Chris Grabenstein’s ‘Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library’ Is Now a Graphic Novel
by Benjamin Hall
Children’s author Chris Grabenstein’s novel Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library has hit its ten year anniversary. Therefore, Grabenstein illustrator Douglas Holgate, colorist Marta Todeschini, and designer/letterer Juliet Goodman are teaming up for Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: The Graphic Novel. This comic book transforms the original novel for young readers with a full-color palette. There are also some special changes that may interest older fans of the original novel as well. The original version has 44 state award nominations, and over two million copies in buyers’ hands of the six books in the Lemoncello series. Besides these achievements Grabenstein tours schools to help inspire new generations of literate individuals, Grabenstein is currently hard at work on a seventh and final book for the series which he expects to publish in 2024.
“Kids always tell me I write ‘movies for the mind,’” says Grabenstein. “So it was fun to translate this story into a graphic novel. It reminded me of the storyboards we used to create when I worked in advertising. I was very fortunate to have Douglas Holgate along for the ride. His artwork brings wonderfully vivid life to all the figments of my imagination.”
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library invites readers to find out if game-loving Kyle Keeley can get free of the library that is Mr. Luigi Lemoncello’s creation during a special night time premiere event. However when the doors fail to open upon dawn’s arrival Kyle and the other kids have to deduce this building’s mysteries in order to discover the way out.
Editorial Director of Random House Graphic Shana Corey says:
‘It’s also…for librarians and teachers looking for graphic novels with positive messages and…themes for discussion.”
Publisher Random House Books for Young Readers will release Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library: The Graphic Novel on Tuesday November 7th, 2023.
