4 out of 4 stars
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I've never read a book written from a pet's point of view that I didn't like, and Diary of a Snoopy Cat by R.F. Kristi did not break that streak. This delightful story follows Inca, a Siberian kitty, as she sets out to solve a mystery. Along with her siblings, Cara and Fromage, and an assortment of animal friends, she has to prove that a human neighbor friend is the rightful owner of his home. It seems that the previous owner passed away, leaving a will that has mysteriously disappeared, and the neighbor, Ned, has been ordered to move.
There are so many things to love about this book that I almost don't know where to begin. A popular adage suggests one “start at the beginning”, so I'll do just that. The first thing the reader sees, before the story commences, is a picture of Inca's “Family Tree”, showing everyone in her extended family. This picture is then followed by brief descriptions of each main character, including their likes, dislikes, and idiosyncracies. I thought these were great ways to introduce everyone without bogging the story down. After the introductions, Inca's diary begins. Inca has a great “voice”, and she says things that I imagine a cat really would say. “Cara, Fromage, Charlotte and I were seated around the fireplace with Mom, the young humanoid we jointly owned”, for example, speaks to the common feeling that cats believe they own us rather than the other way around.
Diary of a Snoopy Cat is paced perfectly for the younger set, with just the right amount of action versus suspense. Inca deviates from the main story on occasion, but I had no problem keeping up, and I think this tendency would appeal to children, who often tell stories in the same way. The book also has a secondary story of a neighbor's trip to find a friend who was presumed dead, and I think the author did a great job meshing the two storylines together.
In addition to her siblings, Inca cavorts with animals of the canine variety, including Terrance and Polo. Charlotte, a Roborovski dwarf hamster, and Monk, a neighbor cat, round out the motley crew. Each character has their own distinct personality, and they are all lovable in their own way. Even Boss, Ned's Rottweiler, turns out to be friendlier than Inca originally thought. Aside from Inca, my favorite character was Fromage. Named after the French cheese, he tends to be “accident-prone and in the habit of getting into all types of scrapes”, leading to a number of funny moments. “Mommy” and “Aunt Florence” also hold minor roles, and I enjoyed their interactions with the animals.
Since this is a children's book, it's full of illustrations, and I loved their cartoonish style. Some of the pictures are tongue-in-cheek, thereby increasing the book's fun factor. For example, page 15 has an illustration of a pair of pants that say “Smarty Pants”, used to highlight Cara's use of that phrase to describe Inca. The font used throughout the book was also distinctive and appealing.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention a few grammatical errors I found. On page 10, “peek” is misspelled as “peak”, and “fire-breathing dragon” is written as “fire-eating dragon” on page 19. Page 30 has an instance of “maybe” being used when it should be “may be”. In addition to these missteps, I noticed a few other possible errors, mostly with punctuation. Since the author lives in France, the things I noticed may actually be more of a difference in style choice than true errors. Regardless, none of the things I noted took away from my enjoyment of the book.
Aside from the possible writing mistakes, some of the language and sentence formation used may be a bit complex for the really young, so while Amazon gives an age level of 5-12, I think it's better for readers on the older end of that scale. I also recommend it for more advanced readers who love a good pet story. It almost goes without saying that I'm happy to give Diary of a Snoopy Cat a glowing 4 out of 4 stars. For those interested, there are 4 other books in the series, and I do plan to read them all. I may even bring a child along for the ride.
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Diary of a Snoopy Cat
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