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SURF'S UP, GERONIMO!

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If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that

this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed”

to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received

any payment for this “stripped book.”

No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval

system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written

permission of the publisher. For information regarding per mis sion,

write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557

Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

ISBN 0-439-69143-5

Copyright © 2000 by Edizioni Piemme S.p.A., Via del Carmine 5,

15033 Casale Monferrato (AL), Italia.

English translation © 2005 by Edizioni Piemme S.p.A.

GERONIMO STILTON names, characters, and related indicia are

copyright, trademark, and exclusive license of Edizioni Piemme

S.p.A. All rights reserved. The moral right of the author has been

asserted.

Published by Scholastic Inc.

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: L’hai voluta la vacanza, Stilton?

Cover by Larry Keys

Illustrations by Larry Keys and Toprika Topraska

Graphics by Merenguita Gingermouse

Special thanks to Kathryn Cristaldi

Interior design by Kay Petronio

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 6 7 8 9 10/0

Printed in the U.S.A. 08

First printing, June 2005

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HAVE I EVER GIVEN YOU BAD ADVICE?

Blue skies . . . sandy beaches . . . . I was

dreaming of taking a vacation. Yes, I needed

to escape the rat race. I had been working

so hard running the newspaper.

Oops, how rude. I almost forgot to

introduce myself. My name is Stilton,

Geronimo Stilton. I am the publisher of

The Rodent’s Gazette. It’s the most popular

paper on Mouse

Island.

I love running

the paper. But it

is a lot of work.

And all work

and no play can Geronimo Stilton

I w

as

dreaming of taking a vacation.

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make a mouse v e r y c r a n k y .

At least that’s what my great-uncle Happy

Paws used to tell me. Anyway, one morning,

I passed by some travel agencies on my way

to the offi ce. The pictures in the windows

looked so relaxing. Palm trees, cheese

bars by the pool . . .

I sighed. Yes, it was time to take a break.

HAVE I EVER GIVEN YOU BAD ADVICE?

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I pushed open the door to Kick Up Your Paws.

It’s one of the best-known travel agencies in

New Mouse City. But before I could step

inside, someone pulled my tail.

“Why hello there, Cousinkins!” a voice

screeched in my ear. “Going on vacation?”

Rats! It was my obnoxious cousin

Trap. Now I defi nitely needed to get away.

HAVE I EVER GIVEN YOU BAD ADVICE?

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4

That mouse can really get under my fur.

“Today must be your lucky day, Geronimoid,”

my cousin smirked. “I know exactly the

He put his paw on my shoulder. “Have I ever

given you bad advice?”

I chewed my whiskers. One thing you

should know about Trap, he’s the most

untrustworthy mouse on the block!

HAVE I EVER GIVEN YOU BAD ADVICE?

right agency for YOU.”

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TRUST ME,

YOU’LL LIKE IT!

Two seconds later, my cousin whipped out

his cell phone.

he shouted into the receiver. “Scrape the

cheese out of your ears, my friend. I’m

“SMOOTHIE? TRAP HERE.HOW’S IT SQUEAKING?”

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6

bringing over my cousin Geronimo Stilton.

He’s looking for a little vacation.”

He paused to pick his nose, then continued.

“No, he’s nothing like me, Smoothie,” he

chuckled. “He’s not into anything exciting.

No shark fi shing. No rock climbing.

He’s a total scaredy mouse. Yeah, a real

tail twirler. You know the type. He

needs a little-old-lady vacation. Nothing

more dangerous than some sunburned fur.

Ha-ha. But he’s got lots of money, so don’t

worry about the dough. The sky’s the limit

with this one!”

He switched off his phone and started to

scamper away.

I could not believe the nerve of my

cousin. How dare he? I ran after him. I was

fuming.

TRUST ME, YOU’LL LIKE IT!

“Are you nuts?” I cried.

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7

“First of all, I am not

a scaredy mouse.

And second of all,

I am not made of

money.”

Trap rolled his

eyes.

“Well, isn’t that

just like you,

Germeister,”

he muttered. “Such a

p e n n y p i n c h e r . And

so ungrateful!”

I was about to tell

him I didn’t need his

help when I realized

he’d stopped. We had

arrived. We were in

a dark alley,

TRUST ME, YOU’LL LIKE IT!

Trust Me,

You'll Like It!

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8

far from New Mouse City’s main streets.

And we were standing in front of the

SHABBIEST- LOOKING travel agency I’d

ever seen.

A sign above the window read:

Through the window, I spotted a

SLEAZY - LOOKING rodent. His paws

rested on his desk. I groaned. Something

told me I wasn’t going to like it. No, I had

a feeling I wasn’t going to like it one bit!

Trust me,

You'll Like it!

TRUST ME, YOU’LL LIKE IT!

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