Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

An adorable middle grade novel about friendship. An outspoken young girl named Aurora befriends a nonverbal boy known as Frenchie, who never speaks a word to her, but somehow she knows she is his person. When Frenchie goes missing, Aurora may be the only one who can find him. Loved the characters, a little slow/repetitive toward the middle of the book.

Anybody Here Seen Frenchie is about two friends, Aurora and Frenchie. Frenchie is nonverbal and Aurora is talkative but they get along great. When Frenchie goes missing one day the community rallies around finding Frenchie, even people who doesn't know him well. This is a great story for middle grade readers as it is both very entertaining and has a good message.

I'm a former special education teacher, and the fact that this book contains a character who has autism quickly grabbed my attention.

This is such a heartwarming tale, where a key point is the town coming together to find Frenchie when he goes missing.

The story is told in alternating POVs. I love how Aurora sees Frenchie for who he is. She's the friend everyone needs in their life. If I was still teaching, I'd be happy to share this book with my students. It's appropriate for middle grade on to adult. The story has an important message of how, though we may have our differences, we are more alike than we are different.

This is a book that I will read again and agin. It tells the story of a powerful friendship between to kids. One child seems to unexpectedly cause a bit of disaster wherever she goes, and the other is lost in his nonverbal world. The connection of friendship between the two becomes the guiding light when Frenchie doesn’t make it to school one day.

This is a sweet book about the bonds of friendship between a rambunctious talkative girl and a thoughtful silent boy. I work with children with autism. When the problems started I couldn’t stop reading. I had to find out what happened. I did, with a few tears along the way.

This book is ageless. Leslie Connor depicts the friendship between two kids without using a single label. BRAVA! She makes impulsive, loud Aurora a sympathetic character. She builds empathy for Frenchie who is nonverbal. The growth of all the characters and the multiple perspectives give this book five glorious stars. I want the world to read this book. It’s a must buy for both my middle school and high school libraries. I’ll be recommending it to my adult book club too.

The unlikely friendship between impulsive and talkative Aurora and nonverbal autistic Frenchie is very well thought out in Leslie Connor’s book “Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?” Insight into the facets of different types of children, while highlighting their strong friendship, is written beautifully by Connor.

This is such a beautiful book. It is told from different perspectives and that really added to the story. I liked see Frenchie's side of things because he is nonverbal, so we got to see a bit of what was going on in his head. I really loved how much Aurora connected and cared about Frenchie. I liked her family and how Garcia and Frenchie really became apart of their family too. I liked how the whole town came together to find Frenchie.
A really great look into differences in children.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

Aurora is loud and impulsive. Her best friend Frenchie doesn't speak and is very thoughtful. Somehow they complement each other perfectly. When Frenchie wanders away from school one morning, Aurora has to think like him in order to track him down before it's too late. Told in chapters from multiple perspectives, this is a sweet and humorous story packed with endearing characters and just the right amount of suspense.

Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?
by Leslie Connor
Pub Date 15 Feb 2022 | Archive Date 12 Apr 2022
HarperCollins Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books
Children's Fiction | Middle Grade | Mystery & Thrillers


I am reviewing a copy of Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? Through HarperCollins Children’s Books, Katherine Tegen Books and Netgalley:



Aurora Petrequin’s is an eleven year old girl, with a best friend named Frenchie, but Frenchie has never said a word to her because he is unable to speak.





Aurora is in many ways the opposite of Frenchwoman, she’s loud, bouncy, and often blurts things out. She’s always had trouble making friends but when Frenchie quietly choose Aurora as his friend, she was all in, in fact she chose him too. They make a good team, sharing their love of the natural world in coastal Maine.


While in the woods Aurora and Frenchie encounter a piebald deer, a rare creature with a coat like a patchwork quilt. The piebald is alluring and mysterious. Whenever it appears, Aurora feels compelled to follow.





While they are at School Aurora looks out for Frenchie, in fact until this year they were classmates. One morning after Frenchie doesn’t make it to his classroom Aurora can’t help,but feel as if she is to blame. As the entire town searches everyone wonders: How is it possible that nobody has seen Frenchie?



