Title: The Kingdom of Fantasy
Author: Geronimo Stilton
Publisher: Scholastic
Recommended Age: 5+
Captured
I'm always looking for books that will spark a passion for reading in my 6 year old. Recently, I visited the local bookstore and searched (and searched) for such a book. What I eventually settled on was a book that wasn't like the others. While my 6 year old still loves picture books, his reading skills have excelled and I wanted to get him a book that would serve as a bridge between picture books and chapter books. I believe the Geronimo series serves this purpose perfectly. Therefore, I was captured at the tune of $14.99 for a fantasy colored hardback. While my son is an excellent reader for his age, he still uses the pictures to derive meaning and understanding. Sometimes, he uses the pictures to help him figure out words as well. Pictures also give him a chance to stop, ponder, wonder and imagine.
Synopsis
Geronimo Stilton is not only the author of The Kingdom of Fantasy, he's the main character. Geronimo is a mouse who runs a newspaper company, The Rodent's Gazzette. One day he discovers a golden staircase and the rest is history.
Review
The book starts off fast paced. I don't recommend you drink anything caffeinated when reading less your wheels might spin off their axis. From beginning to end, this book is an adventurous ride. Always moving, quick page turns, colorful pictures, silliness and more. The chapters, I should say "chapters," in this book are short. The feeling of short chapters gives a sense of accomplishment as well as makes you feel like your moving along at a fast reading pace. If you're looking for a book that will hold your budding readers interest (with some re-reads just because their imagination was sparked) look no further. Not once did my 6 year old son get bummed we were about to read Geronimo Stilton and the Kingdom of Fantasy.
There were a few things I noticed about this book that were not particularly appealing. The fast pace was a little too fast for me. I felt like I had to read at a high energy pace the whole time. I really didn't have to read fast the whole time. I just felt a strong push to because there were exciting happenings at almost every page turn. The other aspect of the book I didn't like was the repetitiveness of format. When Geronimo visited each kingdom the format was very similar for each one. I figured out early on that when we visited a new kingdom it would be the same for each one with very little variances. You will visit a lot of different kingdoms. I was also a little disappointed on how the topics jumped with relative short amounts of wording. Some of the writing seems pointless at times.
Bottom line...regardless of my few disappointments, this book is worth the investment. I can't wait to purchase the next book in the series to get caught up in a whirlwind of adventure along with my son.
Back Cover
I, Geronimo Stilton, never expected to find a golden staircase in my attic. But one day I did! At the top of the stairs, there was a door. And beyond the door was a world I never could have imagined - the Kingdom of Fantasy!
I set off on an incredible adventure to save the Queen of the Fairies. Along the way, I had to face giant scorpions, witches, sea serpents, pixies, and dozens of other fantastical creatures. Holey cheese, what a journey! I couldn't wait to get home so that I could write all about it in this book. It's full of maps, secret codes, riddles, puzzles and other amazing discoveries that I made along the way.
Purchase
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Connect
Geronimo's author page on: Amazon.
Website
Scholastic
