My Name Is Stilton, Geronimo Stilton
Page 1
Dear mouse friends,
Welcome to the world of
THE RODENT’S GAZETTE
EDITORIAL STAFF
Geronimo Stilton
A learned and brainy
mouse; editor of
The Rodent’s Gazette
Thea Stilton
Geronimo’s sister and
special correspondent at
The Rodent’s Gazette
Trap Stilton
An awful joker;
Geronimo’s cousin and
owner of the store
Cheap Junk for Less
Benjamin Stilton
Asweet and loving
nine-year-old mouse;
Geronimo’s favorite
nephew
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Scholastic Inc.
MY NAME IS STILTON,
GERONIMO STILTON
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 foreignrights@atlantyca.it,
www.atlantyca.com.
eISBN 978-0-545-39204-4
Copyright © 2000 by Edizioni Piemme S.p.A., Corso Como 15, 20154
Milan, Italy.
International Rights © Atlantyca S.p.A.
English translation © 2005 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 Geronimo Stilton
Original title Il mio nome è Stilton, Geronimo Stilton
Cover by Larry Keys
Illustrations from ideas by Larry Keys, drawn by Raterto Rattonchi
Graphics by Merenguita Gingermouse
Special thanks to Tracey West
Interior design by Kay Petronio
First printing, May 2005
1
MY NAME
IS STILTON
My name is Stilton, Geronimo Stilton.
I like to think of myself as a very normal
mouse.
I have a pretty normal job. I am the
publisher of The Rodent’s Gazette. It is the
most popular newspaper in New Mouse
City.
I like NORMAL things.
Like classical music
and good books. I always
wear a suit and tie. I don’t
like to stand out in a
crowd.
When I order a pizza, I
take it plain. No anchovies,
loud rock music.
2
please! I don’t like
I don’t wear clothes with polka dots or stripes
or bright colors. And I
will take a slice of bland American cheese
over a chunk of jalapeño hot-pepper cheese
any day.
As you can see, I like my life to be calm
and peaceful. I know some people
might think I’m plain, or even
boring. That may be true. But
that is how I like it!
So why am I telling you all
of this?
L
e
t
m
e
e
x
p
l
a
i
n
3
TOO MUCH
WORK
Things were very busy at the newspaper
office. I was working so hard that I had not
had time to get my fur clipped in months!
Something had to be done.
Then I had a great idea. I
decided to hire an assistant. I placed an
ad in the paper, and hundreds of mice sent
in their résumés.
I read them all. One stood out from the
rest.
I cried.
I called my secretary, Mousella. She came
into my office.
“Mousella, please draw up a contract right
“
T
h
i
s
i
s
e
x
a
c
t
l
y
t
h
e
m
o
u
s
e
I
a
m
l
o
o
k
i
n
g
f
o
r
!
”
away!” I said. “I have found the perfect
assistant. It says here her name is Pinky Pick.
She is young and smart. She has excellent
computer skills. And she is an expert
on the latest trends. That is just what we
need! A TRENDY mouse!”
Mousella frowned. “Don’tyouwant to bring
her in for an interview first?” she asked.
I did not want to wait. Pinky Pick sounded
perfect! “There is no need for that,” I said.
“I have years of experience as a newspaper
editor. I just need to look a rodent in the
snout to know if he or she will do a good job
or not. I CAN FEEL IT IN MY WHISKERS!
She is going to be great.”
“Of course,” Mousella said. “But, er, are
you sure . . .”
“My whiskers never lie!” I snapped. I did
not want to argue. I was so sure I was
right!
A MOUSE IN
PLATFORM SNEAKERS
The next day, I woke up before sunrise. I
had to get to the office early to CATCH
UP with my work. I brushed my teeth with
cheddar toothpaste. Then I got dressed and
ran downstairs.
My driver was waiting for me. I got into
my car,and we drove through the empty
streets of New Mouse City. At
six in the morning, every-
thing was peaceful and
quiet. Just how I like it.
The driver pulled
up in front of
17 Swiss Cheese
Center. I walked
in the building and
headed down a
long
hallway
covered with cheese-
yellow wallpaper.
Then I opened the
door to my office.
Stacks of paper
COVERED the
floor and desk.
“Cheese niblets,
this is a lot of work!”
I squeaked. “Thank
goodness, my new
assistant will be
here today.”
I closed the door
behind me and went
to work. At eleven
9
o’clock, Mousella knocked on my door. She
stepped into my office.
“Mr. Stilton, the new assistant is here,” she
said. “But I think you should see her before
she signs the contract.”
“Yes, yes, the contract,” I said. I was so
busy with work, I was not really listening to
Mousella.
“But, Mr. Stilton, I really think you should
see her,” Mousella insisted.
“I am very busy!” I squeaked. “I do
not need to see her. Please take care of it for
me!”
Mousella looked amazed. “As you wish,
Mr. Stilton,” she said. “I will get her to sign
the contract. But you should know that she
has a request. She would like three months’
pay in advance. She says she has offers
from other newspapers. I told her that a
serious mouse like you would never agree to
that. But it is up to you, of course.”
“Yes, yes, whatever,” I said. Once
again, I wasn’t really listening.
Mousella left, shaking her head. I
thought I saw her
smile slyly
as she closed the door.
“That is strange,” I muttered.
Then I went back to work.
A minute later, there was
another knock on the
door.
“I said, I am very busy!”
