His friends began to giggle, too. Suddenly,
I knew
exactly
what we needed to do:
We had to make all the aliens
laugh
! So
Thea and I started
dancing
and
jumping
,
and Trap began his favorite activity:
telling
jokes
!
“
How do you know when the moon
has had enough to eat?
” my cousin asked.
Negativix shook his head. “Um, I don’t
know!” he replied.
“
When it’s full!
” Trap cried.
The aliens all burst out laughing.
“
H
A
H
A
HA
H
AH
A
A
AA
A
A
A
A
A
!
”
As they laughed, their tails began to
glow
, their fur changed
colors,
and their faces grew happier. It was clear
the nebulos were changing: They weren’t
scary
or
dangerous
anymore!
H
A!
H
A!
H
A!
H
A!
H
A!
H
A!
H
A!
H
A!
H
A!
H
A!
HA!
HA!
H
A!
H
A!
HA!
HA!
HA!
HA!
H
A!
H
A!
H
A!
H
A!
H
A!
HA!
HA!
HA!
H
A!
HA!
H
A!
H
A!
HA!
HA!
Friends!
Tee-hee!
Hee,
hee,
hee!
Friends?
That’s
so
funny!
Good!
Hooray!
How
funny!
neW
FRiends
Thank
you!
After a few minutes, the
nebulos
finally
stopped laughing. Then a
blue
-and-
purple
Negativix gave me an enormouse
hug.
“Thank you for saving us!” he said,
tearing up as he spoke. “Before we met the
spacemice, we were so
unhappy
.”
“Oh, you’re welcome,” I replied,
turning as red as a cheese rind with
embarrassment
. “It was no big
deal.”
“That’s not true!” Negativix said. “With
your help, we nebulos realized that being
good
and
generous
is better than being
bad
and
envious
! Now we’re all colorful,
happy, and full of
joy
! And we can’t wait
to apologize to the elfix.”
Then he led us to the
toy
lab
, where
a festive crowd of happy elfix greeted us.
While we spacemice had been busy making
the nebulos laugh, Rubix had run ahead to
free
his friends!
“We are so sorry for taking you prisoner!”
Negativix told the elfix. “We wanted your
presents because no one had ever given
us
gifts
before. But now we understand
that the
best
presents are spontaneous,
heartfelt, and given with joy! Please
forgive
us.”
“We forgive you!” Rubix replied. “And
we’re sorry we never saw your planet.
From now on we will bring many presents
to
Nebula
. Your joy, happiness,
and friendship will keep your planet
colorful
and clearly visible to the
rest of the universe!”
Aren’t friendship and
forgiveness
wonderful things? I was touched by the
elfix’s generosity and compassion. Suddenly,
I had a
fabumouse
idea!
“Tomorrow is the
Night
of
the
daNciNg
stars
,” I announced. “We’re
planning a huge party on our spaceship,
MouseStar 1
. The
elfix
will be our
guests, but we would like to invite the
nebulos to come, too! Actually, you will be
Nebula the way
it was before . . .
Nebula after its
transformation!
the
guests of honor
!”
“Thank you!” Negativix replied with a big
smile. “We would be
happy
to come to
your party, friends! But first we want to help
the elfix make their
presents
. We feel
bad about the way we treated them, and we
want to make it up to them!”
Holey space cheese!
What a great idea!
The elfix accepted the offer, and the
nebulos got right to work. Soon the toy
laboratory was a
busy
,
happy
place
again as the nebulos and the elfix worked
together,
side by side
.
How
beautiful!
Well
done!
Thank
you!
Let’s
wrap!
Cut!
No
problem!
Ready
foR
the
PaRty?
What
beautiful
flowers!
Look
at
the
purple
frillies!
We left the
elfix
and the
nebulos
at
work, and Rubix offered to escort us
back to our space pod.
When we stepped outside the laboratory,
we were all
squeakless
: The fog had
lifted, and Twinklix was colorful and shiny
again! There were bright colors everywhere,
and my eyes were drawn to a field of amazing
purple flowers.
“They’re called purple frillies,” Rubix
explained. Then he picked a large bunch.
“The
y are
special
flowers: As soon as
you pick one, another one blooms
in its place! And they bloom
for a long time. If you
receive one as a gift,
it’s a sign of long-
lasting friendship and
sincere affection. Here,
take these! They’re the
perfect
gift for a special
someone.”
“Thank you!” I said, smiling at my new
friend. Maybe I had finally found a gift for
Sally!
“Good-bye,” Rubix said. “Have a good
trip, my friends. And see you soon
.
.
.
The
Night
of
the
DaNciNg
StarS
is
almost here!”
We waved good-bye and boarded our ship,
eager to head home. As we flew, I glanced
back at Twinklix. It was
shining again,
just as it should be.
When we arrived at the MouseStar 1, the
other spacemice happily welcomed us back.
Even Grandfather William seemed
nicer
than usual.
“
Well
done,
Grandson,
” he squeaked.
“You behaved like a
true
captain. Now, is
everything ready for the party?”
Stellar
Swiss!
I had to run back to my
cabin to finish writing my speech!
the
dancing
StaRS
The next evening, it was finally the
Night
of
the
DaNciNg
StarS
. The spaceship
was decorated, the atmosphere was festive,
and the
Space Yum Café
was full of delicious
dishes and every kind of
dessert
.
