Geronimo Stilton: Kingdom of Fantasy

ISBN-10:0545980259
ISBN-13: 978-0545980258
Released: November 2009 (In Australia), US December 2009 (Out Now) 
Summary:
I, Geronimo Stilton, never expected to find a golden staircase in my attic.

But one day I did! At the top of the stairs, there was a door. And beyond the door was a world I never could have imagined the Kingdom of Fantasy! I set off on an incredible adventure to save the Queen of the Fairies.

Along the way, I had to face giant scorpions, witches, sea serpents, pixies and dozens of other fantastical creatures. Holey cheese, what a journey! I couldn't wait to get home so that I could write all about it in this book.

It's full of maps, secret codes, riddles, puzzles and other amazing discoveries that I made along the way.

Geronimo Stilton and the Kingdom Of Fantasy
Rating A+

As you may have heard the highly anticipated book Geronimo Stilton and the Kingdom Of Fantasy came out in Australian and Canada a full month before its release in the US so I was able to get my hands on a copy early.

Just seeing it on the shelf is a sight to behold. Placed with the regular Geronim0 Stilton books it stands out dramatically for the width of the spine and the semi-gloss hard cover.

When you pick up the book its a beautiful size. Any bigger and it would have been somewhat unwieldy and heavy, and while it is smaller than I imagined, Piemme and Scholastic have found the perfect format in my opinion.

The cover is striking, even more so in person than in promotional images. With golden lettering to highlight the name and a gorgeous colourful illustration of Geronimo sitting atop a flying dragon, it draws the eye.

Everyone I show is very impressed, regardless of their age and even if they have never heard of Geronimo Stilton before. Its one of those books that really stands out from the shelves.

It is bound, thankfully, very well.
While the regular Geronimo books are smaller and soft covered and can get by with a durable glue binding, this thicker hardcover format needed something extra.

Scholastic have delivered with a beautiful cloth and stitch binding process, which means you can lay the book open and the pages sit comfortably flat with no threat of falling out. Considering the amount of wear this book will no doubt get in libraries this is a great asset.

When you open the book the images jump out at you. The illustrations vary a little in style and brightness of color, but never in quality.

In this book Geronimo travels underwater, in the air, in forests and snow, to strange and intriguing lands and meets all sorts of fantastical creatures.

Each drawing is rendered beautifully.
The designs are familiar but just different enough to convey that no mouse has come here before.

There are numerous maps, factfiles on the various places visited, puzzles,secret languages, image illusions and lots and lots of illustrations and colored text.

As for the story itself, I enjoyed it immensely and won't spoil it for you except to give a basic outline.

Geronimo is home after having his usual crazy day at work when the power goes out in his home.

He is up in the attic searching for candles in the dark when he comes across a beautiful music box, with jewels of various colors that shine in the candlelight. The music box opens a doorway to another world where Geronimo soon finds a new friend, Scribblehopper the frog.

With Scribblehopper and other friends he meets along the way, he forms The Order Of The Fairy Queen to journey on a quest through the various worlds of The Kingdom Of Fantsy. They must rescue the Fairy Queen who is in trouble.

The book is fun, a little scary at times (for very young readers) and full of engaging puzzles and adventures. Geronimo ends up retelling a number of myths and famous fairy tales in the story and these give a wonderful counterpoint to his own experiences in the Fantasy Kingdom.

Geronimo and the Order journey through 8 different kingdoms to reach their destination, each with its own villains, heroes and lessons to learn.

To pass through each Kingdom Geronimo and his friends must pass certain tests and this makes the book quite interactive. In addition there is a secret code to the Fantasian Alphabet and numerous messages need translating throughout the book.

Throughout the story Geronimo is his usual self, slightly scared at times but always there for a friend. He recognizes strengths in others and also lets people know when they are being rude. By the conclusion of the story he becomes the knight in shining armor that Scribblehopper sees at the beginning of the book.
In short he is as cool as ever!

Honestly there is so much in this book that it is hard to convey it all in a review, you really have to see for yourself. Its fun, engaging, colorful and full of wonder.

Needless to say it is a must-read for any young reader, or old reader for that matter.

Each time I pick up the book I get more out of it and I have no doubts that will be an extremely well-read and well-loved part of my family for years to come.

I'd recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone. A+

Main Characters:
Geronimo Stilton: Hero and Knight In Shining Armor
Scribblehopper: Literary Frog and travelling companion
Shelly: Turtle, Guide through the Mermaid Kingdom
Princess Scatterbrain: Dragon, Guide through the Dragon Kingdom
Trick: Pixie, Guide through the Kingdom Of the Pixies
Factual and Cozy: King and Queen of the Gnomes
Giant: Guide through the Kingdom Of the Giants
Blinkette: Firefly, Guide through the Kingdom Of the Fairies

Maps: The Kingdom Of The Witches (2 pages), Kingdom Of The Mermaids (2 pages), Kingdom Of The Dragons (2 pages), The Kingdom Of The Pixies (2 pages), The Kingdom Of The Gnomes (2 pages), The Kingdom Of The Giants (2 pages), The Kingdom Of the Fairies (2 pages), Tribe Of The Trolls (2 pages),

Factfiles:The Order Of The Fairy Queen, Kingdom Of The Witches, The Myth Of Arachne, The Dark Army Of Cackle, Mandrake, Phoenix, Werewolves, The Sea, Kingdom Of The Mermaids, Mermen, The Little Mermaid, Blackbeard, Teh Kingdom Of The Dragons, Beowulf, Legend of The Princess And The Dragon, The North Star, The Kingdom Of The Pixies, Optical Illusions, Tongue twisters, The Kingdom Of The Gnomes, The Legend Of The Gnome's Three Small Magic Stones, The Kingdom Of The Giants, The Kingdom Of the Fairies, The Unicorn, Legend Of Finn McCool, TirnanOg, The Trolls, Chameleon, Rainbow, The Fairies, Dragon Of the Rainbow, Secret Code To the Fantasian Alphabet. 

News:- The Kingdom of Fantasy was voted "The best book ever" during Children's Literature Week in Belgium and Holland in March 2008. (Link)

• The series spans five books so far in the original Italian version
• Each book is hardcover and contains 300-400 pages!
• The English translation of volume one comes out in December! (Pre-order Kingdom Of Fantasy from Amazon  to read it as soon as it is released!)
• The setting is of course, a fantasy world, populated by dragons, fairies, mermaids, unicorns and trolls
• The unique format of Geronimo Stilton that we know and love (ie cartoon illustrations and groovy fonts and colored text) has been kept for these longer books
• The Kingdom of Fantasy was voted “The best book ever” during Children’s Literature Week in Belgium and Holland in March 2008
• Do you know what Brimstone smells like? I have heard that there are apparently scratch and sniff spin-off books but this is a rumor so wild I will believe it when I see it
• In Italy, the series is known as Regno Della Fantasia, Or “Kingdom Of Imagination“
• There are currently two CDs of music to accompany the Fantasy series in Italy
• A board game of the series is also coming out in Italy,  September 2009
• See more information about Geronimo Stilton Kingdom Of Fantasy On our Blog

 

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Tags: Geronimo Stilton, Geronimo Stilton Books