The Fourteenth Goldfish
The Fourteenth Goldfish series, Book 1
Jennifer L. Holm
Yearling
Fiction, MG General Fiction/Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: When Ellie was in kindergarten, her teacher gave every child in the class a goldfish, to teach them about the cycle of life... but, unlike the rest of her classmates whose fish died in a matter of weeks, hers lasted for years. Or so she thought, until she found Goldie dead one morning and her mother revealed she'd been replacing fish behind her back to shield her from the trauma of death and change: thirteen of them, at least. Maybe that's part of why Ellie, now eleven, is having a tough time dealing with the changes that come with middle school. Her long-time best friend Brianna now hangs out with the volleyball crowd. Most of the kids in her classes are strangers. Worse, they're all finding their passions while she's just flailing about, the same old Ellie. Then, one night, her mother comes home with a strange teen boy... a boy who, somehow, impossibly, is her grandfather Melvin. The man was always a scientist, and claims he's found a cure for aging - only he forgot to tell his employers what he was up to, and was nabbed by police as a tresspasser while trying to get back to his lab. Melvin recruits Ellie to help him continue his research, convinced it will change the world... but is the world ready for this kind of change? Is Ellie?
REVIEW: Another audiobook to pass the time at work, The Fourteenth Goldfish is a fun story of science and change and unintended consequences. Through Melvin, Ellie discovers the wonders of science, a subject her parents always found boring (being more theatrically inclined, a field that Ellie never took to as her mother or father had hoped)... but she also learns that discoveries can have drawbacks, and not every problem can or should be solved. Melvin may look like a teen boy, but his mind is still that of a crusty old man, struggling to accept his new reality and the fact that he's not the head of the household any more; he's forced to go to middle school and interact with teens, not to mention dealing with acne and being technically a minor under guardianship of his daughter, whom he can't help but see as the teen girl who once ran away and eloped with Ellie's dad. Along the way, Ellie makes some new friends and learns to see the world a different way... and so, eventually and reluctantly, does her grandfather. The story's tone is fairly light and lively, yet it still manages to explore ideas about change and age and even grief. Once in a while it gets a slight bit heavy-handed about introducing historical scientists into Ellie's (and the target audience's) world, but it is supposed to be a book about a girl's eyes being opened to the wonders (and dangers) of scientific exploration. The end offers hints of sequel potential, naturally. It's a decent, enjoyable story all around (though there is something a little wrong about a teacher not only giving a live pet to children, but doing so expecting the animal to die; we once had a cheap feeder goldfish like that last for years, outliving several "fancy" goldfish - and, yes, it was the same fish, not replaced - so their imminent and convenient death is by no means a given. Plus goldfish are messy, and a bit of a pain to keep properly if you don't want them swimming in a too-small bowl of their own filth... but, I digress.)
You Might Also Enjoy:
Things Not Seen (Andrew Clements) - My Review
Strange Dogs (James S. A. Corey) - My Review
When You Reach Me (Rebecca Stead) - My Review
No comments:
Post a Comment