Reader's Diary #1138- Geronimo Stilton: Who Stole the Mona Lisa?

Nick Hornby, if the Internet is to be believed, once said, "I see now that dismissing YA books because you’re not a young adult is a little bit like refusing to watch thrillers on the grounds that you’re not a policeman or a dangerous criminal, and as a consequence, I’ve discovered a previously ignored room at the back of the bookstore that’s filled with masterpieces I’ve never heard of."

Geronimo Stilton is aimed at slightly younger audience than "young adult," but the Hornby quote can still serve my purposes as I've often read children's books as well that I've totally enjoyed, despite my 38 years on this planet. Owly, by Andy Runton, for example is a comic aimed at young kids that I totally and unashamedly enjoyed. Geronimo Stilton, however, I found too juvenile.

I chose to read it because I only recently discovered Stilton is an Italian creation and I don't feel like I've read enough European comics. I've read some mind you; enough to say that Stilton owes more to Tintin and Asterix than to Alan Moore.

Honestly, Who Stole the Mona Lisa? felt like a bad kids' cartoon show. There was some action, some slapstick humour and poor puns, serviceable art, and obligatory educational moments, but I never once got a sense of the characters and thus, never really cared about them. Very underwhelming.