@DisneyHyperion Releases CHARLIE & FROG: A MYSTERY

Many thanks to Disney Hyperion for providing this book for review.

All opinions are mine.

Looking for a great Spring read for the kiddos?  Check out Karen Kane's CHARLIE and FROG: A MYSTERY.

Discover the surprising ways people listen in CHARLIE and FROG: A MYSTERY (Disney-Hyperion; On Sale: April 10, 2018), a page-turning contemporary middle grade mystery filled with humor, intrigue, and heartwarming friendships, by debut author Karen Kane. Frog (aka Francine Castle), 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 into the village of 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 Café. When Charlie Tickler walks into the café 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 clues and uncover the truth behind the missing woman's mysterious message. Charlie needs to learn American Sign Language (fast) to keep up with quick-witted Frog. And Frog needs to gather her detective know-how (now) to break the case before it's too late.

We are really excited to share this read showing how we are more alike than we are different.  The inclusion of ASL as a secret language of sorts inspired our kids to want to learn more about ASL.  I taught the kids some baby sign when they were toddlers but they've since forgotten many of those signs.  However, we have a family friend who is deaf and she was so excited to see a book sharing a friendship between someone who uses sign language and someone who doesn't but how they develop a friendship anyway.  She also helped instruct the kids in commonly used sign language words and was eager to share the book with other parents in her group of friends who use ASL.  The kids quickly learned to sign their names and are using lessons learned from the book as a secret language of sorts much like Charlie.

Overall, a great read for middle schoolers about friendship.
Do you know ASL?  Have you ever thought of teaching your kid ASL?