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The Pirate Cats want to be rich: their plan is to travel back to the year 1492, gain control of Christopher Columbus’s ship, and discover America themselves. It sounds difficult, but they just might change history - these three sly cats have disguises, a time machine, and no qualms about lying.
Someone is watching them, though. Professor Volt has detected their time-traveling mischief. When he sees what’s happening on the screen of his new piece of equipment, Professor Volt summons Geronimo Stilton (the well-known editor of the Rodent’s Gazette of New Mouse City) to his lab.
Geronimo Stilton doesn’t like what he sees but, after one big nervous GULP, Geronimo calls his family. They gather in the Speedrat and travel back to Palos, Spain, August 2, 1492. After a quick change of clothes, they begin their search for three cats in a town full of mice.
The Discovery of America is the first in a series of Geronimo Stilton graphic novels being released in North America. First published in 2007 in Italy, the story is new to the U.S. and appears in full color. The story contains many of the same features fans have come to expect in the novels. Words such as meow, impossible, zoot and terrible appear in color and in a font that matches the sound that word might make.
Tidbits of information appear throughout the story expanding on a topic, a location, or a word. In the graphic novel, these appear in brown scrolls beside the comic panels. In this book, they explain the role of the Royal Inspector and describe what a typical meal would be like on the ship and the three masts that would have been found on Christopher Columbus’s ships.
Fans of the novels will be happy to see their favorite characters (Thea Stilton, Benjamin and Trap Stilton) appear in the graphic novel, as well as new Geronimo Stilton travel mishaps and Trap’s humorous antics. Geronimo Stilton #1: The Discovery of America ends with a five-page preview of the next graphic novel in the series, The Secret of the Sphinx.
Children not already familiar with the Geronimo Stilton characters can read an introduction about each on the front and back endpapers of this book. This new series will appeal to established Geronimo Stilton fans and young comic book fans. The characters are comical and adventurous, the wordplay (“Don’t mouse off,” “moldy mozzarella,” and “werecat whiskers”) is witty, and the historical references fit seamlessly into the narrative.
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Geronimo Stilton #1: The Discovery of America