Serendipity Mystery: Diary of a Snoopy Cat (Inca Cat Detective Series Book 7)

Inca the Siberian cat has been bitten with the detective bug. Ever since her first case, she has continued to look for mysteries to solve. Along with her furry family and friends, with some help from their humans, Inca uses her detective skills to help others find missing items.

Being a detective just wasn’t enough for Inca, so she decided to start keeping track of her adventures in a diary. When her dog friend Terrence goes to Nepal to help find a missing person right before Christmas, Inca and her sidekicks make new friends and have to help them find a way to keep their house.

I previously read and reviewed a later entry in R. F. Kristi’s Snoopy Cat series. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to go back and read others, even if I am a bit older than the target audience. Diary of a Snoopy Cat (Inca Cat Detective Series Book 5) is the first diary entry into this series and changes the books from mere novels to more personal adventures with the characters.

I really like that the animals all get along with one another, even if they have to take time to adjust. As with real animals, each character has a distinct personality that makes them seem almost more human than we give them credit for. As a cat owner myself, I had no problem imagining my cats in place of the characters. The way cheese-lover Fromage reacts to his snack being confiscated is exactly how my cats react when they are caught with items they should not have. It also shows that even though cats and dogs are not usually depicted as being friends, they can learn to respect and even like one another.

Additionally, I appreciate how this story encourages young readers to use critical thinking skills while reading. I feel as though the target audience will be more inclined to search for answers to their questions outside of the book because Inca is a role model. The language used in the book is also appropriate for the target audience while also offering a challenge with some more complex (although not necessarily intimidating) word choices. For example, some words that young readers may not already be familiar with in this book are “agog,” “smitten,” and “trekking.”

Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.  After reading this book, I still want to read more of the series. I recommend this book to animal lovers and those that enjoy mysteries geared specifically towards younger readers (under the age of ten).