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Mr. Lemoncello's great library race

Chris Grabenstein

Cover of Mr. Lemoncello's great library race

Mr. Lemoncello's great library race

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Chris Grabenstein

Reading Level 6 11C Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.

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About This Book

Wheels spin, pages flutter, and clues fly as Kyle Keeley pedals faster than ever in Mr. Lemoncello’s wild fact-finding frenzy! From bookmobiles to banana jets, the race to uncover America’s greatest secrets is on—but when mysterious facts about Mr. Lemoncello himself start to pop up, everything changes in a flash!

Themes

Books and readingLibrariesEccentrics and eccentricitiesContestsFriendshipAdventure

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade fiction book follows Kyle Keeley and other finalists in a high-energy contest designed by the eccentric game maker Mr. Lemoncello. The story combines puzzles, adventure, and facts about famous Americans, promoting reading and problem-solving skills. Suitable for ages 9-12, it contains light suspense and encourages curiosity without intense content.

Why we rated Mr. Lemoncello's great library race 11C

Mr. Lemoncello's great library race is written at a Level 6 reading level across 288 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Mr. Lemoncello's great library race works for readers up to grade 8.0.

We rate Mr. Lemoncello's great library race as 11C ("Clear") because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the gentle intensity score.

Thematically, Mr. Lemoncello's great library race explores books and reading, libraries, eccentrics and eccentricities, contests, and friendship — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

  • Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
  • Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
  • Kids drawn to stories about books and reading, libraries, eccentrics and eccentricities.

Maybe not for

  • ! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic "gifted kid" mismatch.
  • ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.

For Parents

Content Intensity

11C — Clear
Emotional
Clear
Physical
Clear
Social
Clear
Thematic
Clear

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

2/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

1/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
5
Emotional Weight
2
Theme Richness
6
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

288 pages
ISBN
9780553536089
Pages
288
Publisher
Random House Books for Young Readers
Published
2017
Type
Fiction

Genres

Subjects

Books and ReadingLibrariesEccentrics and EccentricitiesContests