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Field Trip to Niagara Falls

Page 6

by Geronimo Stilton


  mouse flying the plane was.

  “My sister loves pink,”

  I added.

  At that moment, an

  enormouse pink package

  struck me on the head. Before

  I fainted, I noticed a note on

  the side of the box. It said:

  When I came to, the others

  were busy opening Thea’s

  package. No one gave me a

  second glance. I snorted. So

  much for mousely manners. It

  Pink almonds

  Pink notes

  Pink roses

  For Angel Paws

  and Gentle Mouse

  Angel Paws

  and

  Gentle Mouse

  99

  was clear that all anyone cared about was

  the box.

  What was inside? It was a full-length

  wedding dress and a tux. Now everyone

  was happy. Well, everyone except me,

  that is. A lump had formed on top of my

  head. It was the size of a mega-huge ball of

  mozzarella!

  The surprise package

  Congratulations!

  BA R B ECU E!

  Come one, Come all.

  Get ready for the best barbeCue

  this side of niaGara falls!

  b

  rouGht to you by the

  best Chef in the world!

  bArbecue tiMe!

  After the wedding ceremony, we headed

  back to the campsite. When we arrived

  we were overwhelmed by a delicious

  smell. I sniffed the air. Could it be? Yes,

  it smelled just like a backyard

  barbecue.

  I ran toward the campsite. That’s when I

  spotted a big poster leaning against a rock.

  It said:

  103

  I scratched my fur. There was only one

  rodent I knew who was that full of himself.

  There was only one rodent I knew who was

  that irritating. . .such a pain!

  My cousin Trap!

  Just then, a pair of whiskers emerged from

  behind a cloud of smoke. A pot-bellied

  rodent wearing a loud Hawaiian-print shirt

  stood behind a smoking grill. He waved a

  what’s squeaking?” he smirked. “Love the

  lump on your head. It’s sooooo you!”

  I rolled my eyes. Yep, it was my cousin

  Trap, all right. Have I mentioned he’s a total

  pain

  in my tail?

  I started to explain about the bump on my

  head when Trap interrupted me.

  “Listen up, rodents!” he called. “You’re

  about to taste the best cooking around. So

  ,

  greasy spatula at me. “Yo,

  Germeister

  Yum!

  Yum!

  Yum-Yum!

  DELICIOUS!

  don’t drag your feet, it’s time to eat. Now

  that you’ve found Trap, you can throw away

  your map. That’s TRAP —

  T as in LOOK OUT, TONGUE, YOU’RE IN

  foR A TReAT!

  R as in READY OR NOT, HERE IT

  comes!

  A as in ASK ME IF I CAN COOK.

  P as in PAY ATTENTION, THE NAME IS

  TRAP!”

  Yes, there is one thing you should know

  about my cousin. He’s in love. No, not with

  another mouse. With himself!

  T

  H

  A

  T

  H

  I

  T

  T

  H

  E

  S

  P

  O

  T

  !

  Yum!

  Yum!

  Yum!

  Still, I had to admit his

  barbecue was delicious. I

  stuffed my snout like my uncle

  Cheesebelly at a make-your-

  own-cheese-sundae buffet

  .

  After dessert, Thea took

  me on a helicopter ride over

  the f a l l s. It really was

  a SPECTECULARsight. Too

  bad I got sick on the way

  down. I knew I shouldn’t

  have eaten three piece of

  cheesecake

  !

  107

  little Mice

  A

  round the World

  Finally, it was time to go home. We boarded

  the plane headed for Mouse Island. It was

  another long flight. The little mice climbed

  all over me. Then they sang songs at the top

  of their lungs. I didn’t get one bit of rest.

  Still, I was kind of sad when we landed. I

  was going to miss those little rodents.

  As we were waiting for our luggage, I

  made an announcement. “You are all invited

  to visit me at The Rodent’s Gazette,” I told

  the class. “You can see how we put the

  newspaper together. You can see how a

  book is made

  .”

  “HOORAY!” the little mice cheered.

  Then Punk Rat grabbed my paw.

  “I’m going to miss you, Mr. Geronimouse,”

  he sobbed.

  I patted his head.

  “I’ll miss you too, Punk Rat,” I said. “Um,

  but remember, my name is Geronimo,

  Geronimo Stilton.”

