Book Cover
Bianca Schulze: That’s genius. Well, I love it when authors read from their own books, so I feel privileged to have just experienced that. So, thank you. I also saw that Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library will release as a full-color graphic novel on November 7 of this year, which is very exciting. I’m a big graphic novel fan, like so many kids out there. So, what can you tell us about that?
Chris Grabenstein: Well, that’s an interesting process. We saw that Stuart Gibbs, a buddy of mine, did Spy School as a graphic novel. And I said to my editor, maybe we should jump on this graphic novel bandwagon because the kids really love them. And she said, well, will you adapt it? I said, oh, no, I couldn’t do that. No, I couldn’t do that because I’d done a couple of the Jackie Ha-Ha books that I did with James Patterson were turned into graphic novels, and they hired someone to adapt it. They hired someone to illustrate it. But then I said, no, wait a minute. I spent 20 years doing TV commercials, and we did storyboards, and storyboards are just very short graphic novels.
And wait a minute; I know the parts. Whoever does this is going to have to cut some chunks out because it’s 256 pages. Not everything is as visually strong as other things. And I know the parts that no one has ever written to me and said they loved. I know all the lines people love because I’ve gotten the book’s been out for ten years, so I’ve gotten thousands of emails and read thousands of reviews. And I know the parts people love and the parts that no one ever mentioned. That little trip to the Immigration Hall of Fame. Nice of you to put that in there. And there’s another, like a challenge that no one ever said was their favorite part, so I knew what parts to cut. I will do it.
It was almost like writing a screenplay, in which I have a little experience, and I studied a lot of screenplay writing when I was in those years, trying to learn everything I could to transition from writing advertising to writing whatever I might write next. So, I took a lot of screenplay writing classes, and so I wrote the graphic novel as a screenplay. And I have a great editor, Shayna Corey, who has been my editor on like a dozen, two dozen books. And we’ve done so many books together, but she’s gotten so good at graphic novels that they’ve now promoted her to the head of graphic novels. So, I had her guiding hand in all this because she knows graphic novels backwards and forwards.
And so, we went back and forth, and we tightened things up because that’s where you got to do a lot of tightening. And it was just like when we did TV commercials where you’d write this really funny bubble of dialogue, and then you go, wait a minute, this is a 32nd commercial. That dialogue is going to take 7 seconds, and I really need 4 seconds down here. So how can I trim this dialogue down? Still, keep it funny? So, all those old muscles, all those advertising muscles, were brought back, and then, boy, they were so great. They got Douglas Holgate, who does The Last Kids on Earth series, does all the illustrations on those to do them. He’s in Australia. I don’t know if you know him. I don’t know if all you Australians—
Bianca Schulze: No, we don’t.
Chris Grabenstein: But he’s down in Australia, and he took it on, and it’s beautiful. I’ve seen the whole thing, and it’s going to be incredible. They’ve actually done a few advanced reader copies, but they’re black and white, and now on NetGalley, they do have the full-color one. So, it’s going to be incredible.
Bianca Schulze: Yeah. And on the topic of Mr. Lemoncello, you do this wonderful thing where you kind of plant little seeds from Lemoncello within The Smartest Kid in the Universe series. And I love that little sort of tie-in, and that’s obviously a conscious thing that you’re doing there.
Chris Grabenstein: Yes, it goes back to when I was a kid; there were two TV shows, those Green Acres and Petticoat Junction, and every once in a while, core characters from one would show up in the other. And I don’t know, as a kid, I just love that. We just worked on Mr. Lemoncello’s fantabulous finale, which is going to be the last book in the series. I think it’s going to come out next year. I just finished my first draft. We’re going back and forth. But in that one, I’m having loads of fun because characters from The Smartest Kid in the Universe, characters from my Welcome to Wonderland series, and The Island of Dr. Libris all of them are throwing them all in. It’s like, this is going to be our one big gumbo of all the characters from all the different books.
Bianca Schulze: I love it. Well, I had meant to ask you this question before I jumped into Lemoncello. So, I want to know, what impact do you hope The Smartest Kid in the Universe series has on its readers?
Chris Grabenstein: I hope I put a little quote in the front of this book in the dedication, and my mother didn’t say it. I found this quote from someone else. But these were kind of what she thought because my mother passed away last January. So, this is like the first book that’s coming out that she’s not around to see, which was my dad died, unfortunately, before any of my books came out. So, this book is dedicated in memory of my mom. And I put a little quote in there that says being gifted doesn’t mean you’ve been given something. It means you have something to give.
And when I was a kid, for whatever reason, I don’t know, genetics or whatever, my brothers, my four brothers and I, we were all like, super smart. Like, school came very easily to us. And my brother Jeff is the smartest one of all of us. He has, like, that kind of he could skip, like, grades and gone right to college. He could have been Doogie Howser. He was so smart. But my mother always instilled in us that if you have these gifts and these talents, you don’t, like, lord it over anybody. You don’t use it to just help yourself. But we’re all here to help other people.
And so, I hope that when kids read this, they’ll say, I want to be like Jake. I want to use whatever talents I have to help other people, to help my friends, to help my family, and to help my school. I don’t want to become just a greedy grubber like the bad, like the evil genius in the book. It’s making me choke up a little bit thinking about my mom and the kind of values that she instilled in us when we were kids.
