Grabenstein, Chris.
THE ISLAND OF DR. LIBRIS
New York : Random, 2015
IL 3-6, RL 4.3
ISBN 0385388446

Billy’s parents are going through a separation and he is to spend the summer with his mother at a cabin on Lake Katrine in upstate New York. The cabin is owned by Dr. Libris, a professor at Billy’s mother’s university. Upon exploring the cabin, Billy quickly notices that there are security cameras everywhere and no TV. Billy discovers a locked ornate bookcase filled with classic literature in Dr. Libris’s study and solves a riddle to locate the key and unlock it. He selects a book – The Labors of Hercules – begins reading and discovers that he can hear the voices of the characters. Impossible he thinks, but alas it’s true. The voices are coming from a mysterious island in the middle the lake. Billy sets off to explore the island and stumbles upon Hercules and Antaeus. How is this possible? Billy assists Hercules and races back to the cabin, convinced that what he just witnessed couldn’t be real. The next day, Billy meets Walter and the two set out to solve the mystery of the island. (Garden State Children's Book Awards, 2018)