I had finished writing my speech and
was just going over it when I heard the
joyous
screams
from the other
spacemice announcing the arrival of the
elfix’s
star
sled
.
Galactic Gorgonzola! I had to
hurry
to
welcome our friends!
Rubix led his fellow elfix off their star
sled together with the nebulos. They all
ran toward us, smiling and laughing. The
nebulos carried enormouse
golden
Hooray!
Hooray!
Best
wishes!
Here
are
the
presents!
bags
full of gifts into the decorated hall
of the Space Yum Café. They were the
best
kind of presents because they came
from their hearts!
Before I knew it, it was time for my speech.
I cleared my throat
nervously
. I may be
the captain, but I still hate
squeaking
in front of large groups!
“Welcome, elfix and nebulos!” I began.
“On this special night, I would like to
thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you
, elfix, for the thoughtful and
beautiful presents you bring every year.
We would
especially
like to thank
you for reminding us that
love
and
generosity
are the most important
gifts.
Thank you
also, nebulos, for joining us
tonight and for reminding us that joy comes
from kindness and selflessness.”
The nebulos beamed back at me. I
concluded:
“Giving a gift is a way to tell someone
you are thinking of him or her!
It doesn’t matter if the gift is precious
or expensive — what matters
is that it comes from the heart!”
A warm round of applause broke out.
Shooting stars!
I was
moved by the
love
and
support
of my
friends.
Then it was time to open the gifts! The
elfix had given me a new
bookshelf
for my many books. How thoughtful!
“Geronimo,
we
have a gift for you, too!”
Negativix said. “I made it myself!”
“
Thank you,
” I squeaked,
not sure what to say. I was
moved by the gesture, but I
had
no
idea
what it was!
“It’s a
nebulos
ornament!” Negativix
explained.
I smiled warmly at
my friend and then gave
him a hug.
“Thank you so much!” I told him. “I really
like it.”
Then I heard a loud voice behind me.
“Grandson, I have a gift
for you, too!”
Grandfather William said, handing me an
elegant
bow tie printed with a pattern of
small planets.
“Me too, G!” Thea said, giving me a
space tennis racket and a membership to
MouseStar 1’s
Technogym
. I’m really not a
sportsmouse, but my sister is always trying
to get me to improve my health!
Mousey
Meteorites!
I had received so
many thoughtful presents from my friends
and family. I felt like the
luckiest
mouse in the universe!
On that note, I presented Sally with a bunch
of sweet-smelling purple frillies. “Thanks,
Captain!” she said, smiling
brightly
at me.
I wanted to tell her how I felt about her,
but at that moment, the stars began dancing
joyfully
in the clear night sky. Everyone
rushed to the spaceship windows to watch.
What a fabumouse show!
Holey craters, I was so happy! Even
though I hadn’t told Sally about my feelings,
my friends and family were all around me on
the most
beautiful
night in the galaxy.
And this, my dear readers, is the best gift of
all: sharing special moments with the ones
you
love
!
What an
amazing show!
Look
at
the
dancing
stars!
Oooh!
Wow!
How
magical!
Don’t miss any adventures
of the Spacemice!
Be sure to
read all my
fabumouse
adventures!
Meet
Geronimo Stiltonord
He is a mouseking—the Geronimo Stilton
of the ancient far north! H
e lives with his
brawny and brave clan in the village of
Mouseborg. From sailing frozen waters
to facing fiery dragons, every day is an
adventure for the micekings!
Don't miss
any of these
exciting
Thea Sisters
adventures!
Meet
GERONIMO STILTONOOT
He is a cavemouse
—
Geronimo Stilton’s
ancient ancestor! He runs the stone
newspaper in the prehistoric village
of Old Mouse City. From dealing with
dinosaurs to dodging meteorites,
his life in the Stone Age is full
of adventure!
Don’t miss
any of my
adventures in
the Kingdom of
Fantasy!
MouseStar 1
The spaceship, home, and refuge of the spacemice!
MouseStar 1
(exterior view)
1.
Control room
2.
Gigantic telescope
3.
Greenhouse to grow plants and flowers
4.
Library and reading room
5.
Astral Park, an amousement park
6.
Space Yum Café
7.
Kitchen
8.
Liftrix, the special elevator that moves between
all floors of the spaceship
9.
Computer room
10.
Crew cabins
11.
Theater for space shows
12.
Warp-speed engines
13.
Tennis court and swimming pool
14.
Multipurpose technogym
15.
Space pods for exploration
16.
Cargo hold for food supply
17.
Natural biosphere
Dear mouse friends,
thanks for reading,
and good-bye until the next book.
See you in outer space!
APPEALS TO
SCHOLASTIC
READING LEVEL
2
ND
-4
TH
GRADERS
GRADE 4
More leveling information for this book:
www.scholastic.com/readinglevel
www.scholastic.com/geronimostilton
www.geronimostilton.com
Each year on the Night of Dancing Stars, the elfix
aliens distribute gifts to all the creatures
of the galaxy. But this year,
the holiday is fast approaching,
and the spacemice discover that
the elfix have all disappeared! Can
Geronimo Stiltonix and his crew find
them before their special night?
He is a spacemouse — the Geronimo
Away in a Star Sled (Geronimo Stilton Spacemice #8) Page 5
