by Thea Stilton
I’m Geronimo Stilton’s sister.
As I’m sure you know from my brother’s
bestselling novels, I’m a special correspondent
for
The Rodent’s Gazette
, Mouse Island’s most famouse
newspaper. Unlike my ’fraidy mouse brother, I absolutely
adore traveling, having adventures, and meeting rodents
from all around the world!
The adventure I want to tell you about begins
at Mouseford Academy, the school I went to when I was
a
young mouseling. I had such a great experience there
as
a student that I came back to teach a journalism class.
Hello, I’m Thea!
When I returned as a grown mouse, I met five really
special students: Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Paulina, and
Violet. You could hardly imagine five more different
mouselings, but they became great friends right away.
And they liked me so much that they decided to name
their group after me: the Thea Sisters! I was so touched
by that, I decided to write about their adventures. So turn
the page to read a fabumouse adventure about the
THEA SISTERS!
A
Nicky
Name: Nicky
Nickname: Nic
Home: Australia
Secret ambition: Wants to be an ecologist.
Loves: Open spaces and nature.
Strengths: She is always in a good mood, as long as
she’s outdoors!
Weaknesses: She can’t sit still!
Secret: Nicky is claustrophobic
— she
can’t stand being in small, tight places.
colette
Name: Colette
Nickname: It’s Colette,
please. (She can’t stand nicknames.)
Home: France
Secret ambition: Colette is very particular about
her appearance. She wants to be a fashion writer.
Loves: The color pink.
Strengths: She’s energetic and full of great ideas.
Weaknesses: She’s always late!
Secret: To relax, there’s nothing
Colette likes more than a
manicure and pedicure.
violet
Name: Violet
Nickname: Vi
Home: China
Secret ambition: Wants to become a great violinist.
Loves: Books! She is a real intellectual, just like my
brother, Geronimo.
Strengths: She’s detail- oriented and always open to
new things.
Weaknesses: She is a bit sensitive and can’t stand
being teased. And if she doesn’t get enough sleep,
she can be a real grouch!
Secret: She likes to unwind by listening
to classical music and drinking green tea.
paulina
Name: Paulina
Nickname: Polly
Home: Peru
Secret ambition: Wants to be a scientist.
Loves: Traveling and meeting people from all over
the world. She is also very close to her sister, Maria.
Strengths: Loves helping other rodents.
Weaknesses: She’s shy and can be a bit clumsy.
Secret: She is a computer genius!
Name: Pamela
Nickname: Pam
Home: Tanzania
Secret ambition: Wants to become a sports
journalist or a car mechanic.
Loves: Pizza, pizza, and more pizza! She’d eat
pizza for breakfast if she could.
Strengths: She is a peacemaker. She
can’t stand arguments.
Weaknesses: She is very impulsive.
Secret: Give her a screwdriver and
any mechanical problem
will be solved!
pamela
AND THE MYSTERY ON
THE ORIENT EXPRESS
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright
Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted,
downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced
into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by
any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter
invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For
information regarding permission, please contact Atlantyca S.p.A.,
Via Leopardi 8, 20123 Milan, Italy; e-mail [email protected],
www.atlantyca.com.
eISBN 978-0-545-41471-5
Copyright © 2010 by Edizioni Piemme S.p.A., Corso Como 15, 20154
Milan, Italy.
International Rights © Atlantyca S.p.A.
English translation © 2012 by Atlantyca S.p.A.
GERONIMO STILTON names, characters, and related indicia are
copyright, trademark, and exclusive license of Atlantyca S.p.A. All rights
reserved. The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Based on an original idea by Elisabetta Dami.
www.geronimostilton.com
Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
Stilton is the name of a famous English cheese. It is a registered trademark
of the Stilton Cheese Makers’ Association. For more information, go to
Www.stiltoncheese.com.
