THE SEWER RAT STINK (GERONIMO STILTON GRAPHIC NOVEL #1), By Tom Angleberger and Elisabetta Dami, Scholastic, May 5, 2020, Hardcover, $12.99 (ages 7-10)
Have you ever heard of Geronimo Stilton? No? Neither had I until just recently. Which is crazy, because the series has sold over 140 million copies worldwide!
Geronimo is the main character in an Italian book series that was picked up by Scholastic in 2004. There are currently 77 books in the series and at least that many in various spinoffs.
I was in college — still planning on becoming a ballerina — when the first book came out, so it was far from my radar. But a few weeks ago, an ARC of The Sewer Rat Stink, the first book in the Geronimo Stilton: The Graphic Novel series arrived at my house.
The Sewer Rat Stink follows Geronimo and his best friend Hercule, the private detective, as they head into the underground sewer world of Mouse Island to investigate a stinky smell that’s been inundating New Mouse City.
In truth, I never planned on reviewing The Sewer Rat Stink. It arrived at a time when I had a lot of other books to read/review. Covid made things even harder.
One day, I handed the advanced reader copy to my 6-year-old in passing, thinking she might enjoy it for a bit.
She never gave it back.
In fact, she’s read it so much that the ARC binding has broken, and sections of the book are falling out. She was in tears when the book snapped in half. It quickly became clear I needed to order a hardcover. When it arrived, my daughter read the first 20 chapters uninterrupted. She was thrilled to find out it included a table of contents and slippery paper!
In the process of purchasing The Sewer Rat Stink, I discovered the vast options available in Geronimo’s world. It looks like I’ll be purchasing some of the original books soon.
When it comes to The Sewer Rat Stink, my daughter has been reading it both to herself and aloud to me and her father at bedtime. She loves the illustrations and the silly antics. She actually laughs out loud when she describes the story.
Any book that gets that kind of reaction is worth adding to your collection.
