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The Fourteenth Goldfish Hardcover – August 26, 2014

by Jennifer L. Holm (Author)

2,322

Book 1 of 2: The Fourteenth Goldfish Series

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Believe in the possible . . . with this "warm, witty, and wise" New York Times bestselling novel from three-time Newbery Honor winner Jennifer L. Holm. A perfect read about a child's relationship with her grandfather!

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.

"Warm, witty and wise"—The New York Times

"Awesomely strange and startlingly true-to-life. It makes you wonder what's possible." -- Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Reach Me

SUNSHINE STATE AWARD FINALIST!

Reading age

9 - 12 years, from customers
Book 1 of 2

The Fourteenth Goldfish Series
Print length

208 pages
Language

English
Grade level

3 - 7
Lexile measure

550L
Dimensions

5.81 x 0.74 x 8.56 inches
Publisher

Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date

August 26, 2014
ISBN-10

0375870644
ISBN-13

978-0375870644
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From the Publisher

The Fourteenth Goldfish

By Jennifer L. Holm


	TURTLE IN PARADISE	TURTLE IN PARADISE: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL	FULL OF BEANS	PENNY FROM HEAVEN	THE THIRD MUSHROOM	THE LION OF MARS

Customer Reviews	1,095	227	372	401	446	818
Price	$7.89	$8.89	$7.59	$7.98	$8.99	$7.49
Read more from award-winning author Jennifer L. Holm!	The Newbery Honor winning novel about the adventures of 11-year-old Turtle.	A graphic novel adaptation of the Newbery Honor winning novel about the adventures of 11-year-old Turtle.	Join Beans and his gang of streetwise kids as they navigate life during the Great Depression.	Penny and her cousin Frankie have big ideas for the summer, but things do not go according to plan.	Ellie teams up with her grandpa to find the formula for eternal youth.	When a virus breaks out on Mars and the grown-ups fall ill, it’s up to the children to save them all.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5–7—Eleven-year-old Ellie Cruz's life changes dramatically when her mother brings a teenage boy home one night and she learns it is her estranged grandfather. Melvin is a scientist who has figured out how to reverse aging and is now 13 again. Tensions are high between Melvin and his adult daughter, Ellie's mother, but Ellie feels like she now has the opportunity to really get to know her grandfather. Her interest in science blossoms, and she is eager to help Melvin retrieve the jellyfish specimen he used in his experiments so he can publish his discovery. Fascinated, Ellie learns about the work of Jonas Salk, Robert Oppenheimer, and Marie Curie. But as she learns more, she realizes that scientific discoveries often have unforeseen consequences. Readers are carried along with Ellie as she navigates old and new friendships in her first year in middle school with the added complication of her teenage grandfather at the same school. Short chapters keep the story moving at an engaging pace, and the interactions among the characters will easily hold readers' interest. Ellie's growing relationship with her grandfather helps her make discoveries about herself. Melvin, who begins as unapologetically single-minded in his determination to continue his work, also learns from Ellie. With humor and heart, Holm has crafted a story about life, family, and finding one's passion that will appeal to readers willing to imagine the possible.—Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL

Review

Publishers Weekly starred review, May 26, 2014:
“This is top-notch middle-grade fiction with a meaty dilemma, humor, and an ending that leaves room for the possibility of a sequel. “

Booklist starred review, July 1, 2014:
"A great choice for book groups and class discussions as well as individual reading."

New York Times Books Review, August 24, 2014:
"“Youth, old age, life, death, love, possibilities, and – oh yes – goldfish all come together in this warm, witty and wise novel.”

The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, September 2014:
"Holm’s writing is crisp, accessible, and well paced, and her enthusiasm for science and its impact emerges clearly and consistently but not overbearingly, with clear, appreciative nods to the world of theater and its purpose in our lives. Indeed, this novel explores weighty elements of human existence with a light touch, allowing readers to engage with the issues at multiple levels; an excellent appendix of recommended readings encourages exploration and dialogue. This novel would make an ideal classroom read aloud, particularly to expose students to the rich and rewarding STEM fields."

About the Author

JENNIFER L. HOLM's father was a pediatrician and she grew up listening to him talk about the wonder of antibiotics and how science could change the world. Today Jennifer is the NY Times bestselling author of three Newbery Honor Books, as well as the co-creator of the Babymouse series (a 2013 Eisner Award Winner) and Squish series, which she collaborates on with her brother Matthew Holm.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Goldie

When I was in preschool, I had a teacher named Starlily. She wore rainbow tie-dyed dresses and was always bringing in cookies that were made with granola and flax and had no taste.

Starlily taught us to sit still at snack time, sneeze into our elbows, and not eat the Play-Doh (which most kids seemed to think was optional). Then one day, she sent all of us home with a goldfish. She got them at ten for a dollar at a pet store. She gave our parents a lecture before sending us off.

"The goldfish will teach your child about the cycle of life." She explained, "Goldfish don't last very long."

I took my goldfish home and named it Goldie like every other kid in the world who thought they were being original. But it turned out that Goldie was kind of original.

