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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This was a super quick and fun read. I loved the characters and the message.
Middle school level novel. Requires a certain amount of suspension of belief to envisage that a tween's grandfather reverses the clock and thereby both builds a relationship with his granddaughter and allows her to discover her true passion as a scientist rather than the hippy dramatic artist that her mother (& divorced father) have thrust on her.
A fair book but not a page turner or riveting tale.
A fair book but not a page turner or riveting tale.
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Really liked this book. Funny, smart characters. Loved the relationship with between Ellie and her 13 year old grandfather. Grades 4-7.
genre: sci-fi (present day)
summary: Ellie is a normal 12 year-old starting 6th grade. Her parents are divorced but still friendly both obsessed with drama, art and the stage. Meanwhile, her grandfather, a scientist obsessed with logic and delightfully stubborn, does not get a long with his daughter (Ellie's mom) and they often butt heads. Ellie's life changes when one day her mother's returns home late with an oddly familiar 13 year-old boy in tow. The strange teenager reveals himself to be her grandfather! Having discovered a way to reverse the aging process, Ellie's grandfather tested his experimental youth serum by injecting himself. With no access to his lab and no way to finish his experiments, Ellie's grandfather moves in with her family (much to the dismay of Ellie's mother) and is forced to attend middle school. During this strange time, Ellie learns a lot about her grandfather, her family, the history of science, the nature of friendships and the cycle of life.
notes:
for kids who like: weird and wacky sci-fi/fantasy, Aliens on Vacation, Fleabrain Loves Franny,
age group: age 9+ (starts as a casual easy read and end with a more sophisticated undertone)
my review: This book was fun. Unique and fun. It wasn't trying to take itself to seriously but the characterization and the interactions btw the characters were fantastic and intriguing. Toward the end the book, the story took more of a serious tone, discussing something as sophisticated as the nature of discovery and the new world it creates. As Ellie mentions in the book for every polio vaccine there is an atomic bomb. Something that changes every and not necessarily for good. I really liked like book because while preached passion for science, curiosity, and discovery there was a quiet but consistent theme of POV. From Ellie's position within the story, we are see both sides of many arguments (young vs old, consistency vs change, logic vs feeling, science vs art, new vs old, etc)....isn't that what science is all about seeing the different reasons, possibilities, and trying things form different points of view.
After a lot of disappointing books, I feel like I may be giving this one a little too much praise but it was definitely worth the read and maybe some Newbery consideration.
summary: Ellie is a normal 12 year-old starting 6th grade. Her parents are divorced but still friendly both obsessed with drama, art and the stage. Meanwhile, her grandfather, a scientist obsessed with logic and delightfully stubborn, does not get a long with his daughter (Ellie's mom) and they often butt heads. Ellie's life changes when one day her mother's returns home late with an oddly familiar 13 year-old boy in tow. The strange teenager reveals himself to be her grandfather! Having discovered a way to reverse the aging process, Ellie's grandfather tested his experimental youth serum by injecting himself. With no access to his lab and no way to finish his experiments, Ellie's grandfather moves in with her family (much to the dismay of Ellie's mother) and is forced to attend middle school. During this strange time, Ellie learns a lot about her grandfather, her family, the history of science, the nature of friendships and the cycle of life.
notes:
for kids who like: weird and wacky sci-fi/fantasy, Aliens on Vacation, Fleabrain Loves Franny,
age group: age 9+ (starts as a casual easy read and end with a more sophisticated undertone)
my review: This book was fun. Unique and fun. It wasn't trying to take itself to seriously but the characterization and the interactions btw the characters were fantastic and intriguing. Toward the end the book, the story took more of a serious tone, discussing something as sophisticated as the nature of discovery and the new world it creates. As Ellie mentions in the book for every polio vaccine there is an atomic bomb. Something that changes every and not necessarily for good. I really liked like book because while preached passion for science, curiosity, and discovery there was a quiet but consistent theme of POV. From Ellie's position within the story, we are see both sides of many arguments (young vs old, consistency vs change, logic vs feeling, science vs art, new vs old, etc)....isn't that what science is all about seeing the different reasons, possibilities, and trying things form different points of view.
After a lot of disappointing books, I feel like I may be giving this one a little too much praise but it was definitely worth the read and maybe some Newbery consideration.
If you have a daughter aged between eight and twelve, you should read her this book. It's fun and makes the radical suggestion that it's okay for a middle school girl to be into science.
River loved it, I loved it, and we had lots of discussions about the scientists mentioned in the book. Really couldn't ask much more of a book I'm reading to my daughter.
Now we just have to wait for the sequel.
River loved it, I loved it, and we had lots of discussions about the scientists mentioned in the book. Really couldn't ask much more of a book I'm reading to my daughter.
Now we just have to wait for the sequel.
