Review by LV2R -- Serendipity Mystery by R.F. Kristi

[LV2R]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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Serendipity Mystery: Diary of a Snoopy Cat by R.F. Kristi is book number seven in The Inca Book Series. In the introduction, the family tree and the Inca & Company Detective Agency pages with pictures help to introduce the four cats, two dogs, and a hamster. This updates the reader on all the characters and allows this book to be read apart from the other six books in the series.

Inca, Cara, and Fromage are all cats from France, who go on a vacation with their human mom and Charlotte, the hamster to Sri Lanka for eight days. While enjoying the beach and making new friends, a valuable sword and other objects are stolen from the Colombo Museum. This interests Inca, as well as, Solo, a detective who arrives in Sri Lanka with his dog Terrance. Terrance is part of Inca & Company. While Solo is working on solving the mystery of the missing sword, Inca & Company hear and see things that may lead them to the very people and the hiding place of the stolen goods. Who will find the sword? Will Inca and the others notice small details that will lead them to the thieves?

As the cats and the hamster travel with mom, they learn about an ancient site, visit a tea plantation, and see wild animals while visiting in a new country. Will the cats get to see a leopard or ride an elephant? What other animals will they meet?

I like that the book is written like a diary. Inca, the cat writes daily and it is easy to follow the order of things. I especially like how the visit to Sri Lanka introduces a few cultural places and animals. This can help young children learn about other countries and customs. Serendipity Mystery is a cute story in which Inca and her detective helpers work together to solve the case of the missing sword and gold coins. Therefore, I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. The simple and colorful illustrations are nice and help the reader to visualize the characters of the story.

There isn’t much to not like about the book, except that I think the author could include a bit more culture and places in Sri Lanka. Especially, since Inca and family are on vacation, ride a train, and go sightseeing. The thing I like least about the book is that it mentions Sri Lanka has 2,000 years of culture and eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but what are the sites? The book only mentions one ancient site, Anuradhapura. If I could, I would rate this book 3.5 out of 4 stars, simply because I think the story could have been a bit more detailed for older children. Yet I would not rate it 3 out of 4 stars because it was close to perfect for younger children.

Children six to ten years old and who like animals and detective stories would like this book the best. This is a good book for parents to read to their children. It emphasizes friendship and working together.

Children with a good reading ability and who read more complex story plots may not like this book. It may be too simple for older children.

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Serendipity Mystery
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[Yepez123]

I’m currently reading these books and I’m enjoying them! I agree with the age range. These are such fun books to get into. I love the animal characters.

[gali]

A kids' book that follows the adventures of a cat detective sounds like great book for kids. Adding the the family tree and listing the characters in the introduction should help those who didn't read the other books in the series. A pity there was not enough info about culture and places in Sri Lanka. I am not the target audience, but I am glad you enjoyed the book. Thank you for the review!

[florence faith]

What a lovely book for young readers! I love cats a lot and it made me love this book more!

[FictionLover]

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

There isn’t much to not like about the book, except that I think the author could include a bit more culture and places in Sri Lanka. Especially, since Inca and family are on vacation, ride a train, and go sightseeing. The thing I like least about the book is that it mentions Sri Lanka has 2,000 years of culture and eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but what are the sites? The book only mentions one ancient site, Anuradhapura. If I could, I would rate this book 3.5 out of 4 stars, simply because I think the story could have been a bit more detailed for older children. Yet I would not rate it 3 out of 4 stars because it was close to perfect for younger children.

Children six to ten years old and who like animals and detective stories would like this book the best. This is a good book for parents to read to their children. It emphasizes friendship and working together.

Children with a good reading ability and who read more complex story plots may not like this book. It may be too simple for older children.

******
Serendipity Mystery
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like LV2R's review? Post a comment saying so!

Thanks for the review.

I will have to read this through. I read the Diary of a Snoopy Cat and thought it was confusing and hard to follow. I'm glad you didn't find that.

I really love these illustrations and thought the updated family tree was a good idea.

[Aditi1992]

Thanks for the detailed review. I, personally, loved the title of the book. It must be very entertaining for children to read how Inca and company go after the stolen goods. The book is written from the cat's perspective is ,again, admirable. Children must enjoy reading about cats' adventures in Sri Lanka. In all, this can prove to be an entertaining read for children.

[nikkyteewhy]

I read and reviewed this book, and I believe it will be great for children. Inca and her family and friends had a very interesting adventure. I believe the vocabulary will be suitable for children between the ages of 4 to 10 years old.
Thanks for the review.

[Yagyo88]

Sounds like a good read for children and a great learning tool plus lots of fun.I have tons of respect for writers of children's books because it is not easy to come down to a child's level of thinking and arrest his or her interest and imagination.Commendable stuff.

[Dael Reader]

Nice review! It sounds like this would he a great read for young cat-loving mystery readers!

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

Writing from the animal point of view is an interesting perspective that I think will appeal to kids a lot. And the plot sounds adventurous and engaging for them too.
I agree with you, from the pages I sampled, I think it can be too simplistic for more advanced readers.
Thanks for your review!

[ktrae910]

This sounds like something my granddaughter will love. She loves animals and mysteries!

[Sahani Nimandra]

Well! This is fascinating. An exploration about my country written in these books is really great. Too bad they have mentioned only little details. Thank you for your review!

[Heidi M Simone]

I hope Inca and her friends can find the missing sword! It's great to hear that you found the illustrations to be nice visuals for children. Also, I love that the author touches upon Sri Lanka's history and culture, but too bad you found that there wasn't enough of either one. It's always nice to have another story that illustrates friendship and teamwork, especially for young children. As I don't have children, I don't think this is for me, but I'm glad you enjoyed the book. Thank you for sharing!

[Laura Ungureanu]

I like that this book takes place in Sri Lanka. The animals are different and I am sure that kids will love them. Inca sounds like a great detective.

[desantismt_17]

I reviewed another of the books in this series and loved the heck out of it. This one looks equally cute, and I can't wait to see what Inca and her friends get up to this time. Add in the Sri Lanka setting, and this had me at hello. Thanks for your review!