  “of course, Mr. Geronimity,” Punk Rat

  squeaked.

  I tried to remain calm. “It’s Geronimo, Punk

  Rat,” I repeated. “That’s G-E-R-O-N-I-M-O.”

  Punk Rat smirked. “That’s what I said,

  Mr. Geronimoose,” he giggled.

  I gave up. What else could I do?

  Punk Rat flung his paws around my neck.

  He really wasn’t such a bad little mouse.

  In fact, he was just like lots of little mice

  around the world — full of life and love

  and, oh, of course, cheese.

  110

  to trAvel . . .

  is better thAn

  to Arrive

  We headed for the airport exit. A school

  bus was waiting for Miss Angel Paws and

  her class. I waved good-bye. “I’ll take a taxi

  home,” I told them.

  A line of cheese-colored cabs waited at the

  curb. But for some reason, my paws didn’t

  want to budge. My bag felt like it weighed

  a ton. An overwhelming feeling of sadness

  came over me. It had been such an

  exciting adventure.

  And now it was over.

  Just then, I remembered

  a line from one of my

  favorite authors. His name

  was Robert Louis Squeakenson.

  Do you know him? He wrote

  a book called Treasure

  Island. Anyway, he said

  that to travel is better

  than to arrive.

  Well, I don’t know if that is true all of the

  time. Usually, I am thrilled to get back to my

  comfy, cozy mouse hole. But this time, I still

  had the travel bug in me.

  And so I did what any smart mouse would

  do. I turned around and headed right back into

  the airport. I, Geronimo Stilton, booked

  a trip to

  Blue Cheese Island

  . I

  hear it’s supposed to be beautiful there this

  time of year. Blue skies, blue waters, and lots

  R

  .

  L

  .

  S

  q

  u

&nb
sp; e

  a

  k

  e

  n

  S

  o

  n

  I

  c

  o

  u

  l

  d

  n

  ’

  t

  w

  a

  i

  t

  t

  o

  g

  e

  t

  t

  h

  e

  r

  e

  !

  and lots of blue cheese.

  Born in New Mouse City, Mouse

  Island,

  Geronimo Stilton

  is

  Rattus Emeritus of Mousomorphic

  Literature and of Neo-Ratonic

  Comparative Philosophy. For the

  past twenty years, he has been

  running The Rodent’s Gazette, New Mouse City’s

  most widely read daily newspaper.

  Stilton was awarded the Ratitzer Prize for his

  scoops on The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid and

  The Search for Sunken Treasure. He has also

  received the Andersen 2000 Prize for Personality of

  the Year. One of his bestsellers won the 2002 eBook

  Award for world’s best ratlings’ electronic book. His

  works have been published all over the globe.

  In his spare time, Mr. Stilton collects antique

  cheese rinds and plays golf. But what he most

  enjoys is telling stories to his nephew Benjamin.

  A

  BOUT THE

  A

  UTHOR

  1. Main entrance

  2. Printing presses (where the books

  and newspaper are printed)

  3. Accounts department

  4. Editorial room (where the editors,

  illustrators, and designers work)

  5. Geronimo Stilton’s office

  6. Helicopter landing pad

  The RodenT’s

  GazeTTe

  6

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  41

  42

  38

  37

  35

  36

  39

  30

  29

  34

  27

  28

  31

  32

  33

  40

  44

  43

  46

  45

  R

  O

  D

  E

  N

  T

  R

  I

  V

  E

  R

  B

  e

  a

  c

  h

  1. Industrial Zone

  2. Cheese Factories

  3. Angorat International

  Airport

  4. WRAT Radio and

  Television Station

  5. Cheese Market

  6. Fish Market

  7. Town Hall

  8. Snotnose Castle

  9. The Seven Hills of

  Mouse Island

  10. Mouse Central Station

  11. Trade Center

  12. Movie Theater

  13. Gym

  14. Catnegie Hall

  15. Singing Stone Plaza

  16. The Gouda Theater

  17. Grand Hotel

  18. Mouse General Hospital

  19. Botanical Gardens

  20. Cheap Junk for Less

  (Trap’s store)

