Geronimo Stilton saves the Olympics by Geronimo Stilton
Geronimo Stilton Graphic Novel series, no. 10. Papercutz, 2012. 50
pages. ISBN 9781597073196.
(Ages: 7-10) The Pirate Cats have travelled back in time to compete
in the first modern Olympics, back in 1894 in Athens. I's up to
Geronimo and his team to prevent the Cats from winning the prizes
and changing the outcome of the first modern games. But what
Geronimo and his friends don't know is that the Pirate Cats have
taken back to 1894 modern gadgets that will make it near impossible
for them to be defeated in the Olympic events. How can they possibly
stop them without changing the course of history?
The historical notes peppered throughout the graphic novel are a
bonus and the subject and concept of the text will appeal to young
children of both genders. Regular readers will recognise the
characters from other Geronimo Stilton books however the series does
not need to be read in order and the characters and the roles they
play are easy enough to pick up through reading a single book alone.
The humour of the characters, especially as it plays on their
identities as mice and cats gives the book an added dimension which
will be familiar to fans of the series. The illustrations in their
coloured form are aesthetically pleasing and the text is easy to
read and not too complex. This is a classic good versus bad comic
with themes which appeal to younger readers and characters who have
clearly defined traits and qualities which make it somewhat humorous
and overall fun to read. Children who struggle with large blocks of
text or enjoy visual reading will appreciate the sparse text and
colourful pages.
Nicole Smith-Forrest