Because Goldie didn't die.

Even after all my classmates' fish had gone to the great fishbowl in the sky, Goldie was still alive. Still alive when I started kindergarten. Still alive in first grade. Still alive in second grade and third and fourth. Then finally, last year in fifth grade, I went into the kitchen one morning and saw my fish floating upside down in the bowl.

My mom groaned when I told her.

"He didn't last very long," she said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "He lasted seven years!"

She gave me a smile and said, "Ellie, that wasn't the original Goldie. The first fish only lasted two weeks. When he died, I bought another one and put him in the bowl. There've been a lot of fish over the years."

"What number was this one?"

"Unlucky thirteen," she said with a wry look.

"They were all unlucky," I pointed out.

We gave Goldie Thirteen a toilet-bowl funeral and I asked my mom if we could get a dog.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (August 26, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0375870644
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0375870644
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12 years, from customers
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 550L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 0.025 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.81 x 0.74 x 8.56 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #794,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #889 in Children's Books on Death & Dying
- #2,123 in Children's Multigenerational Family Life
- #12,971 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Books

Customer Reviews:
2,322

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Jennifer L. Holm

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Jennifer L. Holm is the NEW YORK TIMES-bestselling children's author of THE LION OF MARS and THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH. She is the recipient of three Newbery Honors for her novels OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA, PENNY FROM HEAVEN, and TURTLE IN PARADISE and a Scott O'Dell Award for her novel FULL OF BEANS.

Jennifer collaborates with her brother, Matthew Holm, on two graphic novel series -- the Eisner Award-winning Babymouse series which has more than 3.4 million books in print (!) and the bestselling Squish series. SQUISH is now an animated tv series on HBO MAX!

For more information, visit her website at www.jenniferholm.com.

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4.5 out of 5

2,322 global ratings

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Kimberlynn

Good Read for Developing Minds

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2016

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I thought it was engaging and sprinkled a nice amount of science history throughout the story line while also addressing family and adolescence issues. I felt like it has the potential to help give kids a good world view in a wide variety of ways. I will be recommending it to the fourth and fifth grade teachers I work with.

Through this book, kids can learn about Oppenheimer, Curie, Salk, Galileo, Newton, Pasteur and their discoveries and contributions to science and history. At first all contributions are shown in a positive light but the narrator begins to see beyond the happy ending to the consequences of those scientific contributions and have a better understanding of just how positive or negative those contributions really were.

This character is also dealing with growing apart as her and her best friend grow up and have different interests. She deals with figuring out herself and life, making new friends, and even liking a boy. She is challenged in her thinking and grows to be able to think more deeply and to challenge others without being intentionally confrontational.

I didn't object to any portion of this book and would be comfortable reading it aloud to any child with the cognitive ability to comprehend the concepts.

6 people found this helpful

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terrafax

What a great book! Before giving it to my granddaughter as ...

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2015

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What a great book! Before giving it to my granddaughter as a grad-from-5th-grade gift, I read it myself. As a science-oriented woman who has long lamented the dearth of youth reading material or media with intelligent girls as lead characters, I was delighted to find Ellie in The 14th Goldfish, a book written with great skill. She and a group of other interesting, complex people develop through the storylines. There’s a good dose of humor—a quirky take on family, school/social situations and science. Parents (especially if they’re good at doing “voices” for different characters) will enjoy the book and find it a good read-aloud for younger kids. As for the target age group, there’s definitely interest here for boys as well, especially the 13-year-old character who turns out to be Ellie’s grandfather. And that’s all the spoilers you’ll get from me!

2 people found this helpful

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KarToon12

A fun and thoughtful examination on the consequences of scientific discovery

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2018

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I've been gradually making my way through an extended list of books recommended to me by a librarian friend of mine. Next on the list was this quirky-sounding tale that, at first glance, sounded like your standard pre-teen light fantasy. But upon finishing it, one will quickly see that the story actually has more than a few profound things to teach its audience, while making its messages easily understandable for younger readers.

Ellie is your average 12 year old trying to survive middle school. Her single mom is dating again, her friends are drifting apart, and she's not sure what she's good at or what she wants to do in her life (since her parents' theater careers don't interest her). But one day, her life is turned even further upside down when her mom comes home with a teenage boy in tow....and said teenager is actually her grandfather. Thanks to one of his latest experiments, Ellie's Grandpa Melvin has discovered a "fountain of youth" formula to turn the elderly young again. Pretty soon, the two find themselves bonding with and understanding each other in ways they couldn't before. But the more Ellie takes an interest in science, the more she begins to learn that all experiments have consequences, both good and bad...and that maybe turning everyone young forever ISN'T such a good idea after all.

The story starts off a bit more juvenile; treating the situation more like a wacky, fun comedy, with Grandpa Melvin still acting like an old man in a teenager's body. Even weirder, the rest of his family don't act nearly as shocked as one would expect--as if taking care of their de-aged grandpa is just an annoying inconvenience than anything earth-shattering. This attitude nearly made me dismiss the book as just a funny idea for young kids. But thankfully, I kept with it, and as time went on, the plot slowly started to turn more serious as the full implications of what Melvin's done comes to light. Is regaining one's youth really worth it if it means upsetting the cycle of life itself? And are there certain things that only an older person can understand and enjoy more than the younger generation can?