Text by Thea Stilton
Original title Mistero sull’Orient Express
Cover by Arianna Rea (pencils), Yoko Ippolitoni (inks), and Ketty
Formaggio (color)
Illustrations by Sabrina Ariganello, Jacopo Brandi, Elisa Falcone, Michela
Frare, Sonia Matrone, Federico Nardo, Roberta Pierpaoli, Arianna Rea,
Arianna Robustelli, Maurizio Roggerone, and Roberta Tedeschi
Color by Cinzia Antonielli, Alessandra Bracaglia, Edwin Nori, and Elena
Sanjust
Graphics by Paola Cantoni and Yuko Egusa
Special thanks to Beth Dunfey
Translated by Emily Clement
Interior design by Kay Petronio
First printing, November 2012
ALL BECAUSE
OF A STORM!
The sun was setting over the Bosporus,
streaking the sky with golden light. I was on
the terrace of my hotel in Istanbul, Turkey.
What a fascinating place! It was
hard to believe that only a week earlier I had
been in the middle of a snowstorm.
Yes, dear reader, I’d gotten stuck on a
2
mountaintop during a
challenging
climb up Alaska’s Mount McKinley.
Oh, pardon me. I almost forgot to introduce
myself. My name is Thea Stilton, and I am a
special correspondent for The Rodent’s
Gazette, the biggest newspaper on Mouse
ANKARA
Mediterranean Sea
Black Sea
Bulgaria
Greece
Syria
Iraq
Iran
Arm
enia
Georgia
ISTANBUL
TURKEY
ISTANBUL AND THE TOPKAPI PALACE MUSEUM
Istanbul is the largest city in the Republic of Turkey, and it’s a very
important historical, cultural, and commercial center. The Topkapi
Palace Museum is located there. For about four centuries, the palace
served as the primary residence of the Turkish sultans. In 1924, it was
turned into a museum that houses ancient armor, classical antiquities,
and other artifacts.
All Because of a Storm!
3
Island. My brother, Geronimo, is the
publisher.
Now, where was I? Oh, yes — a week
before, I was snug as a bug in a rug
in my comfortable,
stormproof
tent.
I had a warm sleeping bag and plenty of
cheese. But I was certain I would never arrive
in Paris in time to catch my train!
You see, I had received a special invitation
to travel on the most famouse train in the
world, the Orient Express. The Paris
police had found the legendary Veil of
Light, an ancient wedding gown that had
been stolen from the Topkapi Palace Museum
in Istanbul nearly a century earlier.
Now, finally, the Veil of Light was headed
back to Turkey on the Orient Express. But
that storm made it impossible for me to get
to France to join the gown’s journey!
London
Calais
Munich
Vienna
Bucharest
Varna
Sofia
Venice
Innsbruck
Zurich
Lausanne
Milan
Istanbul
Athens
Belgrade
Budapest
Paris
Strasbourg
The Orient Express
The Orient Express is the most famous passenger train in the world.
For decades, it was a symbol of luxury throughout Europe. The train was
furnished with gorgeous Oriental carpets, mahogany paneling, and velvet
draperies, and its café car was known for its fi ne dining. The train’s route
connected Paris and Istanbul, making a journey of 1,700 miles across the
Balkan Mountains.
The Orient Express made its fi rst trip in 1883, and it remained active until
1977, although there were interruptions due to the two World Wars. The
most brilliant period in its history came between 1920 and 1930, when the
train hosted royalty, artists, celebrities, and even international spies.
Orient Express (1883–1914, 1919–1939, 1945–1962, with a maritime
connection across the Black Sea until 1889)
Simplon-Orient Express (1919–1939, 1945–1962), later the Direct-Orient
Express (until 1977)
Arlberg-Orient Express (1930 –1939, 1945–1962)
Simplon
Initially, the train was known as the Express d’Orient,
and it didn’t go all the way to Istanbul; instead, passengers
traveled to Varna and then took a ferry to Istanbul. By
1889, passengers could make the entire journey by
rail. Over the years, the railroad company added new
destinations and new tracks.
The Orient Express’s prestige has lasted through time.
Although the original route was discontinued in the 1970s,
today there is a train known as the Venice Simplon-
Orient-Express that connects London and Venice.
The Orient Express became well known thanks to novels
by Agatha Christie and Graham Greene, who created
homages to this special train.
That’s when I had a brilliant idea. I needed
someone to take my place on the train, and
who better than the Thea Sisters? The Thea
Sisters are Colette, Nicky, Pamela,
Paulina, and Violet — five intelligent
mouselets I taught a while back in an
adventure journalism class at my old school,
Mouseford Academy.