I give Anybody Here Seen Frenchie five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? is a wonderful middle grade story about friendship and the importance of connecting with others. Told in multiple points of view, this story is about a girl named Aurora. Aurora may not be able to sit quietly in a classroom or keep still, but when her autistic neighbor Frenchie moves next door, she is one of the only people who he connects with. And even though Frenchie never says a word, Aurora understands him better than anyone else. When Frenchie doesn't make it to class one day, Aurora feels she is to blame. Follow her cue, and what Aurora has taught people about Frenchie, the whole town sets out to find him. I love these characters. They are each so unique and interesting. Their connection, and the way they touch the people around them, is beautiful. Everyone should rush out and get this book in February 2022.

Great book to open a dialogue about inclusivity, whether it be in the classroom, playground or home. I hope more adults and children read this story, and are influenced by Aurora, who forms a true and lasting friendship with Frenchie despite their differences. Because when we give someone different than us a chance, we find out that we have more in common than we ever realized. Aurora has inspired me. She's got the right mixture of spunk and empathy to go far in this world!

With the same heart as The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle, this story features a girl with loud words and a boy with no words who are best friends. When he goes missing, everyone joins to find him. Heartwarming, empowering, emotional; Frenchie will have you hooked from the start. You’ll be cheering them on, waiting for Frenchie to be found... in more ways that one.

This is a gorgeous story of true, unconditional friendship. Leslie Connor always creates unforgettable characters, and I put Aurora right up there with her best. Adults and young people alike could learn a thing or two from Aurora and Frenchie. I can't wait to share this with my students!

It is obvious that Leslie Connor knows what she is writing about in her depictions of Aurora and Frenchie and their parents. I would recommend this book to anyone in all age groups, middle school to adult.

This story explores an unusual friendship. What I liked about this book is how Aurora is shown to be friendly, outgoing, loud and open. You can see it and feel it. She also has a gift for reading people. Aurora becomes friends with another child her age, Frenchie, who has autism and is non-verbal. Aurora understands what Frenchie, cannot express.

When Frenchie goes missing the whole town turns out to find him. People who were inclined to ignore him before, join in the search.

Through this story our humanity is shown. We all have the same needs, dreams and loves. Those needs, dreams and loves, have value, whether we can express them or not. Children will come to learn that we all have worth. Someone must take the first step in showing it.

Aurora and Frenchie are friends and even though Frenchie doesn’t talk, the two of them enjoy hikes around their area. Frenchie likes birds, and the only sounds he makes are whistling and tweeting like a bird. While on one of their hikes, Aurora and Frenchie see a piebald deer, and they like to follow it, One day, their routine is changed and instead of taking the bus, Aurora’s dad brings Frenchie and Aurora to school. Going into school, Aurora doesn’t realize that Frenchie didn’t follow her into school..His disappearance begins a town wide search for him. Will they find him? Can Aurora forgive herself for not bringing Frenchie into his classroom?

Thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC of this novel.

I really enjoy Leslie Connor's writing, and this book didn't disappoint. Aurora is the friend that every parent wishes their child had. Despite her loud impulsive nature, she sees Frenchie for who he is. She is her person, and he is hers. I loved this book and am looking forward to seeing it in classroom libraries!

Leslie Connor’s new book about nonvocal Frenchie and his best friend, Aurora, made me cry happy and sad tears. Their friendship is touching. I love the multiple perspectives the book is told from and what it teaches the reader about autism. Aurora could talk the hind leg off a donkey and Frenchie has never spoken a word, yet the two of them communicate perfectly.
Aurora is heartbroken when she finds out they are put in separate classes, but she vows it won’t affect their friendship. She even helps Frenchie’s new aide form a relationship with him and eases his transition to a new teacher. Frenchie’s love is birds and it helps him make connections to people around him. Both friends are nature lovers and they spend a lot of time outside exploring. I love the setting of Maine for this book. A piebald deer is important to the story and I saw one there a few weeks ago, so I was curious and looked up more information about it.
As reflected in the title, Frenchie goes missing at school, so the events in the book are centered around finding him. The love of the townspeople coming together to help find this boy is heartwarming. I could see a continuation of this book as a series focusing on some of the other characters. I will anxiously await the release of this book in the winter so I can purchase it for my classroom.