Review by HannahsReads -- Cat Detectives in the Korean P...

[HannahsReads]

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

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2 out of 4 stars

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Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula is a children’s chapter book by author R.F. Kristi. This is the eighth book in a series about a cat named Inca. In this volume, Inca and her furry friends travel to South Korea for a cheese competition. While there, they must protect the precious cheese from an evil chef.

I liked the cute premise of this book. While an animal detective is not an original idea, a globe-trotting cat detective is a fun concept. I also appreciated the chronological plot structure that is simple and clear. Young readers will have no trouble following Inca one step at a time through the mystery. I also liked the descriptions of the international setting; the author describes places such as a traditional South Korean home and a lake surrounded by cherry trees in bloom. The author also describes the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between South Korea and North Korea tactfully and peacefully.

However, this book is poorly written despite those charming qualities. Grammatical errors abound throughout the brief text. The author uses so much passive voice that the sentence structure is repetitive and boring. The text is set in an unfortunate font that is hard to read because of oddly outsized letters, which could be confusing for beginning readers. French words and phrases are dropped into the text without a translation for young readers who may not be familiar with vocabulary such as “patisserie” and “bon voyage.” I also did not consider this book well-suited to its intended audience. Amazon recommends this title to early elementary readers (grades 1-4). However, the peculiar shape of the font and unexplained vocabulary make this less-than-ideal for very young readers. Older readers in 3rd and 4th grade will likely be bored by the simplicity of the plot.

I would recommend Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula to children ages 5-7 who enjoy books like Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and Aunt Eater Loves a Mystery by Doug Cushman. This book does not contain any material that would be inappropriate for children. However, the lack of editing does strongly impact the quality of this book.

I give this book a rating of only 2 out of 4 stars because of the lack of editing and the poor quality of the writing. I did like the concept of the book; I hope the author can revise the text in the future.

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Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula
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