Bianca Schulze: Yeah, I’m really glad that you brought that up because when I read the book, I loved reading the dedications, and I was going to ask you about it, but I felt like maybe I wouldn’t. And so, I’m just glad that you did bring it up. I think that’s special. I’m sorry to hear about your mom. And just overall, that message that you just described shines through so well.
Chris Grabenstein: It’s funny when I worked for Jim Henson. I only got to meet him once. I got to work with Michael Frith, who was one of his geniuses and stuff. But I went to one meeting, and we presented our script. It was just like penguins doing something silly in the basement. And he said, what lesson are you teaching? Because kids are going to take away a lesson from this script whether you put one in or not. So, make sure you have one that you want the kids to take away. And so that’s always stuck with me, too. So, what do I want kids to take away from this? Because when you’re writing for kids, it’s kind of valuable. What you’re doing is valuable. You don’t want to be putting bad thoughts into kids’ heads.
So, I’m hopefully—and at the same time, you don’t want to be didactic. And, like, this is what you should learn from this young man. You want them to absorb a lesson almost without knowing that they’re absorbing something.
Bianca Schulze: Yes. Well, your books definitely do that. So, Chris, this has been so much fun. If I was to choose one takeaway for listeners today, I’m going to go with the power of saying yes, and that is because I want listeners to say yes to grabbing copies of No Is All I Know, The Smartest Kid in the Universe, Evil Genius, and every other book that you’ve ever published. So, thank you for sharing your wisdom, wit, and wonderful thoughts on writing and stealing words directly from James Patterson. And I hope that Mr. Patterson does not mind. Chris, you just might be the smartest writer for kids in the universe. So, thank you for being on the show today. I think you’re amazing.
Chris Grabenstein: Oh, thank you. So sweet of you. Thank you so much. This is a lovely discussion.
A Conversation With Chris Grabenstein on Writing for Kids (Killer Writers)
Killer Nashville Founder and bestselling author Clay Stafford talks with #1 New York Times bestseller and Mystery Writers of America President Chris Grabenstein about writing for kids, specifically middle-grade readers.
CLAY STAFFORDFEB 19, 2023
Author Chris Grabenstein grew up outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. So did I. But we didn’t know each other until we met one year at Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference. We quickly learned we had much in common, including a sense of 12-year-old-boy humor. Chris was learning his craft and making his way writing for grown-ups when I met him then. Really funny stuff. It was the John Ceepak mystery series with such delightful titles as Whack a Mole, Tilt a Whirl, and Mind Scrambler.
(Find more Killer Writers conversations here.)
I liked him so much and he was such a personable guy, I brought him back several years later as a Guest of Honor and he had, not surprisingly, changed audiences on me. He was now a multiple award-winning #1 New York Times bestselling children’s author.
I told Chris, who lives in New York City now, that I’d like to talk with him for this column. “It’ll only take about 15 minutes,” I said. An hour-and-a-half later on a Zoom call, we were still talking. And that’s the kind of guy Chris is: one of the most giving authors I know, such an easy conversationalist. No wonder children love him.
A Conversation With Chris Grabenstein on Writing for Kids (Killer Writers)
Like Chris, I’ve written for children, and I’ve written for adults. It’s curious how one arrives there. “So, Chris, you’ve been at this a while. I know you aspired—and did quite well—as a comedian sharing the stage with the likes of Bruce Willis, Robin Williams, and others. When did it all start for you?”
“I was very fortunate that I had a really great teacher in Junior High School. I wrote a paper for her, and she scribbled in the margin, ‘You will make your living as a writer someday.’”
“Had you thought about it before?”
“No. I’d been reading Mad magazine, watching Rocky and Bullwinkle, developing a sense of humor to deal with the bullies who were picking on me in seventh grade. And so, when she said that, the next year, when I had to write the ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ essay that we all had to write almost every year, I said…”
“Based on her…”
“‘I want to be a comedian or a writer.’ You know I launched my career with a series of adult mystery books.”
“The John Ceepak Mysteries. I loved them.”
“At the time, there was an editor who was looking for ghost stories for middle-grade readers.”
“Ages?”
“Kids eight to twelve. I’d written several books that had gotten rejected. My third book I wrote that got rejected from everybody was a ghost story, so my agent said to this editor, ‘Well, Chris wrote a ghost story, but it’s not for middle-grade readers.’ And the editor said, ‘Well, if the story is any good, we can turn it into one.’
“Okay.”
“So he read my third book. It was 110,000 words long. To my surprise, he said, ‘this would be a great book for middle-grade readers. You just got to get rid of the adult situations, the adult language, and cut it down to like 50,000 words.’ And my agent said, ‘Do you want to do that?’ That’s like cutting 60,000 words out. By the time I wrote that third book, I’d already spent a year working on it, so I’m going to have to spend another year on it.”
“So, what was the verdict?”
“Nieces and nephews. My nieces and nephews, they really wanted to read something that I’d written that was appropriate for them to read, so I said, ‘I’m going to do it.’
“And that decision made you a New York Times bestseller.”
