The stone of fire by Geronimo Stilton

The Cavemice series, bk 1. Scholastic, 2013. ISBN: 9780545447744.
(Ages: 8-11) Geronimo is back with a brand new series ego and he's taking on the Stone Age! Geronimo Stiltonoon is actually the ancient ancestor of the much loved Geronimo Stilton and he runs the stone slab newspaper, The Stone Gazette, in the prehistoric village of Old Mouse City. Dealing with the everyday dangers of life in the Stone Age is not easy. With flying dinosaurs dropping stone slab mail on his head, the ever-present threat of extinction and the dreaded traffic tickets for parking his dinosaur outside the lines Geronimo hardly has time to worry about anything else. But when a precious artefact gets stolen from the mouseum (one of a hundred cheesy, mousy puns) it seems Geronimo has no choice but to help his friend Hercule Poirot solve the mystery and save Old Mouse City.
Children of all ages cannot get enough of these books and it is easy to see why. Fun, colourful fonts are effectively used to break up large chunks of text and the addition of text boxes, maps, diagrams and an abundance of colourful, interesting illustrations make it exciting to read. There is even a seemingly conceivable recipe included for 'Meatballs in Primordial Soup'. While this and other Geronimo Stilton books are fantastic for those just moving into independent novel reading they are also enjoyed by a diverse range of children with varying abilities and reading interests.
Nicole Smith-Forrest