Extract:
In front of me was a huge room filled with antique furniture. Dust and cobwebs hung over the sofas like unwanted guests the morning after a party. Gigantic paintings of cats from centuries ago covered the walls. I was glad not to be living in that period! Too many cats back then.
Then I noticed a velvet wall hanging with embroidered writing. It read:
This Castle Belongs to the most honourable Duke Bigpaw Cannycat.
(Geronimo Stilton: Cat & Mouse in a Haunted House)
Synopsis:
Geronimo Stilton is back for a spooktastic adventure.
Journalist and adventurer Geronimo Stilton comes across a castle in the Dark Forest. The castle appears to be abandoned. A name plaque says it belongs to the Cannycat family, but that can’t be possible. There haven’t been cats on the island since the battle of Raterloo in 1754 … have there?
When Geronimo Stilton encounters the ghost of Slicepaw Cannycat, he decides to investigate. With the help of his mouse family, he sets out to solve the castle’s mystery, but there are those who would rather he kept his whiskers out.Review:
Geronimo Stilton is something of an easy-reader empire. Originally a hit in Italy, the stories have been published in numerous countries. The beauty of this, as I discussed with my polylinguist and primary teacher friend Christina, is you could give a child stories in multiple languages. While they will find their home language easier to read, the stories are simple enough that a child could use them to look at other languages in action.
I’m also impressed with the corresponding website. There is huge value here for reluctant readers. The website has colouring pages, computer games, puzzles and videos, meaning the reading experience can be adapted to reward the individual child.
What did I think of Cat & Mouse In A Haunted House? While I would say its value lies in being educational, it was a cute story. I liked the world – Geronimo uses words and phrases which build the image of him as a mouse. The mystery built up nicely, with twists and turns in the right place.
I was confused about whether Raterloo was supposed to be Waterloo. The name is similar, but the date is out. Other books in the series borrow events from human history, and I would rather they all corresponded, or were clearly fictional. Maybe that’s just me, but I found it a bit hazy as to whether it was supposed to promote an interest in history.
Geronimo is a friendly character. His fear at the start of the story makes him more relatable, and the fact that he overcomes it to solve the mystery means readers might root for him, and follow him to further adventures.
A cute easy-reader, which has clearly thought how to attract children and make them want to read more.
Thanks to Sweet Cherry Publishing who sent a copy in exchange for honest review.
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