The HUNT for the

colosseum ghost
PLUS a bonus
and
Mini Mystery
!
cheesy jo s
k e

Scholastic Inc.
Pages i–111; 194–198 copyright © 2016 by Edizioni Piemme S.p.A., Palazzo
Mondadori, Via Mondadori 1, 20090 Segrate, Italy. International Rights ©
Atlantyca S.p.A. English translation © 2018 by Atlantyca S.p.A.
Pages 112–193 copyright © 2008 by Edizioni Piemme S.p.A., Palazzo Mondadori,
Via Mondadori 1, 20090 Segrate, Italy. International Rights © Atlantyca S.p.A.
English translation © 2015 by Atlantyca S.p.A.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any
responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
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., Publishers since 1920, 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.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, 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 copyright holder. For
information regarding permission, please contact: Atlantyca S.p.A., Via Leopardi 8,
20123 Milan, Italy; e-mail foreignrights@atlantyca.it, www.atlantyca.com.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either
the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance
to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is
entirely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
ISBN 978-1-338-21522-9
Pages i–111
Text by Geronimo Stilton
Original title Il fantasma del Colosseo
Cover by Roberto Roch and Andrea Carallini
Illustrations by Danilo Loizedda, Antonio Campo, and Daria Cerchi
Graphics by Michela Battaglin and Chiara Cebrais
Special thanks to AnnMarie Anderson
Translated by Anna Pizzelli
Interior design by Kay Petronio
Pages 112–193
Text by Geronimo Stilton
Original title Il ladro di croste
Cover by Giuseppe Ferrario and Giulia Zaffaroni
Illustrations by Andrea Denegri (pencils and inks) and Daria Cerchi (color)
Graphics by Michael Battaglin and Marta Lorini
Fingerprint graphic © NREY/Shutterstock
Special thanks to Beth Dunfey
Translated by Anna Pizzelli
Interior design by Becky James
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 18 19 20 21 22
Printed in China 38
First edition, April 2018
 Table of
Co n te n t s
The Hunt for
the Colosseum Ghost ....................1

Mini Mystery:
The Cheese Burglar ...................111

Geronimo’s Jokes ......................194

THE HUNT FOR THE
COLOSSEUM GHOST
 A StrAnge,
CheeSe-Colored
envelope . . .
I had just arrived at my office for the day when
my assistant, Mousella Mac Mouser, dumped a
huge pile of mail on my desk.

Here you
go!
ail!
u ch m
S om
 A StrAnge, CheeSe- Colored envelope . . .

Oh, I’m sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. My

name is Stilton, Geronimo Stilton, and I
am the publisher of The Rodent’s Gazette, the
most famouse newspaper on Mouse Island.
As I was saying, I had a lot of mail: one envelope
contained a contract to sign, another held a
manuscript by a promising new writer, and
one was a postcard my aunt Sweetfur had sent
from her vacation on Furflung Island. There were
also bills to pay: the office’s gas bill, a bill from
my architect friend Mousilina Straightedge (she
had recently installed s ar pa e s on my
house), and a bill from the mechanic who had
just fixed my car. Finally, there was a purple,
perfumed e velope.
Squeak! I immediately recognized the scent:
it was Ratell No. 5, my friend Creepella von
Cacklefur’s favorite perfume!
One thing you should know is that Creepella

2
 A StrAnge, CheeSe- Colored envelope . . .

tells everyone she is my girlfriend, but it’s

not true. We’re just friends, rodent’s honor! I
opened the envelope:

Gerrykins, next week is our

anniversary! I have planned a
cheese stew dinner at Cacklefur Castle
with the whole family. Don’t forget!
—Your beloved Creepella

“
WHAT A versary?” I squeaked
“WH Aha
“W
VER
TtAaNnNniNNIV SARY
ERSARY ? ”

aloud. “We aren’t even dating!”

?
Crusty kitty litter, a dinner at
Cacklefur Castle with the whole
”

family? I can’t stand cheese

stew! And Creepella’s family can
be incredibly . . . well, creepy!

3
 A StrAnge, CheeSe- Colored envelope . . .

I was about to call Creepella to let her know

once and for all that I only like her as a friend.
I also planned to tell her I couldn’t attend an
v with her entire
family. But then I caught sight of an official-
looking yellow letter in the stack of mail . . .
What a strange, cheese-colored
envelope!
I opened it immediately and almost jumped out
of my fur in surprise.
y , it was a letter from the
principal at my little nephew Benjamin’s school!
I remembered Mr. Strictfur well; he had been my
teacher long ago.
For a moment, I took a trip down memory lane:
Mr. Strictfur had been my history teacher at Little
Tails Academy. My fellow students and I were
always so nerv whenever there was a quiz;
it’s no coincidence that his name is Strictfur!

