The wee ones love Geronimo Stilton. It’s one of the first chapter books Mister Man ever started reading. He decided awhile ago that he was far too old for it, but he rediscovered his love of the series last spring when we started listening to the series on audiobook. There is a whole new set of books from Geronimo Stilton that are set in the The Kingdom of Fantasy, with The Volcano of Fire by Geronimo Stilton being the most recent one.
In the Kingdom of Fantasy books, Geronimo is still the publisher of The Rodent’s Gazette, the largest newspaper on Mouse Island. He still has his sister Thea and his cousin Trapp and his nephew Benjamin, but he inevitably ends up in the Kingdom of Fantasy without his family. In this land, there are various lands populated by elves, gnomes, unicorns, and more, not all of which get along.
Geronimo has been called to the Kingdom of Fantasy this time by King Thunderhorn because of earthquakes that are destroying his kingdom. On his adventure to solve the issue, Geronimo discovers that it is the volcano causing the earthquakes and works to stop the newly awakened volcano.
This is one of the kids’ books that is definitely a kid book and not one that I’d pick up to read for myself. Geronimo is a weak character who can never say no and is constantly taken advantage of and chickens out of things yet somehow comes out on top of each situation. He isn’t the kind of person I want the wee ones to emulate, but he is entertaining in a “laugh at him” kind of way that my children love.
The writing itself is also sort of over the top, as it is meant to be. It is silly and zany, which is apparent just from opening the book. Various words are highlighted in different fonts and colors, making it more fun to read. There are illustrations throughout the book on almost every page that also help to make this less daunting to read for children who aren’t confident in their abilities.
Though the book itself doesn’t always make the most sense to me, the wee ones enjoyed it tremendously, and it is currently on loan to one of their friends. It is perfect for its audience of early elementary age children. And as a parent, I appreciate the call outs that appear periodically with factual information or advice on how to handle situations that is presented in a way that may stick with a child.
Written by Michelle who loves reviewing children’s books that disappear into her own children’s hands before she can read them. See what else disappears around her house as she shares on her blog Honest & Truly! or follow along with her on Twitter where she is also @HonestAndTruly.