Dear Reader,

Did you ever receive a letter from far away, with a strange foreign stamp, and an unfamiliar postmark? Your heart starts beating a little faster, and your head starts spinning with thoughts about other lands and people who are very different from the ones you see everyday. You can't wait to open the envelope and read what's inside.

I recently got a letter like that. It was sent from Crocodilia, on the Amazon River in Brazil. Even before I opened it, I knew who it was from. I recognized the handwriting of my scientist friend Professor Paws Von Volt.

But here's the most exciting part. The only thing inside the envelope was a set of airline tickets! They were made out to me, my nephew Benjamin, my sister Thea, and my cousin Trap. The message was very clear: The professor needed us in Crocodilia—but he couldn't tell us why!

What would you do if someone sent you tickets to the Amazon? There are lots of poisonous snakes there, you know, as well as piranhas, carnivorous ants, and crocodiles. Would you go anyway?

I didn't hesitate, and neither did Benjamin, Thea, or Trap. We're always ready when there's an adventure waiting for us, even if we can't guess how it will turn out. And, as an author of many books and the editor of The Rodent's Gazette, I knew there was a story waiting, too.

Now I'm back and the story is written. I don't want to give away all the surprises, but you'll get a hint of what it's about when I tell you it's called The Temple of the Ruby of Fire. I think you'll find reading about our adventure as exciting as it was for us to live it!

Yours truly,

© EDIZIONI PIEMME – ITALY