Review by Unique Ego -- Serendipity Mystery: Diary of a ...

[Unique Ego]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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Serendipity Mystery: Diary of a Snoopy Cat is the seventh book in the Diary of the Snoopy Cat series. It tells the story of Inca, a Siberian detective cat, her brother Fromage, her sister, Cara, and the rest of their feline and not-so-feline friends. In this story, they embark on another adventure to recover an antique stolen from a museum in Colombo. Inca, her siblings, and their buddy, Charlotte, are vacationing in Sri Lanka with Mom when they get wind of an antique sword that was carted away from a museum in Colombo along with some other valuable items.

When Inca realizes that Mom's detective friend, Solo, and his dog, Terrance, have been called in to investigate, she decides to get in on the action. Inca embarks on the quest to find the missing items with her siblings, Charlotte, and the animal friends they make along the way: Rani and Meena. Did they find the thief and the stolen items? What dangers did they face on the journey to solving this mystery?

This book by R. F. Kristi was an exciting book to read. It was written in the first-person perspective, and the writing was clear and easy to understand. An example of Kristi's writing clarity was how she described Mr. Appu when he caught Terrance and Inca in Mrs. Banda's house.

I loved that this book was written to read as a stand-alone title, even though it is the seventh installment in a book series. This adventure was its own story and didn't need the books before it to make it understandable. The author even added a brief list of the main characters in this story at the beginning of the book. I suspect this was done to give the reader direction so they wouldn't need to visit any of the prior books to research the characters. Being a children's book, Kristi made sure the book was chock-full of fun and exciting moments, like when Inca met her feline cousins: the leopards. I also liked that the author included a little bit of historical and cultural information in the story. These included the Sri Lanka ruins, the UNESCO project, and the fact that Fromage was stuck on cheese because he was from France. It was a beautiful example of making learning fun and retentive, and it was the best part of the book for me.

The drawings were appropriate for a children's book. They felt playful, which means that they had just enough detailing to distinguish the characters. There was one instance, though, where Inca was mistakenly illustrated with a blue necktie instead of a red one. This was the only problem I had with this book.

I found a negligible number of errors while reading, which means that it was professionally edited. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars due to its editing, the plot, and the clarity of the author's writing. There was no reason for me to award it a lesser rating. I recommend this book to kids below the age of ten who have an active imagination and are cat lovers.

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Serendipity Mystery: Diary of a Snoopy Cat
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