I absolutely love when Middle Grade stories aren't afraid to take on the big subjects. When they don't conform to gender norms and popular ideas. I love books that are willing to carve their own little niche into the reading world, and The Fourteenth Goldfish is definitely one of those. I wish this book would have been around when I was a young reader. Thank you, Jennifer L. Holms, for recognizing that not every little girl wants to be a princess. That sometimes, just maybe, they just need someone to show them that it's okay to dream big.
Can I please gush about the fact that Ellie, our protagonist, has parents who are divorced and are still friends? That her parents can be apart, and still love her. That her mom's new boyfriend can be in the picture, but her father can be too. I so loved this. Add in the fact that Ellie's mom was such a big part of her life, and so vibrant, and I'm sold. Wearing what she wanted, urging her daughter to be a free spirit, Ellie's mother was all about breaking the mold and I ate it up. Maybe it's not true for everyone's family but, as a girl who grew up in a home like this one, I loved it. Did I mention that I really wish this book was around when I was younger?
I also fully enjoyed the simple fact that Ellie's story had nothing to do with crushes or petty fights. It does deal with friendship. With growing apart, and learning to make new friends. Never does it even hint at worrying about boys though. No, Ellie is much bigger than that. The Fourteenth Goldfish urges its readers to think about endings, and beginnings. To look at possibilities. It's a beautiful thing.
So why the three star rating, you ask? I know, I'm gushing like crazy. To be honest, the premise of this book was utterly fabulous but it just didn't have that spark for me. While I loved Ellie and her family, the story focuses a lot on her Grandfather who, while he's a fun character, didn't feel whole. I imagine that if an elderly man suddenly became a teenager? There'd be a few more questions asked. If nothing else, I definitely wanted to see more from his point of view. I loved Ellie, I did. However this story would benefit a lot from her newly young Grandfather's point of view. After all, who better to share a new beginning than a man who has suddenly reset the clock?
The writing never pulled me in either. It's very simplistic, which is fine for the reading group it's aimed at, but I was hoping for more since it deals with so many out of the box ideas. I was smitten with Ellie's deep thinking. With her musings on morality and legacies. It was great! I would have just been so much more involved if the chapters sucked me further into their depths. So, while this wasn't my favorite read of the year, I definitely see a lot to love in The Fourteenth Goldfish. I truly believe this is a book that needs to make its way onto many a bookshelf out there. Especially those of the young girls out there who are waiting, and dreaming big.
Can I please gush about the fact that Ellie, our protagonist, has parents who are divorced and are still friends? That her parents can be apart, and still love her. That her mom's new boyfriend can be in the picture, but her father can be too. I so loved this. Add in the fact that Ellie's mom was such a big part of her life, and so vibrant, and I'm sold. Wearing what she wanted, urging her daughter to be a free spirit, Ellie's mother was all about breaking the mold and I ate it up. Maybe it's not true for everyone's family but, as a girl who grew up in a home like this one, I loved it. Did I mention that I really wish this book was around when I was younger?
I also fully enjoyed the simple fact that Ellie's story had nothing to do with crushes or petty fights. It does deal with friendship. With growing apart, and learning to make new friends. Never does it even hint at worrying about boys though. No, Ellie is much bigger than that. The Fourteenth Goldfish urges its readers to think about endings, and beginnings. To look at possibilities. It's a beautiful thing.
So why the three star rating, you ask? I know, I'm gushing like crazy. To be honest, the premise of this book was utterly fabulous but it just didn't have that spark for me. While I loved Ellie and her family, the story focuses a lot on her Grandfather who, while he's a fun character, didn't feel whole. I imagine that if an elderly man suddenly became a teenager? There'd be a few more questions asked. If nothing else, I definitely wanted to see more from his point of view. I loved Ellie, I did. However this story would benefit a lot from her newly young Grandfather's point of view. After all, who better to share a new beginning than a man who has suddenly reset the clock?
The writing never pulled me in either. It's very simplistic, which is fine for the reading group it's aimed at, but I was hoping for more since it deals with so many out of the box ideas. I was smitten with Ellie's deep thinking. With her musings on morality and legacies. It was great! I would have just been so much more involved if the chapters sucked me further into their depths. So, while this wasn't my favorite read of the year, I definitely see a lot to love in The Fourteenth Goldfish. I truly believe this is a book that needs to make its way onto many a bookshelf out there. Especially those of the young girls out there who are waiting, and dreaming big.
Good message about hope and belief in what’s possible. Funny story. BUT. I really don’t think kids will get it. I am not sure they can identify with an old guy who scientifically Freaky Fridays his way to a teen body. I loved the encouragement to pursue careers in science. I just don’t think kids will get the metaphor of the 14th goldfish, nor will they appreciate grandpa as much as an older person would. Maybe I’m wrong.