by Thea Stilton
and the
legend of the
fire flowers
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.
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!
Hello, I’m Thea!
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.
Nicky
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.
colette
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.
violet
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!
paulina
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 LEGEND
OF THE FIRE FLOWERS
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.
e-ISBN 978-0-545-54024-7
Copyright © 2011 by Edizioni Piemme S.p.A., Corso Como 15, 20154
Milan, Italy.
International Rights © Atlantyca S.p.A.
English translation © 2013 by Atlantyca S.p.A.
GERONIMO STILTON and THEA 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 En glish cheese. It is a registered trade-
mark of the Stilton Cheese Makers’ Association. For more information,
go to www.stiltoncheese.com.
Text by Thea Stilton
Original title La leggenda dei fiori di fuoco
Cover by Arianna Rea (pencils), Yoko Ippolitoni (inks), and Ketty
Formaggio (color)
Illustrations by Sabrina Ariganello, Michela Frare, Daniela Geremia,
Cristina Giorgilli, Gaetano Petrigno, Arianna Rea, Raffaella Seccia, and
Roberta Tedeschi
Color by Cinzia Antonielli, Giorgia Arena, Alessandra Bracaglia, Laura
Brancati, and Edwyn Nori
Graphics by Paola Cantoni with Marta Lorini
Special thanks to Beth Dunfey
Translated by Emily Clement
Interior design by Kay Petronio
THEA SISTERS NOW
MORE THAN EVER!
Just a few months ago, I would never have
dreamed that my friends the Thea Sisters
would surpass me as investigative
journalists. But it’s happened, and I am
prouder than a porcupine!
Who are the Thea Sisters? Why,
they are my former students at
Mouseford Academy.
2
You see, a little while back, I was invited to
teach a class in adventure journalism at my
old school. Colette,
Nick
y
, Pamela,
Paulina
, and
Violet
— the Thea
Sisters — were in my class. Without a doubt,
they are the five most brilliant
mouselets I’ve
ever met.
In fact, they are such good detectives that
they’ve solved almost as many mysteries
as my old friend Hercule Poirat!
But I’m putting the cheese before the
cracker. Let me slow down and begin at the
beginning.
A few days ago, my brother, Geronimo,
called me into his office at The Rodent’s
Gazette. (He is the publisher, and I am a
special correspondent.) As soon as I
scampered in, he pawed me a hot-off-the-
press copy of the newspaper.
“Congratulations, sis! Those mouselets of
yours have gotten a real scoop!”
I took the newspaper and immediately
spotted a photo of my young friends on
the front page.
“The Thea Sisters!” I exclaimed in surprise.
Geronimo nodded in satisfaction.
I began to read out loud: “‘Five Mouseford
Academy students perform heroic
rescue atop
Hawaii’s
biggest
volcano
’!”
“You did a fabumouse job training those
mouselets. Great work!” my brother said.
“What do you say to a trip to Whale Island?
I want your pals to give you an exclusive
interview so we can publish a special
edition of The Rodent’s Gazette.”
He didn’t have to ask twice. I grabbed the
ferry ticket he’d bought me, slapped a kiss
on his snout, and scurried home to pack my
bags
.
When the ferry pulled into port, Colette,
Nicky, Pamela, Paulina, and Violet were
standing on the pier, waving eagerly. They
couldn’t wait to tell me about the incredible
adventure that had splashed their snouts
across newspapers all over the world!
We hugged and hurried up to the school.
Violet fixed us a pot of
PIPING-HOT
tea, and the mouselets began to tell me their
tale, starting with the moment they arrived
in Hawaii.. . .
“Sizzling spark plugs, mouselets! Check it
out. Now that’s what I call a breathtaking
view!” Pam cried.
The Thea Sisters’ plane was about to land
at Hilo International Airport. Pam’s eyes
were glued to the window, and over and over
she squeaked, “Fabumouse!”
After Pam’s zillionth exclamation,
Colette looked up from her pawnail
polish. “So, Pam, are you happy to
be in Hawaii or not?” She grinned
as her friend spluttered, “Uh,
yeah!”
Pam finally
peeled
herself
away from the window, leaving a
A BREATHTAKING
VIEW
Hawaii is an archipelago of many volcanic islands that
emerged millions of years ago in the middle of
the Pacific Ocean. The main islands include
Hawaii (also known as the Big Island) and
seven other, smaller islands. The three biggest
cities are Hilo (on the island of Hawaii), Honolulu,
and Kailua (on the island of Oahu).
The Hawaiian islands are famous for their beautiful
beaches, lush forests, volcanic
deserts, and spectacular views.
THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
Country: United States of America
Capital: Honolulu (on the island of Oahu)
Languages: English and Hawaiian
Currency: United States Dollars (USD)
N
S
E
W
smudgy snout print behind. “Why, did I
already mention it?”
“At least twenty-five times!” said Paulina,
winking. Then, when she saw that her friend
was sensitive about being teased, she
hugged her. “Snout up, Pam! You know we
love how jolly you are. You are the official
cheerleader of the Thea Sisters!”
“Everyone needs to look out the window
immediately!” exclaimed Violet suddenly from
the seat behind them. “We’re
flying
over
Hawaii’s volcanoes. There are five
of them, and they are unbelievable!”
Pam and Paulina turned around. Violet
was pointing out the mouth of each volcano.
“See, what did I tell you mouselings? This
place is amazing!” commented Pam. “Even
Violet says so, and she’s never wrong!”
Colette, Nicky, Paulina, and Violet burst
out laughing.
A moment later, the scratchy squeak of the
pilot distracted them from the view. The
plane was coming in for a landing. As soon
as it touched ground, the passengers
began gathering their carry-on bags.
“Come on, mouselets, let’s shake
a tail!” urged Colette, stowing
her pawnail polish inside her
cosmetics case, where she had
at least ten different shades of pi nk.
“It’s time to go, go, go! The hula
competition awaits!” She looked around to
make sure she had everything. That’s when
she noticed another group of mouselets
waiting to get off the plane. Colette sighed. It
was the Ruby Crew!
LEI
MEANS HELLO!
As the Thea Sisters scrambled off the
plane, they noticed the Ruby Crew — Ruby,
Alicia, Connie, and Zoe — eyeing them.
Ruby and her three friends also attended
Mouseford Academy, but they
didn’t seem to like the Thea Sisters very
much. In fact, they tended to be pretty
SNOBBY
toward most of the other
students at Mouseford.
“Well, I’m less psyched about participating
in the HULA championship now that I’ve
seen some of the competition,” Pam
grumbled.
“Yeah,” sighed Colette. “Talk about bad
luck! I didn’t realize there was more than
one team here representing Mouseford.
Sometimes I feel like the Ruby Crew are
bobcats stalking their prey — us!”
Violet shrugged serenely. “Rise
above, sisters. We’re on vacation! Let’s just
relax and enjoy it. As Grandpa Chen used
to say, ‘To every rodent her own cheese
puff!’”
The
mouselets
scurried into the
airport and were overcome by a wave of
energy: The atrium was filled with students
from all over the world!
Ukelele music echoed
through the airport.
There was a group of
Hawaiian mice dancing
the hula to welcome everyone who
had just landed.
“Crusty carburetors, this
is marvemouse!” cried Pam.
wreath
Nicky nodded enthusiastically. “I love
this place already, and we haven’t even set
paw outside the airport!”
At that moment, a group of dancers
approached the Thea Sisters and placed
some very colorful,
flowery
wreaths
around their necks.
“Lei!” said one dancer, giving Pam a
gorgeous
“Hey, thanks! So, what does lei mean?”
asked Pam, admiring her new neckwear.
The dancer smiled. “In our language, a
lei is a wreath of flowers. It’s our way of
saying
hello
. Welcome to Hawaii!”
HULA
Hula is a traditional Hawaiian dance known for its graceful,
undulating movements. It has been called “the heartbeat
of the Hawaiian people.” Hula is a form of storytelling,
and it is often accompanied by
mele
, a chant or song. The
older style of
hula
, known as
kahiko
, is accompanied by
traditional musical instruments like drums, bamboo canes,
and gourds filled with seeds.
The more modern strain,
hula’auana
, is performed
with Western instruments
like the guitar and the
ukulele.
Hula is the embodiment of many
important Hawaiian cultural
traditions
— poetry, religion,
history, martial arts, and much more.
Competing cultures have threatened
hula in the past. But today, after a
cultural revival during the 1970s, hula
is stronger than ever.
Hula is known all over the world, and
there are dozens of festivals held each
year in Hawaii. Hilo’s Merrie Monarch
Festival is the world’s most prestigious hula
competition. The event is dedicated to the
memory of an ancient ruler of Hawaii, King
David Kalãkaua.
ATT
IRE
Originally, women
wore short skirts and
men wore loincloths to
dance the hula. Today,
they wear fabric skirts
whose colors represent
the different schools of
hula. Dancers also wear
bracelets and anklets
made of shells or whale
teeth. Their heads and
necks are decorated
with flowers.
The
mouselets