Review by Tester013 -- Cat Detectives in the Korean Peni...

[Tester013]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula" by R.F. Kristi.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Part of an eight-book series titled the “Inca Book Series”, Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula by R.F. Kristi brings back many childhood memories listening to enthralling tales told to me by my parents and teachers.

More specifically, the book tells the story of Inca, the Siberian Detective Cat, as she embarks on yet another adventure. This time around, she’s going to Korea as her owner is taking part in a cooking competition there. Trouble soon arises as they learn that their host has been separated from his family when the latter embarked on a one-way trip across the border to North Korea, for obvious reasons. Further along, sabotage occurs as their owner finds her cooking materials missing. Will Inca and company be able to reunite their host with his family? Can Inca’s Owner, “Mom”, overcome the odds and win the competition?

There is a lot to like about this book, particularly regarding how it introduces world events to children. The tension between the north and south is certainly no news to anyone but the young minds that this book targets, the situation in the Korean peninsula may very much be foreign to them. Hence, after reading a novel such as this, it may encourage these children to ask more questions and eventually develop an interest in current affairs, a trait crucial in today’s world. Moreover, Kristi’s joyful language ensures that the book never gets too dark for children even when the tension in the story reaches its high.

Whilst there are plenty of positives in this book, it is not without its faults. Though I understand the motives for printing the book in a fanciful font to appeal to children, the use of such fonts makes it particularly difficult to read this book for me, and no perhaps even more so for the readers who may just be learning the alphabet. Additionally, illustrations in this book are rather scarce for a children’s book, and several pages are merely black words on a white background. This seems to contrast with the choice of font, which I found somewhat confusing.

Overall, despite the negatives, I still found this book highly interesting. Add to the fact that I noticed no obvious spelling and grammar mistakes to mislead the readers, I would award this book 3 out of 4 stars, subtracting a star for the negatives I previously mentioned. As for recommendations, this book is certainly not for anyone with an age above the single digits, simply due to its simplicity. Since the book thankfully features no profane language or erotic scenes, there are no particular individuals that will be ill-suited to reading this book.

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Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula
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[Erin Painter Baker]

Fancy fonts are killers! No children's book should be printed in a fancy font. Kids need base simplicity while they are still learning to read. And a font that makes it hard for the parents to read to the kid also doesn't help any book aimed at kids.