“It wasn’t simple. It took a lot of research. I always recommend that, if you’re going to try a new category, you need to get to know it a little bit. Read a bunch of books. So, I started reading a lot of books for eight- to twelve-year-olds. And after reading quite a few, a lot really, I said, ‘Maybe I can do this.’ I can put in a couple of fart jokes here and there.”
“Crazy as it sounds, that’s the age group and that’s what’s there.”
“The kids have got to be in charge of the story. They’ve got to be the ones solving whatever the mystery is. Carl Hiaasen’s written for that age group, Hoot. There’s a great book called Holes by Louis Sachar. I read those. They helped me get in the sense. And as I wrote, I was tapping back into that Mad magazine, 12-year-old kid that I used to be, and I was having such a blast, too. You have to really tap in. You have to tap into your own memories. And one of the things you have to tap into is how you felt when you were that age. I listened to music by The Monkeys…”
“I remember them. Saturday morning. Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith.”
“I was in fifth and sixth grade. I got my old junior high school yearbook and I saw how miserable I was trying to play football because that’s what my father wanted me to do, and how happy I was working for the school newspaper because that’s what I might have actually had some talent doing. So, you remember those feelings.”
“And you became a middle-grade author.”
“When I first started writing for children, my agent and I both kept saying, ‘I’m writing YA.’ And my editor said, ‘No, you’re writing middle-grade.’ And I said, ‘Well, what’s the difference?’ So here’s a tip that I was given: in middle-grade books, the boys and girls like each other, but they don’t like each other. So, you’re basically writing before the hormones kick in.”
writing the young adult novel
“But there’s a wide range, say, between a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old.”
“Middle-grade has been subdivided almost into two groups. There’s upper-elementary, which is what I write for mostly. Most of my books are for third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. Fifth grade is like my sweet spot. I get some seventh graders, but by the time they get to seventh and eighth grade, they’re looking for something a bit more challenging. My ghost stories, because they are so dark, probably still would appeal to seventh and eighth graders. So, it’s interesting. There’s a whole substrate of writing for children.”
“It’s scary, though, writing for kids, because we’re not kids. How do you make it contemporary rather than something recounting our own childhoods? That would be a historical!”
“The example I use is, if you were a kid in sixth grade, and you were called, in my day, to the chalkboard to do an answer for something you hadn’t studied, and let’s say you had no idea how to do it, how you felt would be the exact same way that a kid today in sixth grade would feel when he is called up to the whiteboard, or the smart board, or the hologram, and have no idea how to do it. Whatever technology or setting they’ve got now, the feeling is the same. The props change.”
“So, we contemporize the setting, but we retain our own adolescent feelings and insecurities.”
“Exactly.”
“It’s fun.”
“I’m a big kid at heart, and the kids are really silly.”
“You do a lot of school visits.”
“Oh, yeah, they treat you like a rock star. They send the nicest letters.”
“I love it.”
“Kids stand in line hugging your book, you know,” he says.
“Rare at book signings do you see adults hugging your book. It makes you start thinking of Annie Wilkes.”
Chris laughs. “If I talk to a school, I’ll get like a big envelope with all these hand-drawn illustrations of me and the characters from the books. It’s pretty cool.”
“That is cool.”
Chris and I continued to talk, and I’ll have more to share later about his career trajectory, how he made it to #1, his work with James Patterson, his fling with Hollywood, and all the wonderful things that are truly Chris Grabenstein. But now, like you maybe, I’m thinking I might need to go back and write another kid’s book. I still remember the feelings. As a parent, I know the setting. How about you? I can sense your wheels turning. Send a note to me and let me know if this has inspired a children’s book in you.
____________________
Chris Grabenstein is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mr. Lemoncello, Wonderland, Haunted Mystery, Smartest Kid, and Dog Squad series. He has also co-authored three dozen fast-paced and funny page turners with James Patterson. https://chrisgrabenstein.com/
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chris Grabenstein
At the Marion Public Library, April 2022
At the Marion Public Library, April 2022
Born Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Occupation Writer
Nationality American
Period 2005–present
Genre Children's, Mystery
Spouse J.J. Grabenstein
Website
www.chrisgrabenstein.com
Christopher Grabenstein is an American author. He published his first novel in 2005.[1] Since then he has written novels for both adults and children, the latter often with frequent collaborator James Patterson. He graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1977 with a degree from the College of Communication and Information.[2] In the 1980s he performed with the improvisational group "First Amendment Comedy".
Awards
In 2005, Grabenstein's debut novel was the first in the adult Ceepack Mysteries series, Tilt-a-Whirl, called an "entertaining debut" by The New York Times and given a Library Journal starred review.[1][3] He has subsequently written more books in this series, called a "mash-up of Jersey Shore, Big Brother, and Survivor."[4]
Grabenstein has also written many novels for children, including the Agatha and Anthony award-winning Haunted Mysteries series and the New York Times bestselling Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. He has also co-authored a number of books with author James Patterson, for whom he previously worked when he was in advertising.[5]
Grabenstein has won the Agatha Award for Best Children's/Young Adult Novel four times: for The Crossroads, The Hanging Hill, The Black Heart Crypt, and Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library.[6] He has also won the Anthony Award twice, once for Best First Novel for Tilt-A-Whirl and once for Best Children's/Young Adult Novel for The Crossroads.
