Charlie & Frog is leisure and gateway kidlit reading for mid-elementary

Some books are easier than others. Charlie & Frog, A Mystery by Karen Kane firmly has second grade through middle school as its sweet spot. Readers on the younger side of the scale should be able to read it with minimal assistance, if any; while those on the older side of the scale will enjoy reading Charlie & Frog as a lively pleasure read. Whaa? A pleasure read, some of the kids or parents might be asking themselves, que es este? Leisure reading, it’s the unicorn book of mid-elementary school that kids want to read that allows them to escape, all the while getting further along the bridge that leads from books with-pictures to those without.

You parents know about that bridge. You kids do too and you’re a little scared of those books. Charlie & Frog is just the sort of book that will introduce you to the world of reading based imagination or “reading inside your head” as our 6 year old calls it.

First off, Charlie & Frog is a solid, entertaining book. Charlie is a kid whose parents travel around the world saving animals you’ve never heard of in countries that take two days to get there from where anyone lives. He’s staying with his grandparents while they’re gone and all they ever do is watch television, bad television at that. To make things worse when his parents return from their travels he’s going to boarding school that’s located far, far away.

One day when Charlie is bored he goes into town where a frightened old lady gives him a message in sign language. It was a simple enough message as his signing skills aren’t fluent, but he was able to understand. His questions about one of the signs that he didn’t understand leads him to the Flying Hands Café where he meets Frog. Frog is Deaf, wants to be a detective and is immediately attracted at the opportunity to solve a real-life caper.

The fact that Charlie & Frog takes place in a partially Deaf community does not exclusively make the book entertaining. Author Karen Kane is an interpreter for the Deaf and her details about the customs and mannerisms between the two worlds does enhance the book’s attention to detail. Moreover, it accurately describes the curious, helpful, paranoid nature of the tween soul. Frog is paranoid! She’s denying that she’s got a crush on Charlie!

But, the thing is, Charlie is doing the exact same thing. Charlie & Frog will introduce kids to Deaf culture and let them know that they think and react just like those that aren’t Deaf. There is also a sign language alphabet, with numbers included at the front of the book and ASL words-with visual demonstrations, that start each chapter.

Charlie & Frog reminds of some of our favorite kidlit book series including Paul Tobin’s The Genius Series and Jennifer Chambliss Bertman’s Book Scavenger series. Both of those book series have slightly higher reading abilities required for them. However, the warmth, humor, heart and believable traits that the characters have carry across each of the books.

Charlie & Frog is great kidlit reading. Its approachable enough to encourage younger readers that they are able to read (almost) picture-less books, while being entertaining enough for middle school students to dive in and enjoy reading.