Twelve-year-old Kyle Keeley is playing his favorite board game, Mr. Lemoncello’s Indoor-Outdoor Scavenger Hunt, against his older brothers, 17-year-old Mike (a talented athlete) and 15-year-old Curtis (intelligent and studious). Kyle cannot compete with his brothers in sports or academics, but “[b]oard games leveled the playing field. You needed a good roll of the dice, a lucky draw of the cards, and some smarts, but if things went your way and you gave it your all, anyone could win” (3-4). Kyle and Mike achieve their scavenged objects for the “Outside” round, then rush toward the basement, where the last objects are. Because the last round assigns the same riddle to all players, Mike and Kyle run for the same objective: a quarter and a nickel, both from 1982. They each intend to scrounge the coins from Dad’s coin jar. Kyle goes through the basement window and beats Mike to the coins. He wins the game but breaks the window glass; now he is grounded for a week.

In Alexandriaville, Ohio, Kyle’s town, a new library is just a few days away from its grand opening. “World-famous librarian” (7), Dr. Yanina Zinchenko, a tall, commanding, red-haired woman wearing heels and a suit, walks through the impressive library checking on completed rooms.