Review by blessing_bona -- Serendipity Mystery: Diary of...

[blessing_bona]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Serendipity Mystery: Diary of a Snoopy Cat" by R.F. Kristi.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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In my experience, children enjoy thriller series as much as adults do. Besides, children love to engage in escapades that make them feel like heroes. This is why I believe that almost every child will enjoy this story.

Serendipity Mystery by R.F. Kristi is the 7th installment of the Inca Series. Yet a child can read it as a stand-alone story. The author was able to carry readers along by explaining the background of every character that made it to the major scene.

Serendipity Mystery is the story of Inca the cat and her team. They went on a vacation with their human mother to Sri Lanka. During the vacation, the cat family and their hamster, Charlotte, fell in love with the Island. It was captivating and warm. They were happy to get away from their "always cold" home in London. They also made friends with a sea turtle named Rani and a little elephant named Meena.

Albeit, their cozy holiday was interrupted by an event that Inca turned into an adventure. They had to unravel a mystery. Perhaps, someone will notice their good deed and thank them. Their mom mentioned that someone stole an antique sword from the museum that they wanted to visit. They decided to find all the right information to help them solve the case.

Every character in this book is worthy of note. There's the ever chatty Inca who leads the team and narrates the story. Fromage and Cara are her siblings who are opposites of each other in every way. Fromage loves to eat and doesn't care about caution. Cara is quiet, cautious, and thinks Fromage needs to eat less. Charlotte is their little hamster who loves to tag along with Fromage all the time. Every child will relate comfortably to each of the characters.

While the book did well at capturing my attention, the picture representations on some pages were poorly inserted. For example, the author mentioned monkeys on trees in location 325 but the picture representation is on location 340 - at the jeweler’s store.

I found only one typo error in the book. However, I found Kristi's use of the past participle to be redundant in some sentences. See an example below.

"When Mom had parked the car, she had rolled our windows up, leaving just enough space at the top to let the air flow through. Before she’d left, she had murmured to Solo that she didn’t want a monkey carrying one of us off."

These are the things I disliked most in the book.

I love the way the author communicates good virtues to children through this story. Kristi shows the value of family, friendship, love, and teamwork throughout the story. At every point, she guides the reader into the emotions of the main character. She also supplies vocabulary that will help the child explore his or her thoughts and feelings.

This book deserves a 4-star rating. However, because of the issues that I raised, I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book for younger children who know how to read properly. It also fits in as a class series or bedtime story.

As a teacher, I’ll love to add this book to my class shelf. It will be suitable for storytime and circle time. Parents can also start up meaningful conversations with their children based on the characters of the little animals in the story.

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Serendipity Mystery: Diary of a Snoopy Cat
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Yes, indeed it is a nice children's book. I have reviewed it recently and I loved it. Nice review

[Cynthia_Oluchi]

A beautiful book for kids. I read and reviewed it, so, I can't agree less with you.

[blessing_bona]

Yes, indeed it is a nice children's book. I have reviewed it recently and I loved it. Nice review

Thanks, Sushan. I'm glad you find it worthwhile

[blessing_bona]

A beautiful book for kids. I read and reviewed it, so, I can't agree less with you.

Thank you, Oluchi.

[spencermack]

I enjoyed this book as well. solid review!

[MeganDJ]

It is such an incredibly cute story! Having recently reviewed it, I agree with your rating though I had not thought about the location number and picture disparity Thanks for pointing it out and a lovely review! Happy reading

[blessing_bona]

It is such an incredibly cute story! Having recently reviewed it, I agree with your rating though I had not thought about the location number and picture disparity Thanks for pointing it out and a lovely review! Happy reading

Thank you, Megan

[blessing_bona]

I enjoyed this book as well. solid review!

Thank you, Mack!

[bookreviewmi1111]

I think it is a good book for kids. Your review is also interesting to point out the sides that are not good yet! Thanks for the review.