What would you do if you turned into a cat every night—and your best friend wanted you to be a spy?
The Unkindness Club is the first book in the Purdy Franklin Mysteries series. This middle-grade mystery follows Persephone “Purdy” Franklin, a deaf girl who turns into a deaf cat at night, and her best friend Rowen, who uses a wheelchair.
The Unkindness Club won the 2026 Gold Quill Award in the Middle Grade Published Book category from the League of Utah Writers.
Once you’ve read this book, the adventure continues with Are We Twins? Purdy Franklin Mysteries #2.
Persephone Franklin, an ordinary deaf girl, first turned into a deaf cat on the night of her tenth birthday. At first, she thought it was a dream, since she woke up the next morning as a girl. But her behavior began to change during the daytime as well, and her reactions became more catlike.
When she was upset, she would hiss and form her hands into claws. Her friend, Rowen Carter, who used a wheelchair, suspected Purdy might be a cat, but he didn’t voice it at the time.
One night, Purdy showed up as a cat at Rowen’s house with a note taped to her collar telling him she became a cat at night. He wouldn’t take her word for it until she proved it. When he asked her to play something on the keyboard, and she did, he finally believed her. He came up with a grand idea of having Purdy go out as a spy-cat at night.
As a cat, Purdy could enter places a human wouldn’t go, but as a deaf cat, she needed to get close enough to the bad guys to read their lips. By following clues, she helped Rowen solve the mystery of The Unkindness Club, where suspicious characters lurked in the dark and sent unkind notes to their neighbors.
Many close calls followed as Purdy adjusted to her new transformation. As a cat, she became a target for her twin sisters, who wanted to claim her as their own cat.
As a girl, she became a target for The Unkindness Club after bringing home a mother cat and six tiny kittens. Because she had too many cats, animal control picked her up one night.
Come along and discover the many twists and turns as a ten-year-old girl-turned-cat and her best friend in a wheelchair solve the mystery of The Unkindness Club.
Learn Some Sign Language
Purdy is deaf and uses American Sign Language (ASL). At the end of the book, you’ll find interesting facts about deafness and a chart of the ASL alphabet, so you can learn to sign along with Purdy.
Fingerspelling SPY in ASL
The ASL sign for CAT
Gold Quill Award Winner
The Unkindness Club: Purdy Franklin Mysteries #1 won the 2026 Gold Quill Award in the Middle Grade Published Book category from the League of Utah Writers. The award was presented at the 2026 Quills Conference.
Book Reviews for The Unkindness Club: Purdy Franklin Mysteries
Mean people are passing out unkind letters at night. They’re part of the Unkindness Club. But in Jill Ammon Vanderwood’s The Unkindness Club, two friends, Persephone, a ten-year-old deaf girl, and Rowen, who moves around in a wheelchair, are set to make things right to solve the mystery behind this Unkindness Club. The two become detectives in their combined efforts of sleuthing. What makes it even more interesting is that Persephone, on her tenth birthday, tells Rowen that she dreamed of becoming a cat. He decides to call her Purdy, and she really is a cat, but only at night. This new reality has some perks, including the fact that as a cat, Purdy (aka Persephone) can prowl around unnoticed and pick up some useful clues. Unfortunately, as a deaf cat, Purdy has to get close enough to lip-read the antagonists. Will the detective team be successful in finding out who’s behind all these unkind letters? Or will Purdy, the cat, get caught?
Jill Ammon Vanderwood’s middle-grade novel, The Unkindness Club, is the first book in the Purdy Franklin Mysteries series. The characters are well-developed and believable. Dialogue is used efficiently and effectively to move the plot forward. The plot is compelling and will engage readers from the beginning. Descriptive narrative is used well. At the end of the book, the author includes some interesting facts about deafness, as well as a detailed chart of ASL, so young people can learn some sign language. Young readers will be enthralled with the story, particularly the idea of the dual personality of Persephone the girl and Purdy the cat. This is a great read that not only teaches youngsters about differences but will also encourage them to be kind to others.