  21. Aunt Sweetfur and

  Benjamin’s House

  22. Mouseum of

  Modern Art

  23. University and Library

  24. The Daily Rat

  25. The Rodent’s Gazette

  26. Trap’s House

  27. Fashion District

  28. The Mouse House

  Restaurant

  29. Environmental

  Protection Center

  30. Harbor Office

  31. Mousidon Square

  Garden

  32. Golf Course

  33. Swimming Pool

  34. Tennis Courts

  35. Curlyfur Island

  Amousement Park

  36. Geronimo’s House

  37. Historic District

  38. Public Library

  39. Shipyard

  40. Thea’s House

  41. New Mouse Harbor

  42. Luna Lighthouse

  43. The Statue of Liberty

  44. Hercule Poirat’s Office

  45. Petunia Pretty Paws’s

  House

  46. Grandfather William’s

  House

  Map of New Mouse City

  1

  35

  37

  36

  34

  4

  33

  32

  31

  29

  28

  27

  24

  23

  22

  25

  21

  20

  19

  18

  16

  15

  14

  13

  12

  10

  9

  8

  7

  6

  5

  3

  2

  Cat’s

  Claw

  Bay

  17

  This way

  to the Mousific

  Ocean

  This way

  to the

  Ratlantic Ocean

  This way to the Sea of Mice

  This way to the Rodent Straits

  Stray

  Cat

  Harbor

  Furflung Island

  Hamster Islands

  C

  o

  r

  a

  l

  R

  e

  e

  f

  s

  Brigand’s Isle

  Tomcat Island

  Panther

  Archipelago

  Blue Dolphin

  Bay

  Mousefort Beach

  New Mouse City

  San Mouscisco

  Swissville

  Mouseport

  Cheddarton

  11

  26

  30

  P

  i

  r

  a

  t

  e

  S

  h

  i

  p

  o

  f

  C

  a

  t

  s

  M

  o

  u

  s

  e

  I

  s

  l

  a

  n

  d

  1. Big Ice Lake

  2. Frozen Fur Peak

  3. Slipperyslopes Glacier

  4. Coldcreeps Peak

  5. Ratzikistan

  6. Transratania

  7. Mount Vamp

  8. Roastedrat Volcano

  9. Brimstone Lake

  10. Poopedcat Pass

  11. Stinko Peak

  12. Dark Forest

  13. Vain Vampi
res Valley

  14. Goose Bumps Gorge

  15. The Shadow Line Pass

  16. Penny Pincher Castle

  17. Nature Reserve Park

  18. Las Ratayas Marinas

  19. Fossil Forest

  20. Lake Lake

  21. Lake Lakelake

  22. Lake Lakelakelake

  23. Cheddar Crag

  24. Cannycat Castle

  25. Valley of the Giant

  Sequoia

  26. Cheddar Springs

  27. Sulfurous Swamp

  28. Old Reliable Geyser

  29. Vole Vale

  30. Ravingrat Ravine

  31. Gnat Marshes

  32. Munster Highlands

  33. Mousehara Desert

  34. Oasis of the

  Sweaty Camel

  35. Cabbagehead Hill

  36. Rattytrap Jungle

  37. Rio Mosquito

  Map of Mouse Island

  Dear mouse friends,

  Thanks for reading, and farewell

  till the next book.

  It’ll be another whisker-licking-good

  adventure, and that’s a promise!

  Benjamin

  Trap

  Geronimo STilTon

  Thea

  www.scholastic.com/

  geronimo stilton

  Who is Geronimo Stilton?

  That’s me! I run a newspaper, but

  my true passion is writing adventure

  stories. Here in New Mouse City, the

  capital of Mouse Island, my books

  are all bestsellers! My stories are

  funny, fa-mouse-ly funny. They are

  whisker-licking-good tales, and that’s

  a promise!

  FIELD TRIP TO

  NIAGARA FALLS

  Holey cheese, what an adventure!

  I was off to Niagara Falls on a field

  trip with my nephew Benjamin’s

  class. It was a beautiful place — truly

  one of the most amazing sights I’d

  ever seen. But unfortunately, I was

  surrounded by mischievous young

  mouselets who seemed determined

  send me over the Falls in a barrel!

  Oh, would I ever make it back to

  Mouse Island alive?

  FnL1 00 0000

  RL3 007-010

 

 

 


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