Bibliography
The John Ceepak Mysteries
Tilt-a-Whirl (2005)
Mad Mouse (2006)
Whack A Mole (2007)
Hell Hole (2008)
Mind Scrambler (2009)
"Ring Toss" (A Ceepak Short Story) (2010)
Rolling Thunder (2010)
Fun House (2012)
Free Fall (2013)
Christopher Miller Holiday Thrillers
Slay Ride (2006)
Hell for the Holidays (2007)
Anthologies
The Boys Go Fishing (Aug 2010) in Death's Excellent Vacation[7]
The Unknown Patriot (2018) in Scream and Scream Again
Books for Children
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's library
Island of Dr.Libris
The Haunted Mysteries
The Crossroads (2008)
The Hanging Hill (2009) which is now The Demons Door (2017)
The Smoky Corridor (2010) which is now The Zombie Awakening (2017)
The Black Heart Crypt (2011)
Riley Mack
Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers (2012)
Riley Mack Stirs Up More Trouble (2013)
Mr. Lemoncello
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (2013)
Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics (2016)
Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race (2017)
Mr. Lemoncello's All-Star Breakout Game (2019)
Mr. Lemoncello and the Titanium Ticket (2020)
Mr. Lemoncello's Very First Game (2022)
Daniel X
Daniel X: Armageddon (2012)
Daniel X: Lights Out (2015)
I Funny
I Funny (2012)
I Even Funnier (2013)
I Totally Funniest (2015)
I Funny TV (2016)
I Funny School of Laughs (2017)
Treasure Hunters
Treasure Hunters (2013)
Treasure Hunters: Danger Down the Nile (2014)
Treasure Hunters: Secret of the Forbidden City (2015)
Treasure Hunters: Peril at the Top of the World (2016)
House of Robots
House of Robots (2014)
House Of Robots: Robots Go Wild (2015)
House Of Robots: Robot Revolution (2017)
Wonderland
Welcome to Wonderland: Home Sweet Motel (2016)
Welcome to Wonderland: Beach Party Surf Monkey (2017)
Welcome to Wonderland: Sandapalooza Shake-Up (2018) with James Patterson
Jackie Ha Ha
Jacky Ha-Ha (2016)
Jacky Ha Ha: My Life Is A Joke (2017)
Others
The Explorer's Gate (2012)
Don't Call Me Christina Kringle (2013)
The Island of Dr. Libris (2015)
Word of Mouse (2016)
Laugh Out Loud (2017)
Pottymouth and Stoopid (2017)
Max Einstein: The Genius Experiment (2018) with James Patterson
The Smartest Kid in the Universe (2020)
The Smartest Kid in the Universe: Genius Camp (2021)
Grabenstein, Chris EVIL GENIUS Random House (Children's None) $17.99 5, 16 ISBN: 9780593480915
The smartest kid and his friends strike again.
Jake McQuade, the star of the first two books in Grabenstein's series, is still an artificially precocious youngster whose jelly bean-enhanced smarts get him into and out of scrapes. This third installment follows the formula established in the first two: His best friends, Grace Garcia and Kojo Shelton, help him unravel a mystery; dastardly villains with alliterative names try to usurp his position; and short, snappy chapters full of short, snappy paragraphs keep the action moving apace. The story opens with pirate captain Aliento de Perro ("Dog Breath") smuggling away a massive orange diamond known as la Gran Calabaza, the retrieval of which becomes the central adventure. Meanwhile, Jake is worried that the effect of Pakistani scientist Haazim Farooqi's Ingestible Knowledge jelly beans is starting to wear off and that evil, wealthy, halitosis-afflicted Hubert Huxley will steal his spot when a new batch of those jelly beans turns Hubert into Captain Brainiac. The story--revolving around old and new characters and two separate jewels--is a little harder to follow than the last, and the central gimmick starts to wear thin as Hubert and Jake keep performing feats of intellect. Still, readers who are already invested in the characters will no doubt finish this one out of loyalty.
A weaker link in a fun series. (Fiction. 9-13)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Grabenstein, Chris: EVIL GENIUS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A738705245/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2289b497. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
Grabenstein, Chris NO IS ALL I KNOW! Random House (Children's None) $18.99 5, 16 ISBN: 978-0-593-30204-0
Oliver McSnow says, "No!" to everything until his cousin Jess teaches him the power of "Yes!"
A word all too familiar to caregivers of little ones, no echoes around Oliver's house. He turns down food, a request to clean up a mess, and even the chance to use the swings. When Jess comes to play, he says, "Yes!" before Oliver can say "No!" and off they go, swinging, scootering, and even enjoying ice cream. As it turns out, Jess just might change Oliver's mind forever, showing him the joyful wonder of saying yes. Grabenstein's naysayer is wholeheartedly believable, as is the exuberant, gleeful Jess. Espinosa's illustrations perfectly capture Oliver's exasperated parents, who are exhausted by the boy's rejection of everything except for macaroni and cheese. The story will have readers realizing right alongside Oliver just how much fun there is in trying and doing new things. Text and illustrations are well balanced, never belaboring the message and letting Oliver's experiences speak for themselves. Espinosa's black-outlined illustrations capture the characters midmovement: Oliver biking through the house with one socked foot or sprinting naked through the front door. The story strikes just the right note of on-the-nose kid behavior and parent feelings with a hint of silly and a satisfying resolution. Oliver is tan-skinned, his parents are lighter-skinned, and Jess is brown-skinned. There are background characters of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Say yes to each reread of this one. (Picture book. 3-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Grabenstein, Chris: NO IS ALL I KNOW!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A740905183/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=19474f35. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
NO Is All I Know!
