Parents' Guide to

Charlie & Frog

By Joly Herman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Fun, educational mystery introduces kids to sign language.

Book Karen Kane Mystery 2018
Charlie & Frog Poster Image

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What's the Story?

CHARLIE & FROG, Charlie Tickler is dropped off at his grandparents' house in Castle-on-the Hudson while his parents travel to South Africa to help animals. It's what they do. But Charlie's grandpa and grandma are not really interested in Charlie. Their lives are centered on the television. While heading to the local library to find something to read, Charlie stumbles upon a mystery and meets a girl called Frog, who's deaf. Charlie had learned to spell the letters of the alphabet in American Sign Language (ASL) from his parents, who use it in the bush when they're stalking and animal. This prepared him to communicate a little bit with the hearing impaired community who now surround him. Frog is his best teacher, though, not only giving him a way to talk in ASL but also teaching him about solving mysteries, and about having friends.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1 ):

This playful and intriguing mystery successfully sneaks a large dose of learning into its lively plot. And that's hard to do. Putting educational content into a middle- grade mystery is like putting vegetables into ice cream-- you always know they're there, even when they taste like chocolate. And -- wink, wink-- author Karen Kane (who has worked as an ASL interpreter for the deaf community) concocts an ice cream store in the book where they do just that: put vegetables into icy confections. It's a metaphor that fits right in with the quirky goings-on in the fictional town of Castle-on-the Hudson, where the Castle School for the Deaf is preparing for its annual Founder's Day celebration.

The genius in this book lies in how intertwined chasing down the mystery and figuring out ASL are. When Charlie learns a new sign, the reader learns how to sign the word as well. When the mystery gets more complicated, the reader learns more about living in a non-hearing community. There are funny moments among the local characters, sad situations owing to Charlie's sense of abandonment, and triumphs in Charlie & Frog that all make for well-rounded, entertaining, and yes, educational, reading.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Charlie & Frog: A Mystery uses American Sign Language. Do you know any sign language? Have you used it? What do you know about communities like the one in this book, where people with a challenge rise above it?

  • A fictional television crime fighter named Vince Vinelli tells his audience, "Good people act!" When is this appropriate? When is it dangerous? When do the police need to be involved?

  • Grandma and Grandpa Tickler spend most of their days watching television. They ignore Charlie and can only relate to things having to do with television. How does Charlie change this? How much screen time is good for a family, in your opinion?

Book Details

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