Geronimo Stilton Cavemice #1: The Stone of Fire
For readers who have worked their way through the multitude of books in the Geronimo Stilton franchise, here is something only slightly different. Meet Geronimo Stiltonoot, Stone Age Cavemouse and ancient ancestor of Geronimo Stilton. Interestingly enough, Mr. Stiltonoot’s life is quite similar to that of his popular descendant’s, except with mock-prehistoric trappings of the Flintstones variety. Stiltonoot’s adventures are told in the tried-and-true format, i.e., ample colorful illustrations, diagrams, maps, words in the text frequently enlarged in a dizzying variety of fonts, and side blocks with bits of information and nonsense. Here Stiltonoot must overcome many perils to rescue the famous Stone of Fire stolen from the mouseum by the evil Tiger Khan. Literary references include Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes; however, the plot is more in the nature of Indiana Jones. Fans of the other Geronimo Stilton books will definitely embrace the over-the-top silliness in this new spin-off. Grades K-4. --Randall Enos