Chris Grabenstein, illus. by Leo Espinosa. Random House, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5933-0204-0
In another socially themed picture book from the creators of No More Naps.', young Oliver McSnow responds "NO!" when faced with any ask, big or small. Whether the inquiry is about the necessary (teeth-brushing, getting dressed) ot the potentially enjoyable (playing on the swings, even getting ice cream), big red dialogue balloons emanate from the child with Olivet's signature oppositional. "His NO! became so strong... there was no way to stop it," Grabenstein writes, and readers will sense that Oliver, who now smells "cheesy" from never bathing and eating only mac and cheese, is just as weary of it as his parents. A solution arrives in the form of tenaciously positive cousin Jess, who "liked to say YES" and pulls Oliver along. Pencil and digital cartoons by Espinosa show the two boys, both portrayed with light brown skin, embracing puddle splashing, hanging out with other kids, and playing in the bathtub with "toys that could become whatever they yessed them to be." Some readers may see Jess's approach as more fait accompli than friendly nudge, but the creators make it clear that when one is in as deep a tut as Oliver, a teaspoon won't do an excavator's job. Ages 3--7. (May)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"NO Is All I Know!" Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 11, 13 Mar. 2023, p. 49. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A743366249/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c9ac2ced. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
GRABENSTEIN, Chris. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library: The Graphic Novel. illus. by Douglas Holgate. 256p. (Mr. Lemoncello's Library). Random House Graphic. Nov. 2023. Tr $21.99. ISBN 9780593484852.
Gr 3-7--In honor of the 10th anniversary of the beloved novel, this graphic version does not disappoint. Holgate, of "The Last Kids on Earth" fame, is the perfect choice for this homage to libraries, books, and reading. The town of Alexandriaville has been without a library for 12 years. A new library is opening with a contest for 12-year-olds where 12 will be selected to spend the night in the library. Mr. Lemoncello, a famous game inventor and the library's benefactor, chooses the contestants. Five boys and seven girls of different races and backgrounds are each given a unique library card. The puzzles and games begin immediately, with no technology allowed except the library computers. A fun-filled night ends seemingly without a hitch. The next morning, however, across the street, the parents are being informed that their children can voluntarily participate in another more elaborate game where they must find an alternate exit from the library within 24 hours. The winners will become the stars of Mr. Lemoncello's holiday promotions. Competitors drop out, and alliances change. Literary references abound. Great use of the comics format to adeptly mimic time, space, and mood. VERDICT A first purchase whether or not you have the original. A crowd pleaser across grade levels and reading ability.--Elisabeth LeBris
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LeBris, Elisabeth. "GRABENSTEIN, Chris. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library: The Graphic Novel." School Library Journal, vol. 69, no. 11, Nov. 2023, p. 62. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A773080434/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a8c5ee98. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
Grabenstein, Chris ESCAPE FROM MR. LEMONCELLO'S LIBRARY Random House Graphic (Children's None) $21.99 11, 7 ISBN: 9780593484852
A biblio-brangle delighting young readers and their librarians for a decade has been seamlessly recast into graphic format.
The overall storyline remains the same: A group of seventh graders get an exclusive preview of a new town library built by gazillionaire game designer Luigi Lemoncello, during which they solve ingenious conundrums based on bookish clues while getting at least a sampling of library services and organization and (except for slimy, manipulative Charles Chiltington, that is) learning to share knowledge and work together. Along with cranking up the original escapade's already lively pacing and incorporating its many actual book covers, rebuses, and other visual clues in his bright, crisply drawn panels, Holgate endows the setting's spacious stacks, rooms, architectural details, and high-tech features with dazzling appeal. Better yet, his gangly, expressive figures not only glow with individual character but bring the cast's racial and cultural diversity to the fore. Best of all, though some of the book talk had to go to make the dialogue fit, references to essential reading--from Maya Angelou to Pseudonymous Bosch, Treasure Island to Walter the Farting Dog--remain strewn throughout the games, solutions, dialogue, and backgrounds.
A sure pleaser for veteran fans of the series and likely to bring in a flush of new ones to boot. (Graphic mystery. 8-12)
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"Grabenstein, Chris: ESCAPE FROM MR. LEMONCELLO'S LIBRARY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A764873264/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8366497d. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
GRABENSTEIN, Chris. The Smartest Kid in the Universe. 304p. (Smartest Kid in the Universe: Bk. 1). Random. Nov. 2020. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780525647782.
