3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula: Diary of a Snoopy Cat by R.F. Kristi is the eighth installation in a series following the adventures of a sassy Siberian cat, Inca, and her fellow Detective Agency family and friends. Accompanying their human mother, Missy, to South Korea for a cheese patisserie competition, Inca and her animal companions quickly encounter challenges in the enchanting land when Missy’s prize-winning cheese abruptly goes missing! Not to mention the more distressing situation involving their kind South Korean tour guide, Ye-Jun, who desires a life with his sister, Ji, from whom he is separated by the North-South Korean border.
Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula features intriguing themes and content-matter (such as loyalty, fear/bravery, peace/conflict, and forced separation of family members) and I enjoyed reading such important topics where I was able to put myself in the shoes (and paws) of the book’s characters. Kristi's characterization of Inca and Fromage, Inca's brother, were especially entertaining, as both kitties certainly enjoy a high sense of self-importance. I was also highly interested in the vibrant, cute, and neat illustrations presented by Jorge Valle that went along very well with R.F. Kristi’s easygoing, and yet, historically educational storytelling.
Something I didn’t enjoy so much about the book was the overuse of elevated diction presented with inconsistent “word help.” In one instance, “chef (cook)” appeared in the story, something I appreciated as helpful/educational for young readers, until several much more challenging words appeared without such help. Many, many difficult words such as “patisserie” and “diminutive” were used in place of less challenging alternatives or the addition of parenthesized synonyms (which only came to frustrate me after seeing the rather-easy-in-comparison “chef (cook)” example from early in the book).
I was also a bit unimpressed with the book’s dialogue format which often broke paragraphs at each sentence and caused one speaker’s speech to span the entire page. Rather than helpful, I felt the style odd and potentially confusing, as readers will usually encounter a new speaker at each paragraph of dialogue; however, this wasn’t a deal-breaker.
In all, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars as I found the story cute, thought-provoking and rather personal. I would recommend this to parents, young readers, and those whose interests encompass themes of friendship and family, loyalty, bravery, and the pursuit of peace and happiness.
******
Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Tamorie21's review? Post a comment saying so!
