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About The Book:

Sit back and discover the surprising ways people listen in Charlie & Frog: A Mystery. This is a page-turning contemporary middle grade mystery with humor, intrigue, and heartwarming friendships, by debut author Karen Kane. Frog is Deaf and shines as a tenacious, crime-solving protagonist who introduces Charlie to the world of sign language and teaches it throughout. All Charlie Tickler wants is for his parents to listen. Charlie's parents have left him (again). This time they are off to South Africa to help giant golden moles. And Charlie? He's been dumped with his TV-obsessed grandparents. Lonely and curious, Charlie heads to the village if Castle-on-the-Hudson, where a frightened old woman gives him a desperate message - in sign language. When she suddenly disappears, Charlie is determined to find answers. 

All Francine (aka Frog) Castle wants is to be the world's greatest detective. Frog, who is Deaf, would rather be solving crimes than working at the Flying Hands Cafe'. When Charlie Tickler walks into the cafe' looking for help, Frog jumps at the chance to tackle a real-life case. Together, Charlie and Frog set out to decipher a series of clue and uncover the truth behind the missing woman's mysterious message. Charlie needs to learn American Sign Language to keep up with quick-witted Frog. And Frog needs to gather her detective know-how to break the case before it's too late.

About Karen Kane:

Charlie and Frog is Karen's first novel! Her path led her from a small village near Rochester, New York, to the hustle and bustle of Washington DC. The people she met along the way inspired her writing with their warmth and humor, especially those in the deaf community. Karen graduated from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When she's not writing, Karen is spending her days as a sign language interpreter at Gallaudet University or lost in the stacks of books at her local library.

You can learn more about Karen at her website.

Our Thoughts on the Book:

We found this to be a very interesting novel. The inside cover of the book has the full alphabet in American Sign Language. Each chapter throughout the book is named with sign language. I thought that was a cool touch.

Once we got past the uniqueness of all the sign language being incorporated throughout the book we dove right into Charlie and Frog. I found the lack of attention any adults in the story had for the kids a bit nerve racking. As a middle-grade novel, however, I can easily see kids loving this view of the adults. The story is well done and as a mystery really holds your attention.

I really like that the book also helps teach American Sign Language.

You can purchase Charlie and Frog on Amazon.