Gr 3-6--Jake McQuade, a seventh grader at Riverview Middle School, doesn't consider himself to be lazy, just "exertion challenged." Jake's best friend is Kojo Shelton, a science geek who enjoys quoting old detective shows like Kojak. Jake has a crush on Grace, a smart girl whose family immigrated from Cuba. Jake's sister, Emma, is in fourth grade and attends a Spanish immersion school, leaving Jake dismayed that he can neither help Emma with her homework nor converse with Grace in Spanish. Jake and Emma's mom is the events coordinator at a hotel downtown, and when Jake goes there and eats a bowl of jelly beans, he unknowingly ingests absent-minded researcher Haazim Farooqi's career-long scientific experiment. Having eaten all of Farooqui's research into Ingestible Knowledge (IK), Jake instantly becomes the titular smartest kid in the universe. At first, no one knows why Jake suddenly spouts random knowledge about everything--from the history of Cheerios to the Philippines and its 7,641 islands--but he still doesn't understand Spanish. Farooqi dubs Jake "Subject One" and wants to study his newfound intelligence, but both are afraid to reveal what has happened as they aren't sure if/when/how it may evaporate. Meanwhile, Principal Malvolio wants Riverview Middle School closed down so she can sell the property to her uncle Heath the real-estate tycoon. When Riverview's dream team of Grace, Kojo, and Jake team up for the Quiz Bowl, their trifecta is challenged by Malvolio and Heath Huxley, whose nefarious plans involve digging up long buried treasure underneath the school, which technically belongs to Grace's ancestors. For the smart and heroic trio, it becomes a race against time to try to save the school, win the Quiz Bowl, find the buried treasure, and unearth the sinister motives of the evil duo. VERDICT Grabenstein delivers once again to his target middle-grade audience with a book that will appeal to even the most reluctant readers. There's something for everyone, from adventure to angst as well as puzzles and trivia. This introduction to a new series will leave readers ready for the next installment.--Michele Shaw, formerly at Quail Run Elem. Sch., San Ramon, CA
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Shaw, Michele. "GRABENSTEIN, Chris. The Smartest Kid in the Universe." School Library Journal, vol. 66, no. 10, Oct. 2020, p. 75. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A638792777/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3d97d035. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
THE SMARTEST KID IN THE UNIVERSE By Chris Grabenstein
Back when I was in middle school, I was a big daydreamer, and most of those daydreams were of the ''What if'' variety. What if I could magically be the most popular kid in school? Or the most athletic? What if I suddenly knew how to talk to girls? Or I could fly? I made comics about these scenarios and played them out in my head when I should have been learning fractions.
So I had a feeling Chris Grabenstein's latest book, ''The Smartest Kid in the Universe,'' was going to be right up my inner 12-year-old's alley. And I was right. Complete with cutting-edge candy, a scheming principal, buried pirate treasure and the chance to ride along with the smartest middle schooler ever, this book is fast-paced and fun from beginning to end.
Jake McQuade starts out as the coolest kid at Riverview Middle School. He's less into learning things than he is into video games and just hanging out. That is, until he accidentally eats a bottle of untested, intelligence-enhancing jelly beans in the green room of a conference his mother (an event organizer) helped plan. His mind, almost immediately, is filled with more information than he can handle. He starts spouting bits of wisdom and trivia like a walking Wikipedia, and speaking in obscure foreign languages; even his basketball skills skyrocket, since he can calculate angles and arcs with incredible accuracy. It's a big transition. Especially for someone who's always undervalued the power of smarts.
Thankfully, Jake has his best friend, Kojo, to help him adjust. A far better student, Kojo is an upbeat, cop-show-obsessed detective wannabe. Also along for the journey is Grace Garcia, the smartest student in school and Jake's secret love interest. She's completely confused by Jake's ''brain growth spurt'' (as he explains it away) but implores him to join the school's Quiz Bowl team nonetheless. Grace's love of speaking Spanish (seemingly the only area of intelligence Jake didn't pick up from the jelly beans) makes him realize he might need to actually do some studying of his own.
It isn't long before Jake and his friends uncover a sinister plot (who doesn't love a sinister plot?) -- this one involving tearing down the beloved old cafeteria-food-smelling school. There's also a long-guarded pirate-related secret, an attempt to tamper with the all-important Quiz Bowl competitions, an ancient unsolved riddle and -- maybe worst -- a foul-breathed snake of a real estate developer.
It's pure jelly-bean-enhanced entertainment and a perfect escape. Lessons and moments of growth happen along the way, of course -- being the smartest kid in the universe isn't always a walk in the park -- but what Grabenstein does best is create an engaging, likable group of kids, drop them into a crazy, over-the-top situation and watch the sparks fly. We know, from fantastic books like ''Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library,'' that Grabenstein is a master at this, so we can just kick back and enjoy it as it all plays out.
I laughed out loud at Jake's transformation into an unwilling Einstein, unable to stop himself from overflowing with obscure facts and figures. And Kojo's anachronistic love of Kojak (and his whole ''Who loves ya, baby?'' vibe) adds a quirkiness to even the most perilous, high-stakes moments. Throw in a mad scientist, a jewel thief and some spooky hidden caverns, and you've got yourself a rollicking good time.
My inner 12-year-old is anxiously awaiting the next book of Jake and friends' suddenly brilliant adventures ... and eager to try out their next big What if.
