Title: The Fourteenth Goldfish Author: Jennifer L. Holm
Published: August 26, 2014
Genre(s): Realistic/Contemporary
Page Count: 208
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Galileo. Newton. Salk. Oppenheimer.
Science can change the world . . . but can it go too far?Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses fifth grade. She misses her old best friend. She even misses her dearly departed goldfish. Then one day a strange boy shows up. He’s bossy. He’s cranky. And weirdly enough . . . he looks a lot like Ellie’s grandfather, a scientist who’s always been slightly obsessed with immortality. Could this pimply boy really be Grandpa Melvin? Has he finally found the secret to eternal youth?
With a lighthearted touch and plenty of humor, Jennifer Holm celebrates the wonder of science and explores fascinating questions about life and death, family and friendship, immortality . . . and possibility.
When I was in middle school, I was absolutely in love with Jennifer L. Holm’s Boston Jane trilogy—it probably would have made all sorts of Favorite Books lists back in the day. A recent re-read has shown me how very excellent that series is even after several years, and I immediately knew I had to try Holm’s more recent novels (the Boston Jane books being over a decade old at this point). Enter The Fourteenth Goldfish, which has 100% cemented my appreciation for this author with its charm and wackiness and amazing relationships between family and friends.
Who would have thought a story about a girl whose scientist grandfather uses an anti-aging serum to turn himself into a 13-year-old boy could be so wonderful? (Not I!)
The story is obviously wacky. 11-year-old Ellie is trying to find her passion in life; it’s acting for her parents and for her best friend, Brianna, it’s volleyball. Without a passion, Ellie feels adrift. But when her mom brings home a newly-young grandpa to stay, everything in Ellie’s life gets interrupted. Aside from the complicated relationship her grandfather has with Ellie and Ellie’s mother, there’s also his plan to turn his anti-aging serum into fodder for a Nobel prize all while dealing with the “indignities” of 21st century middle school (grandpa goes to detention a lot). The Fourteenth Goldfish is totally weird and over the top, but if you just roll with it, Holm delivers a story with a lot of heart.
For one thing, I was completely impressed by how the author deals with friendship in this book. Ellie and her best friend, Brianna, have drifted apart since starting middle school, and in The Fourteenth Goldfish, Ellie has to deal with the ending of that relationship. Sometimes friendships die a natural death, and though it doesn’t make it easier, it’s just a thing that happens—Holm captures that perfectly here. But even while Ellie has to end things with Brianna, she meets new people: Raj, the quiet boy with all the piercings and the love for Egyptian mythology; and Momo, her lab partner in biology. This cycle of friendships is often something I’ve wished to read more of in fiction for older readers, and imagine my surprise to find it here in a middle grade book! It’s such an important topic that often gets brushed over; I’m really glad Holm talked about it here.
Another huge aspect of The Fourteenth Goldfish is science. Ellie’s grandfather is, obviously, a scientist (with two PhD’s! he likes to remind everyone), and now that she’s spending more time with him than she ever has, Ellie comes to find out that, maybe, her passion in life might be science as well! As is probably age-appropriate, Holm uses these parts to inform readers about some really cool scientists, notably Jonas Salk and J. Robert Oppenheimer. Sure, this made the text a little bit “teachy”, but it felt totally natural and appropriate for the tone and style and who Ellie was.
Friendship and science aside, this book was often hilarious, and Holm’s treatment of family comedy was spot-on. Ellie’s grandfather and mother had a prickly, but loving, relationship, and I liked how Ellie’s dad was still around even after a divorce and also how Ellie’s mom’s boyfriend was a positive influence as well. I mean, yeah, maybe everything was a little too picture perfect, but it felt fun and why not read about the family you’ve always wanted to have?
With its light tone, great characters, and unique premise, I think The Fourteenth Goldfish is a great book for readers of any age. Jennifer L. Holm is such a great writer, and I think there’s something amazing in how her books appeal to me still as an adult. Ellie’s story and discovery of her passion was funny and adorable and, ultimately, very rewarding. I seriously loved this book.
