3 out of 4 stars
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Super cat-detective Inca, returns with yet another exciting adventure in Serendipity Mystery by R. F. Kristi. It all begins when Mom takes Inca and her brothers and sisters on a holiday to the beautiful island of Sri Lanka. Even among the sun and sand and food and fun, trouble has a way of finding Inca and her friends.
A valuable, antique sword goes missing from the main museum in Colombo and Solo, their humanoid friend and his dog Terrance get entrusted with solving the mystery. Inca immediately decides to keep her detective senses on alert and get involved in the case. Besides her usual detective companions, Inca builds up an interesting network of local animal friends- there is Rani the turtle, Meena the baby elephant and big Mama elephant- all of whom are very excited to be part of a detective group. They set about collecting information and dealing with a few unsavory characters in their quest to find the missing sword. Does Inca's Sri- Lankan adventure end in success? Read with interest as this group takes you through exotic locations and introduces you to exotic new animals while they go about their business of solving mysteries.
Having previously reviewed Diary of a Snoopy Cat, I had already met Inca and her gang. It was a delight to meet them again, especially Fromage, the hungry, greedy, adorable tabby cat who loves his cheese and happens to be my favorite member of the group. As expected, Fromage is the troublemaker who starts the exciting events leading up to the meeting with the leopard cousins. It is very interesting to travel and see the beauty of Sri Lanka through the eyes of our pet-detective friends.
This book is a humorous, enjoyable and educational read with fantastic illustrations. It also carries some important lessons for its target audience, which is mainly children between the ages of 5 and 15 years. The value of teamwork and friendship is beautifully highlighted. I liked the way the author demonstrates how respecting and understanding the ways and workings of a foreign people (in this case turtles and elephants) can not only make you some great new friends but also prove very helpful in whatever work one might have in a foreign land.
The only complain I have with the story is that apart from Inca and Fromage, the other members of the detective group do not seem to have much to do and that at the end, Solo does not find out who his helpers were. I give Serendipity Mystery 3 out of 4 stars and recommend it to anyone looking to introduce their kids to a well-written detective story or simply looking for an interesting bedtime story to read to their children.
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Serendipity Mystery
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