Rob Harrell, a syndicated cartoonist and graphic novelist, is the author, most recently, of the middle grade novel ''Wink.'' THE SMARTEST KID IN THE UNIVERSE By Chris Grabenstein 304 pp. Random House. $16.99. (Ages 8 to 12)
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Harrell, Rob. "His Suddenly Brilliant Career." The New York Times Book Review, 10 Jan. 2021, p. 18(L). Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A647898801/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5742f312. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein, illus. by Charles Santoso. Little, Brown/Patterson, $13.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-316-50024-1
Thirteen-year-old Finn McAllister is riding his bike a few days before middle school's end when a speeding black van forces him over a cliff to his death. But the sharp rocks at the bottom aren't the end for Finn, who remains on Earth as a ghost, offering wry commentary while viewing his family and friends. Instead of moving on to the afterlife, he stays to take care of unfinished business, such as determining who killed him. When he befriends fellow ghost Isabella Rojas, a quiet girl who vanished four months earlier, the two decide to handle their unfinished business together. As Finn dwells upon the "risk-averse, danger-avoiding life" his cautious insurance actuary father encouraged him to lead, he realizes that he regrets missing hijinks with his friends. With this chatty, introspective ghost story, Patterson and Grabenstein (Scaredy Cat) explore concepts such as regret, being ruled by fear, and embracing opportunity. However somber the premise, the creators inject a lively underlying current and a sense of optimism as the new friends make the most of their spectral status and face the unknown future. Final art not seen by WW. Ages 8-12. (May)
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"Best Nerds Forever." Publishers Weekly, vol. 268, no. 10, 8 Mar. 2021, p. 55. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A655475149/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9f94fecd. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
Dog Squad.
By Chris Grabenstein. Illus. by Beth Hughes.
May 2021. 336p. Random, $16.99 (9780593301739). Gr. 3-5.
A shelter dog chosen to serve as temporary substitute for an injured TV star proves that a noble heart trumps good looks every time. Though he misses his first chance at stardom when Broadway hip-hop musical Washington closes after one night, Fred refuses to throw away his shot to act the heroic lead in Dog Squad while the streaming series' original prima donna, Duke, recovers from a broken leg. Not only is Fred a natural on set, in real life he saves babies and puppies and, in a display of true altruism, sets out to rescue Duke from abusive trainer Big Tony Bomboloni. Aside from that stereotyping gaffe, the human and canine supporting cast is an appealing mix of rivals and sidekicks. In frequent ink-and-fill scenes (not seen in finished form), Hughes depicts the courageous canine (part boxer, part hound, "part who knows what") in action from various dramatic angles. Grabenstein bills his "wags-to-riches" tale as a series kickoff, but notwithstanding a broad hint about the next episode, this stands (all four paws) firmly on its own.
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Peters, John. "Dog Squad." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 16, 15 Apr. 2021, pp. 51+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A662574738/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9e1a345f. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
GRABENSTEIN, Chris. Dog Squad. illus. by Chris Grabenstein. 336p. (Dog Squad: Bk. 1). Random. May 2021. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780593301739.
Gr 4-6--Grabenstein's hilarious series starter begs readers to explore what it means to be a hero. Presented in third person, the story chronicles a dog's journey from famine to fame. Left behind by his owners, Fred must fend for himself. Along the way, he encounters breeds kind and cruel at a city shelter, a Broadway performance, and Second Chance Ranch, where Jenny and Abby train strays to become stars for the popular Dog Squad television series featuring famous canine idols Duke, Nala, and Scruffy. As a mixed-breed dog, Fred faces identity challenges. He looks exactly like the real Duke in the show, but he thinks he's just an average pup. When Fred finally meets the real Duke, he reconsiders his assumptions. Rendered in tight, snappy prose, each chapter builds a narrative arc that leaves readers wondering what will happen next. The tone is humorous, and characters are similar to the kids whom readers might encounter. Laced with positive messages but never preachy, this allegorical, fast-paced, rollicking adventure will appeal to all readers. VERDICT Through expertly paced conflict and characterization, this canine adventure shows what it means to be brave.--Jennifer Strattman, Freelance Writer, Cambridge, NY
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Strattman, Jennifer. "GRABENSTEIN, Chris. Dog Squad." School Library Journal, vol. 67, no. 5, May 2021, p. 75. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A661255262/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a3a663fa. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
Grabenstein, Chris GENIUS CAMP Random House (Children's None) $16.99 11, 30 ISBN: 978-0-593-30177-7
The smartest kid in the universe fights against an evil technocrat.
Jake McQuade, a White boy who has experienced an accidental rise from mediocrity, can't let anyone know that a jarful of jelly beans is responsible for his skyrocketing IQ. This second installment in the series quickly catches up readers who might have missed the inciting events and then clips along to a new setting. Immature, tantrum-throwing bazillionaire Zane Zinkle was the smartest kid in the universe--and he is not dealing gracefully with his usurpation despite being 29. He devises a plot to get Jake and an assortment of other brilliant children to the eponymous camp for a project ominously called Operation Brain Drain while using his zPhone to brainwash everyone else. Short chapters, fart jokes, and rapturous descriptions of marshmallows will hook reluctant readers, while vague critiques of capitalism and technocracy might nudge readers to think. Lightly developed diversity is present in the supporting cast: Jake's friends include Grace Garcia, a Spanish-speaking girl he has a crush on; Abia Sulayman, a hijabi girl who ensures the marshmallows are halal (some will remember her from the author's 2017 title, Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race); and Kojo Shelton, Jake's Black best friend who adores Kojak and has adopted one of his catchphrases.
