Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, by Chris Grabenstein

Kyle Keeley and his family are obsessed with the board games of Luigi Lemoncello, a celebrity game designer and flamboyant billionaire.  When Kyle’s hometown announces the construction of a new library after 12 long years, the buzz turns into a frenzy when it’s revealed that Mr. Lemoncello has funded and designed the new building!  Kyle is among a handful of kids who’ve been hand-selected to receive the first library cards, and also to participate in an overnight lock-in adventure.  They’re allowed to use only their wits and the library’s resources to solve a number of clues, and the first person who makes it out of the building will receive the grand prize!

One of the great things about this particular book is the number of mysteries and puzzles included with the story.  Heavy readers will be tickled to see some of their favorite books included as clues, although I’d be impressed with any kid who’s actually read all the referenced texts!  What really makes this book, though, are the picture rebuses included as clues.  Reading this book is like being part of a madcap treasure hunt, and that means that you’re instantly sucked into the plot.  “Mr. Lemoncello’s Library” and its sequel are a matching pair of fast-paced, exciting and most importantly, fun books which deserve a spot on every kid’s bookshelf. 

Holes, by Louis Sachar

Stanley Yelnats is a teenage boy from a poor but hard-working family of farmers.  The family blames their continual bad luck on a curse of bad luck set in motion by his pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather, and the latest example of this comes when Stanley is wrongfully accused of stealing a priceless pair of shoes.  Stanley is sentenced to a period of hard labor, digging precisely-measured holes in the ground at a prison camp.  Over time, Stanley discovers that he and the rest of the inmates aren’t just digging as punishment, but rather searching for something…

Besides the fact that this book is such a great story, one other reason for its phenomenal success is that it’s just plain fun!  Yes, Stanley’s last name is his first spelled backwards, and that’s just one of the small details buried within this book for careful readers to find.  The supporting cast is just plain hilarious, and it’s no wonder that Disney decided to make “Holes” into a film.

If you’re looking for a modern classic that will have boys howling with laughter as they fly through the pages, look no further than “Holes”.

The Marvelous Inventions of Alvin Fernald, by Clifford B. Hicks

Since 1960, boys and girls alike have enjoyed reading about the adventures of Alvin Fernald and his Magnificent Brain.  Whenever his brain clicks into action, a glassy stare comes into Alvin’s eyes and not even his troublesome sister, lovingly known as “The Pest”, can distract him from his work.  Whether it’s creating the Foolproof Burglar Alarm for his bedroom door or developing the Sure Shot Paper Slinger for delivering newspapers from his bike, Alvin is always in search of another marvelous invention.  In this book, the first in the series, a set of mysterious circumstances surrounding the Old Huntley Place is all the inspiration that Alvin needs for his sleuthing.

The Alvin Fernald books were already modern classics when I discovered them as a child, and although they might be slightly hard to find they are actually still in print today!  The author, Clifford B. Hicks, also served as an editor for Popular Mechanics magazine, so one neat feature of these books is that all of Alvin’s creations are actually realistic!  Based on the descriptions in the stories, a tinkering reader can easily re-create some of the inventions within.  Mr. Hicks seemed to know both the inner workings of machines, as well as young boys’ brains, which makes these books such enduring stories today.

The Hardy Boys, by Franklin W. Dixon

Frank and Joe Hardy are a pair of teenage brothers and amateur detectives.  When they’re not attending high school in the city of Bayport, they often find themselves entangled in any number of local mysteries.  Whether they solve one of the confidential case files that their father (a detective) is working on, or they accidentally stumble across a villain’s concealed activities, action and adventure seem to seek out the Hardy Boys. 

One fun fact is that while the “Hardy Boys” series is supposedly authored by someone called Franklin W. Dixon, all of the books were actually created by ghostwriters.  There have been over 200 books added to the series over the past century, so it’s very easy to pick one up at random and dive in.  Each book is a self-contained novel, so you don’t have to start with any particular book like you would with “Harry Potter” or “Lord of the Rings.”

The Hardy Boys are the type of teenagers that every boy dreams of being, so it’s no wonder that their popularity has endured for so long.  Over a million of these books are still sold each year, so I’m betting you’ll find it easy to put your hands on a copy!

The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn, by John Bellairs

After his father has a heart attack and can’t return to work, Anthony Monday’s family begins to suffer from financial troubles.  Anthony works part-time at his local library, but his salary won’t even begin to cover their bills.  He worries about money constantly, and becomes obsessed with a local legend about Alpheus Winterborn, the reclusive billionaire who built the library.  Old Man Winterborn was rumored to have hidden the bulk of his fortune somewhere in the town, and he left behind a series of cryptic clues.  Once Anthony stumbles across one of the clues in the library, he finds himself stalked by a mysterious, estranged heir who wants to claim the entire Winterborn family fortune for himself!

I absolutely love John Bellairs’ books!  They’re not your typical middle-grade novels since they’re full of gothic mystery, suspense, and elements of the supernatural.  I actually read all of them when I was a kid, and I enjoyed all three series featuring Anthony Monday as well as two other main characters, Johnny Dixon and Lewis Barnavelt.  When I re-discovered these books as an adult, I learned that Mr. Bellairs had passed away and left several unfinished books behind.  These were later completed by another author, Mr. Brad Strickland, who had himself read Mr. Bellairs’ books as a child.  What an awesome way to continue a legacy!

Fair warning:  while neither “The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn” or any of Mr. Bellairs’ other books involve graphic violence or any kind of inappropriate subject matter, they are DOWNRIGHT SPOOKY and may very well keep you awake long after you turn off the lights!  If you’re okay with that then rush right down to your library and grab one of these books but whatever you do, don’t start reading it on a school night!

A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket

The Bad Beginning is the first in a series of thirteen books featuring the hapless Baudelaire orphans.  After their parents die in a tragic house fire, Klaus, Violet and Sunny are shipped off to live with their uncle, the evil Count Olaf.  It quickly becomes clear to them that they are not welcome at Olaf’s…especially when they learn of his plot to steal their inheritance!

These books are very fun and should be suitable for most middle-grade readers, although the humor is so smart that I’ve even caught a few of my adult friends reading them as well!  I really enjoyed the way that the children seem to always be smarter than the adults, especially once they’ve learned of Count Olaf’s diabolical plan.

It’s my goal to work through the rest of the series this year, but I couldn’t help thinking about how many children’s book characters are orphans.  I don’t know why that is, except for maybe that writing about orphans could give an author more freedom to explore different situations without worrying about how parents might obstruct the plot of the story?  But what do you think?  Does writing a character’s parents into the story add to the plot, or would it shift the focus off of the kids?

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, by Donald J. Sobol

These books tell the story of Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown, a young boy with a powerful brain and a photographic memory.  This kid genius puts his skills to use as a private detective serving the good people in his town of Idaville.  His father works as the local police chief, so Leroy routinely becomes involved with local crimes as well as disputes between his school friends.  No case is too big, too small, or too hard for this kid detective!

There are almost thirty books in this series, but each one stands alone so you don’t have to worry about reading them in order.  Also, the books themselves are collections of short stories which all feature clues and open endings.  The best part about these books is how they let you read each story as you try to figure out the puzzle right alongside Encyclopedia Brown!  Of course, if you’re like me and you always get stumped by mysteries, you can always find the solution for each story at the end of the book!

For a small town, it seems like Idaville always has a lot going on.  I really appreciated how the setting was completely fictional, so you were free to imagine that mysteries like these could actually be happening in your own town.  Have you ever thought that the town where you live might make a good setting for a story?  Are there any people you know who have special talents like Encyclopedia Brown’s great brain?