I picked up my satellite telephone
and placed a call to Mouseford’s
headmaster, Octavius de Mousus. It didn’t
take me long to persuade him.
“This is an educational opportunity the
mouselets
simply can’t miss!” I told him.
“There will be lots of celebrities
to interview. And the Thea
Sisters’ articles about the
trip will be published in The
Rodent’s Gazette!”
7
The news that the Thea Sisters would be
taking an exclusive trip on the Orient Express
threw Mouseford Academy into an uproar.
Faster than you can squeak “pepperoni pizza
with Parmesan on top,” the mouselets were
the center of attention. Their fellow students
followed them around campus, bombarding
them with questions.
Even Madame Ratyshnikov, the strict
instructor of a
new
dance class,
congratulated them on this marvemouse
opportunity. She was thrilled that her
students would be traveling on the same
train as the great ballerina Zelda Mitoff!
As for Colette, Pamela,
Nick
y
,
Violet
,
THE ROARING
TWENTIES
and
PAULINA
, they were excited and a little
anxious. You see, they had very little time to
prepare for their trip.
“We’ll get to see Jack Nickmouse in the
fur!” Nicky said.
“Who?” Paulina asked.
“The legendary golf champion,” Nicky
said. Her EYES sparkled with excitement.
“And I might even squeak to him!”
Meanwhile, Violet, Pam, and Colette were
collecting requests from friends who wanted
an autograph from Raty Perry, the world’s
hottest
pop star
.
“The invitation says we’re supposed to be
in costume for the whole trip,” said Paulina
with
concern
. “We need to dress in
the style of the 1920s. But there’s no time to
shop for the right clothes! We have to leave
tomorrow.”
Colette smiled. “Snout up, Paulina! I’ve
got it all sewn up. Remember my friend
Julie*? I called her last night, and she said
she’d bring us an entire trunk of vintage
clothing. She’s going to transform us into
five
beauties
from the Roaring Twenties!”
As soon as the mouselets heard Julie’s
name, they relaxed. Colette’s pal was an up-
and-coming clothing designer in Paris. She’d
* We met Julie in the book Thea Stilton and the Mystery
in Paris.
10
definitely prevent them from committing any
crimes of fashion in front of all those
celebrities!
“The Roaring Twenties?” Pam said,
giggling. “Do we have to dress like lions,
tigers, and bears? RRRRAAAAWR!”
Violet laughed. “No, Pam! They’re called
> the
Roaring Twenties
because back in the 1920s, World War One
had just ended, and everyone was full of
energy and enthusiasm . . . just like
you!”
“Oooh, I’m so excited I could jump out of
my fur!” Colette chirped. She began
TWIRLING
around the room.
Pam raised a paw so her friends could
slap her palm: “Give me five, sisters! This
trip on the Orient Express is going to be
absolutely fabumouse!”
> The years between 1920 and 1930 are known as a
period of great vitality and renewal. The world was
recovering from the fi rst World War, and fashion
reflected the spirit of the decade. They were called
“roaring” for the trust in progress and the determination
with which people looked toward the future.
Clothing in this era was meant to be comfortable
and give a sense of lightness and freedom. Thanks to
new industrial processes, fashion became accessible
to all, and new synthetic fabrics, like rayon, came to
the forefront: They were soft, light, shiny, and even
economical! Dresses with dropped
waists, soft fabrics, and knee-length
skirts (considered short at the time!)
were the main elements of women’s
fashion in the 1920s. Women’s
makeup included lots of mascara and
flaming-red lipstick. But the real sign
of a woman in the Roaring Twenties
was her haircut: The famous bob
style was truly a revolution of the era,
because up to this point only men
had worn their hair cut short!
t
h
e
r
o
r
i
n
g
t
w
e
n
t
i
e
s
13
A TRIP
THROUGH TIME
The next day, the Thea Sisters caught the
ferry
to New Mouse City. Then they
hopped on a direct flight to Paris.
The plane ride went by in a blur. Soon
the mouselets found themselves at the Gare
de l’Est, the oldest train