4
 Li tt le Ta ils Ac ad emy
New M ou se Ci ty

,
Dear Mr. Stilton

your nephew
ri ting to inform you that
I am w s grades
St ilt on is st ru ggling to keep hi
Benjamin especially
se m es te r. H is history grade is
up this recently
le m at ic . In fa ct, his teacher
pro no t
on an ci en t R ome and he was
quiz zed him tly! Let
sw er a sing le ques tion correc
a le to an s this
w he n w e ca n mee t to discus
me know ung mousele t,
e. B en ja m in is a very right yo
issu chance to
e to give him a
and I would lik o late. I
pr ov e hi s gr ad es efore it’s to
im ack at
ve to hold him
don’t want to ha
school year!
the end of the

Best regards,

Stuart Strictfur
Principal
 A StrAnge, CheeSe- Colored envelope . . .

He was one of the toughest teachers in the

school, but years later, I understand that it was
because he cared about us. It’s thanks to him
that I learned so many things about
that have been useful in my job at The Rodent’s
Gazette. And now history was the very subject
that seemed to be causing Benjamin the most
trouble!

6
StriCtfur’S AmAzing
memory
I picked up my phone and immediately
called the principal.
“Hello?” I squeaked. “Am I speaking to Mr.
Stuart Strictfur?”
“Stilton? Geronimo Stilton?” a deep voice
replied. “Is it really you? The one who
always sat in the back of the class? The one who
used to throw spitballs at the mouselet with
who sat in the third
desk on the right in the second row? The one
who could never remember when Rome was
founded? The one I was about to hold back in
fifth grade because he was always daydreaming
instead of studying? That Geronimo
Stilton?”

7
 S triCtfur ’ S A mAzing m emory

I was flabbergasted!
Holey cheese, what an excellent memory!
He had recognized me by my voice,
and he had remembered everything about me,
down to the mouselet I had a crush on . . .
“Uh, yes, Mr. Strictfur, it’s me, Stilton,
Geronimo Stilton. I can’t believe you still
remember me.”
“Are you kidding, Stilton?” he replied with a
chuckle. “Stuart Strictfur never forgets a
snout, a name, or a !”
Gulp! Was it possible he really remembered my
terrible history grade?
B+
G. ST B
REP ILTON ce
ORT Scien A
CAR
c r ts
Musi rming A y A-
D
H i s to r y o r B+
Geogra D Perf rt Histo
A
p
E n g l i s h hy B Rat- ology n B -
n io
Math B+ Tech al Educat
ic
B Phys

9
 S triCtfur ’ S A mAzing m emory

“I remember perfectly well that you

struggled with history until I got you to
improve,” he continued. “Do you remember when
I took the class to Rome on a school trip?
You started doing pretty well right after that. In
fact, your history grade that year was an A!”
“Yes, you’re right!” I agreed. “Thank you for
taking me on that trip.”
I recalled how much that visit had changed
my outlook on history. Mr. Strictfur had helped
me learn to love and appreciate the past.
I could still recall him tearing up as he stood
outside the and told our class
about its historical significance.
“Gladiators fought in this arena, Romans sat on
these steps, and Rome’s most popular shows
took place here,” Mr. Strictfur had squeaked
passionately .
“Close your eyes and pretend you’ve gone back

10
in time. Imagine you see the
senators and the emperor
surrounded by his trusted men.
Now pretend you can smell the
bread the Romans loved to
eat, and pretend you can hear
the cheering crowd. History
isn’t dead — it’s alive, and
it’s fabumouse !
Studying history is
just liketraveling
through time!” ad i a tors
fought
ena!
G l th is a r
From then on, history in
had become my favorite
subject.
Suddenly, I had a
revelation .
“Principal Strictfur,
I was just calling to
 S triCtfur ’ S A mAzing m emory

let you know that you don’t have to wo

about my nephew Benjamin’s history grade. I’m
going to help him improve it by doing what you
did with me years ago:
king him
I’m ta
on a trip
to R o
me!”
Then I hung up the phone and called Benjamin
right away.
“Hi, Nephew!” I squeaked. “I know you’re
having a hard time in school right now, but don’t
worry. I’ll help you learn all about ancient Rome,
and we’ll do it while having fun! We’re going
to visit Rome together, and soon you’ll have
a much easier time remembering all the most
important historical events that happened there.
Your cousin Trappy will join us, too. Pack your
bags — we’re leaving in the morning!”
The next day, the three of us were on our way to

12
 S triCtfur ’ S A mAzing m emory

Rome. We boarded a special nonstop flight

to Italy that included unlimited pizza throughout
the entire trip. Yum!

to
’t wait
Yum an Italy!
! I c t to
ge

min’s
Trappy is Benja
good friend.
cousin and his
like Trap!
She looks a lot

13