Review by tristenb -- Serendipity Mystery: Diary of a Sn...

tristenb · Post by **tristenb** » 04 Dec 2019, 12:40

[Following is a volunteer review of "Serendipity Mystery: Diary of a Snoopy Cat" by R.F. Kristi.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Serendipity Mystery: Diary of a Snoopy Cat by R.F. Kristi is the seventh book in The Inca Book Series. The series follows Inca, her detective agency, Inca & Company, and her family.

This book begins with her family tree, which includes her human mom and Aunt Florence, her kitty siblings, Cara and Fromage, and a hamster named Charlotte. The animal members of her family are also part of her detective agency, but there are a few additional members. They include another cat named Monk and two dogs named Terrance and Polo. These illustrations, along with the descriptions, give the reader sufficient background information to understand the characters without having to have read any of the previous books. Therefore, this book can be read as a standalone.

In this book, Inca and her family are visiting the beautiful island of Sri Lanka. What starts as a relaxing vacation to see the beach and some UNESCO World Heritage Sites, turns into a detective case to find a valuable, old antique sword and golden coins stolen from the Colombo Museum. While not officially on the case, Inca and the members of her team that are in Sri Lanka begin their detective work. Will they be able to solve the mystery before the stolen objects are taken off the island?

The book is fairly short, but is essentially set up like a chapter book. The story is told through journal entries written by Inca. Therefore, I would recommend this book to young readers just starting to read chapter books or to parents who would like to read to their children. However, I think readers already reading more advanced chapter books will get bored with the simple plotline.

Even though the simple plotline is my least favorite element of the book, I think it is adequate for the target age group. As an adult reader, I loved Inca’s quirky personality and the illustrations that were found throughout the book. My favorite part of the book is that it introduces the reader to new places and encourages traveling. I also think animal lovers will get a kick out of this book. It personifies the animals in a really clever and funny way.

Overall, I rate Serendipity Mystery: Diary of a Snoopy Cat 4 out of 4 stars. It is well written and well edited, though I thought the use of the em dash was a little excessive. The illustrations are also cute and relevant to the story. It is the perfect book for young readers and teaches them about new places. My only criticism of the book is minor and from an adult perspective. I think this would be a fun series to read to my daughter when she is a little older.

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Serendipity Mystery: Diary of a Snoopy Cat
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