3 out of 4 stars
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A Siberian kitty named Inca is finishing up her first year in the borough of Kensington, London, along with her siblings and owner, Missy. Inca, who is the leader of the bunch, opens up about her desire to become the world's first cat detective "par excellence"; a snooping kitty solving mysteries on her own. Inca gets the idea to start a diary and document all of her successful cases on her journey to becoming a cat detective. As the 12-day countdown to Christmas commences, Inca and her animal pals are confronted by a scary Rottweiler named Boss, who is in desperate need of their help. Boss is in jeopardy of being separated from his owner and needs Inca and her pals to do their best to save the day! This task is the beginning of a seriously wild, suspense-filled adventure, and possibly the start of Inca's detective dreams coming true. Would Inca be able to solve this case alone and become the cat detective of her dreams? Grab a copy of R. F. Kristi's Diary of A Snoopy Cat and find out!
From page one, this book has an excellent sense of artistry. Most children books with a similar word count, tend to lack in imagery. However, that is not the case for this book. Kristi partnered up with an extraordinary illustrator, Jorge Valley, who helped bring the book to life. Valley's drawings are very charming and do a delightful job of complimenting the storyline. The appearance of the book is very true to that of a diary. Kristi chose to use a font that mimics handwriting to add more depth and authenticity, which is appreciated. The font, diary format, and occasional illustrations created a quaint atmosphere on every page.
With a target audience of children seven to ten years of age, descriptive writing is essential. The text is incredibly detailed writing, making it simple to visualize the story. Kristi also incorporates playful speech that utilizes sounds to create an elevated level of experience for young readers. When someone is sleeping, you'll hear their snore, and when animals are speaking, you'll hear their purr or growl! This playful speech displays the author's excellent attention to detail and level of conscious writing.
Kristi also did well with character distinction. There are many characters introduced throughout the book, so it was important that Kristi took the time to differentiate each. The initial chapter introduces Inca, the narrator, her siblings, Cara, Fromage, and Charlotte, and her owner, Milly. Every character is described adequately with memorable traits that assist the reader in recalling who they are. Inca is portrayed as the take-charge Siberian cat on a mission to become a cat detective. Cara is described as the pretty, prissy, prim and proper Siamese kitten who has no time to get her paws dirty. Fromage, who's my personal favorite, is the cheese-loving, cheeky Tabby-cat who can't help but be a clutz. Charlotte, though not a cat, is Fromage's best friend and is an excellent supporting character. Finally, Milly, the "humanoid" as the cats call her, is their loving owner. As additional characters are introduced, all varying in personality, Kristi's excellent skill in character distinction becomes more evident.
The book's biggest weakness is that it takes a while to pick up momentum and when it finally does the action is rushed. I found myself halfway through the text before any exciting action began. I am not stating that the beginning of the book is uninteresting. It is, however, solely dedicated to introducing characters and establishing the plot for the reader. Once the action does begin, the ending quickly follows, which is unfortunate. I would have preferred the author to take extra time in allowing the action to proceed, so the book doesn't appear anticlimactic.
I am also slightly disheartened with the book's grammar because it could use more attention. Though there are no spelling errors I can account for, there is awkward wording, accidental capitalization, and excessive spacing between words. The second to last chapter of the book is titled, "4 Days to 1 Day Before Christmas", which is extremely awkward and hard to understand for children. It could've easily been changed to "The Final 4 Days Before Christmas", making the chapter's concept easier to comprehend. On the final page of the third to last chapter, the word "on" is mistakenly capitalized which displays less than excellent editing. There is also the occasional and excessive spacing between words throughout the text that does not serve a purpose. I initially assumed the two to three spaces between words was done to add enfaces, but quickly realized this is not the case at all. Though not very distracting, it does make one wonder what purpose the spaces serve.
All in all, I give R.F. Kristi's Diary of A Snoopy Cat a 3 out of 4 rating. If the story progressed faster and better attention was given to grammar, this book would easily receive a 4-star rating. Though, with such significant effort put into the writing, character descriptions, and illustrations, it's quite easy to give credit where it is due. Diary of A Snoopy Cat is sure to become a favorite for children transitioning to fiction novels!
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Diary of a Snoopy Cat
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