11
I cried, not looking up from my work. The
door opened anyway. A young female mouse
stood there. She looked like she was about
fourteen years old. She had gray fur and a
POINTED
snout.
But it was her outfit that .really got my
attention. The first thing I noticed was her
shoes. I COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EYES!
Her shoes were enormouse. They were
shocking pink high-top sneakers with high,
see-through platform soles. Inside the
platforms, pink plastic fish swam in water. A
bright light flashed on and off, illuminating
the fish.
The rest of her outfit was just as
ridiculous
. She wore bright green
leggings under a large yellow sweatshirt.
Swiss cheese holes dotted her shirt.
And that wasn’t all. She had a clear plastic
12
backpack on her back. A diary covered in
FAKE CAT FUR
dangled from the backpack
strap. It was shocking pink, just like her
shoes. Papers and photos stuck out from
the pages. It was clamped shut with a
BIG
LOCK
shaped like a cat’s head.
I had never seen anything like it. Her
clothes were so bright, I wished I was wearing
sunglasses!
Pink plastic fi sh were swimming
inside her platform sneakers.
14
MY NAME IS PICK
“My name is
Pick!
” the brightly
dressed mouse yelled.
“That’s nice, little girl,” I said, going
back to my work. “My name is Stilton,
Geronimo Stilton. If you are looking for
the office of Mini Mouse magazine, the
publication for young mouselets, you’re in
the wrong place.”
“I am not looking for Mini
Mouse magazine,” she said. “I
told you. My name is
Pick!
”
The name sounded familiar.
Then I remembered. Pinky Pick
was the name of my new
assistant.
15
“Are you looking for your
mother?” I asked. “Because I am
waiting for her, too. She is going
to start working for me today.”
The little mouse leaned over my
desk. Her eyes
glittered
.
“No, I am going to start working for you
today,” she said. “My name is
Pinky
pick
. I am your new assistant. Get it,
Boss?”
Nobody had ever called me boss before.
I didn’t like it.
Not one bit!
16
WHAT’S THE
PROBLEM, BOSS?
Platform sneakers? Boss? My new assistant?
My head was spinning faster than the
Screamin’ Rat Roller Coaster at the
amousement park.
“You . . . you are my new
assistant?” I stammered. It could not
be true.
“That’s right!” she said.
She leaned back and folded
her arms.
“But you’re so young!” I
squeaked.
“For your information, I am already
fourteen
,” she said
calmly.
17
I shook my snout. “That is too young to
work at a newspaper.”
“That’s what you think,” she said. She held
up one shocking-pink foot. “I wear size
twelve
shoes. I bet my paws are
bigger
than anyone’s on your staff.
Bigger
than yours, even.”
“I don’t care what your shoe size is,” I
replied. “When I was your age, I was playing
with my
teddy mou se
. Not
working on a newspaper.”
Pinky Pick shrugged. “It’s not my fault you
didn’t have any goals back then.”
Cheese nips! This little mouse was
starting to get on my nerves.
“Listen, young lady,” I said. “I need a true
professional to be my assistant. Not a little
mouselet like you. Now, please run along.”
But Pinky Pick did not leave. Instead, she
sat down in the chair in front of my desk.
“So why did you hire me?”she
asked softly.
“Hire you?” I cried. “Why would I hire
someone like you? That’s ridiculous!”
Pinky smiled. She pulled a piece of paper
out of her backpack and WAVED it in
front of my snout. It was a contract made out
to Pinky Pick. And there was my signature,
Geronimo Stilton, right on the
bottom!
“You see, Boss?” Pinky said. “You are so
busy, you don’t even know what you are
signing. That is why you need agood
assistant like me.”
“Mousella!” I screamed. My
secretary scurried into the office.
S
h
e
h
a
d
a
L
I
<
br /> T
T
L
E
S
M
I
R
K
o
n
h
e
r
f
a
c
e
.
“Yes, Mr. Stilton?” she asked.
I grabbed the contract from Pinky Pick.
“Why did you let me sign this?” I asked.
“You should have told me she was only
f
ourteen.”
“Why, Mr. Stilton, I tried to warn you,”
Mousella said in a smooth voice. “But you
told me your whiskers never lie. And that you
were very busy. And . . .”
“Yes, yes,” I moaned. I had said all of those
things. “Well, we will just have to start again.
Put another ad in the newspaper.”
Pinky Pick jumped up. She unclipped her
big diary and SLAMMED it on my desk.
“Let me help you out, Boss,” she said.
“Just tell me what you need. What’s
your problem?”
I sighed. Of course, I
could not take this little
I am looking for information on a very rare cheese.
21
mouse seriously. But I did have a problem.
“I am sure you can’t help me,” I said. “I have
to find information on a very rare cheese
for an article I am writing. I don’t even know
what it’s called. It is made in a small village
in the Fossil Forest. I need to know
how it is made. And how much it costs.”
Pinky Pick grinned. “Leave it to me, Boss,”
she said. “I can find anything on the Net.
I’m a regular cheese whiz when it comes to
the computer.”
She sat down in front of the computer
and grabbed the mouse. I didn’t try to stop
her. Something told me she wouldn’t take no
for an answer!
22
AN IMPOSSIBLE
INTERVIEW
I could not believe
it. Half an hour
later, Pinky Pick
was done.
“Here you are,” she said. “The cheese
is called Megacheese.
It comes from the village of Little
Cheeseville. They only make seven whole
cheeses a year,” she said. “That is because it
takes three thousand gallons of milk to
make one pound of cheese! It’s very