A light, fluffy marshmallow of a book. (puzzle) (Fiction. 9-13)
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"Grabenstein, Chris: GENIUS CAMP." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A678748213/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=608c05c2. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
Grabenstein, Chris MR. LEMONCELLO'S VERY FIRST GAME Random House (Children's None) $17.99 5, 3 ISBN: 978-0-593-48083-0
Luigi Lemoncello gets inspiration from a master showman.
After writing five successful adventures starring legendary billionaire Prof. Lemoncello, Grabenstein looks back in time to 1968, when young Luigi, the seemingly talentless middle child in a large Italian American family, realizes that his love for puzzles and games is his personal gift. When the 13-year-old successfully solves the rebus puzzle and attracts more customers to the Balloon-centration booth at a summer carnival, barker Prof. Marvelmous offers him a job. Marvelmous becomes a mentor; his niece, Maggie, a friend. She and Luigi visit the library regularly, follow treasure hunts offered by a local radio station, and work together to discover the secrets of the elaborate puzzle box Marvelmous has created. The author offers hints and instructions for solving the puzzles and has left one more (plus his email address) for readers to solve on their own. The fast-paced narrative includes good reading suggestions, popular music from the '60s, and occasional solid advice. As in earlier books, there's stress on the importance of teamwork and empathy--young Luigi is as thoughtful and caring as a teenager as he is later as the donor of a splendid library and instigator of brain-teasing contests. Luigi's bullying blond nemesis, Chadwick Chiltington, is likely the father of Charles from previous series entries.
Splendiferous--and sure to lead readers back to previous puzzle adventures. (excerpt from Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library) (Fiction. 8-14)
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"Grabenstein, Chris: MR. LEMONCELLO'S VERY FIRST GAME." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A696498476/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=aeaa93d4. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
Mr. Lemoncello's Very First Game. By Chris Grabenstein. May 2022.304P. Random, $17.99 (9780593480830). Gr. 4-6.
In this prequel to a series dear to the hearts of game and puzzle fans--not to mention librarians--13-year-old Luigi L. Lemonceilo confirms his calling to become the greatest game designer ever while picking up experience in putting on a grand show, fending off bullies, and making people happier. Hoping to help support his big, financially strapped family, middle child Luigi jumps at the chance to work with wise, genial, fast-talking barker Professor Marvelmous, who runs a booth at the summer carnival where prizes can be won by popping balloons and guessing the rebuses hidden behind them. Along with depicting numerous rebuses so that readers can have at them too, Grabenstein tucks connections to subsequent episodes into his tale, including taglines ("Knowledge not shared remains unknown") and characters like Luigi's inventive friend Chester Raymo and sneering nemesis, Chad Chiltington. Also, in the course of following a series of clues left by Marvelmous to a life-changing reward for his beloved niece Maggie, Luigi invents a string of entertainments, from an author/title treasure hunt in his local library--using books that were popular in 1968 when all this is set (and mostly still are today)--to an early version of Wordle. An "awesometastic" lead-in likely to inspire a wave of revisits to the earlier books. --John Peters
HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Mr. Lem oncello's Library was a New York Times best-seller, and fans of the blockbuster series will be thrilled to puzzle their way through the future famed game-maker's origin story.
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Peters, John. "Mr. Lemoncello's Very First Game." Booklist, vol. 118, no. 15, 1 Apr. 2022, pp. 62+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A701067543/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4ba1419c. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
Grabenstein, Chris CAT CREW Random House (Children's None) $17.99 10, 18 ISBN: 978-0-593-48087-8
A cat spinoff leads to more crime-fighting adventure in this Dog Squad (2021) sequel.
Just as the canine cast of the live-action television series Dog Squad (which formed the basis for the first book) breaks for hiatus and its star, Fred, heads back to Jenny Yen's animal training ranch, ratings for the show dip. The network's solution is Cat Crew, a crossover spinoff featuring some of Jenny's rescued cats. Delivering tension and driving the plot are next-door neighbor and billionaire Kitty Bitteridge; her chauffeur, Dimitri (a former cat trainer in exile from his Russian homeland); and their performing Abyssinians, who become Cat Crew's rivals with their own show, Feline Force Five. Not only are Kitty and Dimitri using cruel methods to train the Abyssinians, but they have kidnapped one of the cats-in-training. Once again, short, high-energy chapters full of action, animal dialogue, and animated illustrations recount fast-paced heroics. This time there's teamwork--and plenty more puns--as Fred joins forces with the kidnapped cat's feline family, ranch animal friends, and Jenny's niece Abby's continuing pet psychic abilities helping to expose Kitty and save her animal performers. The dialogue occasionally relies on negative tropes, as with Russian villain Dimitri and a former barn cat whose speech evokes Southern stereotypes.
Entertaining but not purr-fect. (Animal fiction. 8-12)
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"Grabenstein, Chris: CAT CREW." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A715352735/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=596c3d10. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.