Written by Italian author Elisabetta Dami under one of her pseudonyms, this is a children’s chapter book, aimed at (I would guess) ages 6-8.

Thea Stilton is a star alumna of Mouseford Academy and has been invited to return as a professor of journalism. On the ferry ride to Whale Island, on which the Academy is situated, she meets five young mouselings who will be her students: Nicky, Colette, Violet, Paulina and Pamela. Once they arrive, however, things start to go missing and they join together to solve the mystery.

Okay, I get that I’m not the target audience (by a couple of generations), but I don’t think I would have liked this when I was a young kid. I find the “cuteness” of using “mouse” as an alternative spelling for any adjective normally ending is “mous” (e.g. famous) and adding all sorts of “special effects” to the printing by changing fonts and colors irritating. Just tell a good story! And this one isn’t all that good.

I also do not get why the author uses as a nom de plume the name of her main character, who is a mouse!

I’ll give it two stars because I know she’s sold bajillions of books and kids, apparently, really like them. But, frankly, I wouldn’t buy them for any kid I know and I wouldn’t encourage them to read them. There are many far better children’s books out there. ( )

The first in the Thea Stilton series, Thea Stilton and her journalism class try to find a missing student.

Y4 : It is fantastic

Very suspenseful and gives clues along the way.

Theas first book