[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Random House Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Kyle Keeley is back, and this time he’s hoping to win it all! Mr. Lemoncello is giving away his entire empire to a 13-year-old kid, and Kyle wants to be that kid.
Kyle isn’t the only kid hoping to win. There’s Simon and Soraiya in New York and Gloria in Florida as well as Betina in California. As Kyle gets to know the other contestants – 13 in all – his confidence starts to waver. Most of his closest friends chose to sit this one out, and he could have too. He’s not sure his gaming skills are best in the group. And running the Lemoncello empire requires more than game skills. But he also knows that Charles Chiltington is up to no good. Kyle has to stay in the game to keep Charles from ruining the Lemoncello legacy.
Review
A lovely send-off for, as Chris Grabenstein says in his acknowledgements “this particular arc of the Lemoncello universe.” While there are new stories – and graphic novels – still to come, this is a satisfying conclusion to the initial book series. The games are fun, and the contestants for the most part are endearing kids who hope to succeed. I loved that there was space for several series regulars to sit this one out. They set a boundary for themselves and pursued their passions – it was great!
Thankfully the Chiltingtons did most of their scheming off-page because I have been over Charles since the All-Star Breakout Game. But he got to make a final appearance and close out his arc while Kyle and Mr. Lemoncello closed out theirs. At least for now.
Teachers, librarians, and series fans will want to finish the series and pick this one up. There’s tons here to love!
Rating: ♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.