It's our two main characters who, through their discoveries and experiments, drive the point home. Melvin starts off as a bit of an unlikeable, stubborn grouch, but very slowly changes as he gets to know his granddaughter. We get tiny peeks into his home life, and one can quickly figure out that he's far more lonely than he lets on--desperately missing his deceased wife and willing to do anything to be recognized. And by him trying to integrate himself into his granddaughter's school, the obvious generation gap is explored. At first, it's funny, but then turns more thoughtful as it becomes clear that some people never change, and refusing to move forward in life will only hurt yourself and others. This is made all the more clear when we watch Ellie discover the parallels between art and science, and how it can be wonderful or terrifying in the right or wrong hands. As she goes on a personal journey of self discovery, she'll realize how much possibility life has to offer, and that growing older isn't such a horrible thing if you carry the right attitude. And by the end, she, Melvin, and the audience are faced with a question---is the world really ready for a fountain of youth? Or will keeping everyone young actually hold the world back? How can you make room for the new if the old doesn't die or fade away? Or as Ellie puts it, "If everyone's young, who's going to be the grown up?"

I'd rate this at a three and half stars, but since Amazon can't do half stars, I've rounded it to four, as it gains points for turning insightful towards the latter half of the book. Though it starts off silly, if one is patient and sticks with it, the reader will be rewarded with a profound lesson straight out of one of the best episodes of the Twilight Zone. This is a great book to introduce kids to all sorts of famous scientists, and explore themes of being responsible and considering the consequences of one's discoveries.

23 people found this helpful

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jennifer conyers

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Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2023

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Myson had to read this story for 7th grade english. It was a great story with a valuable lesson

Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2016

Verified Purchase

I wish I had had this book when I was younger. I never really liked science that much and I think books like this would have changed that. (I never thought about the ways that science actually changed the world or, as Ellie said, viewed it as a love story involving people and possibility. Isn't that an awesome way to look at it?)

And while there's nothing wrong with girls liking English (as I did all throughout school) or music or art, there's also something fantastic about showing girls in love with science. It's scary how easy it is to internalize that girls don't like math or science or aren't good at it. And yes, in my case that's actually true, but how much of that has to do with the fact that we're subtly taught that we suck at it? And how easily that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy?)

ANYWAY.

I loved Ellie and her family (her parents are both artistic and Ellie never really thought of herself as being into science until she and her grandfather start doing these experiments together). And I especially love her grandpa who (God love him) stays elderly even when he has the body of a teenager.

I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more by Jennifer L. Holm.

Highly recommended.

27 people found this helpful

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Felicia

Not As Engaging as We Hoped for a Summer Read

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2015

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Good Points: Familiarization with famous scientists and their contributions; Engaging narrator for the most part.

Overall, the book was slowly paced. The premise is a little too ridiculous for this age group and the character of the Grandfather is his younger iteration is down right irritating. Definitely not a page turner for my rising seventh grade daughter.

One person found this helpful

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Sangeeta

Superb!

Reviewed in India on December 25, 2023

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Spoilers.. I have forever been in awe of how these middle grade books manage to be so wholesome and give such deep life messages. Outwardly, it is a grandfather turning into a teenager but actually it is about how life is beautiful because it is fleeting. (Although if someone offers me immortality, I will take it in a jiffy!) But as for the book, the writing is fun enough to appeal to a middle grader and yet is insightful and thought provoking.

Damion

Big premise, small development

Reviewed in Italy on June 10, 2021

Verified Purchase

This book waxes very philosophical towards the end, having left a steady trail of symbolic impressions and musings throughout.

The language is usually easy to read for its target age, with a few challenging words and many vocabulary-stretching/building gems dosed steadily in each chapter.

The relationships between the characters are interesting and multi-faceted (old-young, girl-boy). Often the dialogue sounds authentic.

I didn’t find the use of narrative present-tense particularly necessary, but it does ground the story-telling in modern California.

Although I believe I will enjoy teaching this book to seventh graders, it will have to be a quick read because there’s not a lot of tension built up to sustain reading it over a long period of time.

MetLineReader

Funny

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2019

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Really enjoyable book according to my 9 year old!

hedera

Nette Geschichte

Reviewed in Germany on June 11, 2016

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Eine nette Geschichte, die auch für Schüler (ab Ende 6. Klasse) zu bewältigen ist. Die Sprache ist klar und nicht zu informell und das Vokabular ist überschaubar, was jungen Fremdsprachenlernern das Erfolgserlebnis vermitteln dürfte ein "echtes" Buch gelesen zu haben - und natürlich ist das Buch auch interessanter als die meisten Easy Reader die auf dem Markt sind. Empfehlenswert.

One person found this helpful

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Bridie

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on October 5, 2014

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It's a really great book! It's funny, sad, exciting. Once you start reading you don't want to stop!

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