Review by Fazzier -- Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula

[Fazzier]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula is a children's adventure book written by R.F. Kristi. It is the eighth novel in the Inca Cat Detective Series. This installment follows Inca and the family's tour to South Korea. Readers should note that this book can be read as a standalone.

Inca's human mom, Missy, had been invited by 'Le Cordon Bleu' to be among the four international judges in a cheese competition which is to take place in South Korea. 'Le Cordon Bleu' was a reputed French cookery school that had branches all over the world including Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. Missy had also developed a delicious cheese she wanted to present in the competition. This provided a good opportunity for the adventurous Inca's detective company to travel and explore Korea. The competing chefs were to come from both South and North Korea.

When the family reached South Korea, they were warmly received by their tour guide. The tour guide, Ye-Jun, also offered to stay with the Inca's family during the time they were going to be in South Korea. Upon reaching the tour guide's house, Inca & Company noticed a large painting of a Korean cat on the wall. This instinctively piqued Inca's interest since she is a very snoopy cat. She later learned that Bo-Mi, the cat in the painting, was in North Korea with the tour guide's sister, Ji. Together with Ye-Jun's dog, Baram, Inca & Company planned to cross over to North Korea to pick up Bo-Mi. How will this mission and trans-border adventure be?

I liked how well the author wrote and executed this work. The language used is simple, and any child can easily understand most of the details without the aid of an adult. Also, whenever foreign languages (French and Korean) were used, the author instantaneously provided translations. This will not only make it an easy read but also equip children with some vocabulary from those languages. Picture illustrations and vivid descriptions also added appeal to this work. All this made this book an interesting read.

Through this story, there are also many things children will learn. From the Inca and family's preparation to go to South Korea, for instance, children will learn things one needs to do before going to a foreign country. Values such as self-confidence, teamwork, and acknowledging the efforts of others, among others, are also ingrained in this work. Moreover, apart from the Korean culture, children will also learn about some of the major tourist attractions in Korea such as the Korean Demilitarized Zone (famously known as the Korean DMZ) and the Siberian tigers. Those were my favorite aspects of this book.

As for editing, the only negatives I cited were some spacing issues. The errors, however, were not detracting and couldn't influence my final rating. I'm, therefore, glad to award Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula by R.F. Kristi 4 out of 4 stars.

For middle-grade children who like culture, animals, and adventure stories, I highly recommend this. This novel can also offer a good ground for parents and educators to discuss with children peace-building initiatives between countries, hence instilling in them (the children) the desire to co-exist peacefully with neighbors. On the other hand, I can't find any adult or child to caution against picking this.

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Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula
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[Erin Dydek]

I like the cultural educational aspects included in this book. This sounds like a great series to help kids learn about things outside their everyday experiences in a fun and exciting way.

[Fazzier]

I like the cultural educational aspects included in this book. This sounds like a great series to help kids learn about things outside their everyday experiences in a fun and exciting way.

It sure is a great series. I love the books, and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. Thank you so much, Everydayadventure15, for the comment!

[Ozioma Miriam]

Inca and his animal detectives are quite interesting characters to read about. I was touched by the risk they took to bring Ye-Jun's sister's cat across the North Korean border. Thanks for a compelling review.