3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Diary of a Snoopy Cat is a cute and every changing storyline book that is part of a series call “Inca Book Series”. This book installment, set in the Christmas season, is about a cat named Inca who is a Siberian and moved to London. He decides to start a diary containing the adventures of his life. He lives with his “human owner” Missy, his sister Cara who is a Siamese cat, his brother Fromage who is a Tabby cat, and Charlotte, the family’s hamster. Inca’s greatest desire is to become a great cat detective. We meet his next door neighbor cat, Monk, whose human owner, Solo, is a detective who goes on plenty of adventurous detective assignments. Monk fills Inca in on their latest assignment to be had in the Himalayas. This creates more desire for Inca to become a cat detective himself. With Monk gone and a dog in the neighborhood who needs help solving a mystery, Inca has found his chance. We follow Inca on his first accomplished detective assignment, the return and tragedy of his neighbor’s detective adventure in the Himalayas, and lastly to Inca and his family celebrating Christmas with a bountiful dinner.
I give Diary of a Snoopy Cat a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I could not rate it 4 stars because I was very confused in the beginning of the book to the point I was getting quite annoyed. Once I researched and found that it was part of a book series, I understood why I was confused. The beginning of the book, at times, ventured back to his time in Paris before moving to London. This was done at the oddest points of the current story text. I had to re-read backwards to understand what was happening. However, it’s to be expected when reading a series book where you have not read the previous installments.
I didn’t give it a lower rating because it was an entertaining book. One of the best sections of this book is the introduction of Inca’s family, just in case you are starting the book in the middle of the series, like me. There were plenty of characters to get to know. There were are least 3 story changes within the book that I discovered as I read. This will either annoy readers who like to focus on one main storyline or it will be appreciated by readers who get bored reading the same storyline throughout a book. Personally, I thought the storyline concerning Monk, Solo, and Terrance’s Himalayan adventure was not necessary. I would have also loved to see Inca do at least one more detective job.
The illustration done with the book was okay. I would have loved to see more color on the inside of the book. The graphics in the book are in black and white, but they are still cute. The cover of the book is what drew me to read it. I LOVE cats! I also love pictures of cats in humorous scenes. Inca sitting, like a human, in an over-sized red armchair with his crossed legs and a scarf tied neatly around his neck is very adorable. The bright golden yellow background causes the book to stand out on a shelf.
I almost didn’t finish it because I was getting overwhelmed trying to keep up with the fast changing storylines. I’m not sure of the age target with this book. The cover says elementary to intermediate grade level. However, the content and the flow of the book says intermediate to middle school grade level. Overall, this was good book and I would encourage my own daughter to read it. Who doesn’t love a book about adventurous pets!
******
Diary of a Snoopy Cat
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Catherine Davis's review? Post a comment saying so!
