The Case of the Missing Carp is a true story about a young family of five and an exciting mystery that happened to them when they were visitors in Japan. The story was written with young people in mind, but it seems possible that parents who have traveled with children to a culture very different from their own may recognize and relate to some of the tensions expressed by the author. Children who are curious, impetuous, and ofttimes unpredictable are fun to travel with! The Case of the Missing Carp tells how one word can cause a serious misunderstanding. In this story, that word is "cup." Spoken in English by an eight-year-old American boy, "cup" sounds like "carp" when heard by a dignified older Japanese woman. Read on and enjoy.