Maybe 2.5 stars? I really wanted to like this book but found the characters pretty flat. Ellie, an 11-year old girl, is in middle school and lost her best friend to volleyball. Ellie’s mother brings home a stray teenage boy, Melvin, (view spoiler)[ who is actually Ellie’s grandfather. He has found a way to reverse the aging process, and keeps trying to break into his old lab to rescue his jellyfish. (hide spoiler)] Melvin gets Ellie interested in famous scientists like Robert Oppenheimer, Isaac...

I liked this a lot more than I was expecting to. I had checked this title out because I just wanted something short for a couple of walks/runs.I was reminded of "Flowers for Algernon" pretty early on in the story, but this book wasn't treading that same ground. Instead, this book covered a lot of different territories: growing old, losing friends and making new friends and the pain there, learning to live with one's parents' expectations, learning to accept one's child's differences and interest...

3 stars! Ellie is eleven years old, lives with her eccentric actress of a mom while her dad is a traveling actor. Ellie has just started the sixth grade, started middle school and is feeling overwhelmed and lost. One day her mother gets a call to pick up her grandfather from the police, and brings home a thirteen year old boy Melvin, who is actually her grandfather. Through a special jellyfish, Melvin developed a serum to reverse the aging process, and he used it on himself. Mentally a seventy

Want to raise kids who embrace curiosity, thrill in discovery, appreciate science, and care about ethics? Hand them this book. Warm, wise, and wonderfully accessible, The Fourteenth Goldfish is, on the surface, the entertaining story of an 11 year-old whose grandfather has found a way to reverse aging and is now forced to attend middle school alongside her. But dig a little deeper and you'll find this novel is a rich invitation for readers to explore and ponder big questions about the world and

I am on vacation! This gem of an audiobook helped us pass three hours of our six hour trip and to say it was a sheer delight is understating it a bit. This was a very nearly perfect listening experience in that both my children and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The adorable story slips in a lot of information about important scientists and life-changing scientific discoveries all while keeping it light and quite funny. There is an underlying moral question that both of my children fully embraced, as

I drank this book up, goldfish and all. I loved it. Funny, quirky, and beautiful. This would be a perfect read-aloud. The grandpa is hilarious.

Hi my name is Lainey and I am now the 233rd and proud member of the Official Melvin Sagarsky Fan Club. Nice to meet ya!Did not expect the amount of fun and funny I got from this book! I finished it in one day, totally unputdownable. I went in almost purely because of the cute cover (yes, guilty!) so I didn’t realize there’s an element of sci-fi in it. But it was a hugely welcomed addition. Oh how I loved the relationship between little grumpy Melvin and Ellie (and Raj).

Meh. I didn't find this as endlessly enchanting and heartwarming as other reviewers did.To me, it read like the usual 21st-century slapped-together-in-a-hurry crap that typically gets packaged for middle grade readers as a skinny chapter book. Wow, the author says girls can be scientists, give 'er a medal. About as deep and developed as your average Scooby-Doo episode.keywords: I'll give you cranky; and we all know what happened to Mme Curie; of course he dresses like an old guy; maybe they ran

I am giving this two stars, but it was more like 2 1/2. I admire the attempt at making the book a science showcasing story with a female MC, but the story also has to be entertaining, and it fell short in that department. The beginning of the book was great, but somewhere around 20% in it just dragged with too many setting details and unnecessary dialogue. The middle portion should have all the filler taken out so it isn't such a slow tedious read just to find the good parts. Kids aren't that pa...

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review."Endings are sad....but beginnings are exciting."This is one of those books I was invited to read via Netgalley. When I received the invitation, I did not realize this was a middle grade book, so that revelation was rather surprising. This was a cute book with lots of great messages for middle grade readers, but it definitely requires a great suspension of disbelief (probably much e...

Grandfathers aren’t supposed to look like 13-year-olds, have acne and wear their hair in ponytail holders. But Ellie Cruz’s does—such is the premise of “The Fourteenth Goldfish” by Jennifer L. Holm, known too many because of her “Baby Mouse” and “Squish” series, and Newbery Honor awards. Ellie’s granddad, Melvin Sagarsky, a scientist, has discovered the fountain of youth via a jellyfish compound called T. melvinus. Now the 76-year-old has a senior brain in a pubescent body. Madcap mayhem ensues

THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH, BY JENNIFER L. HOLM I really wanted to like this book. The person who recommended it to me is a very dear friend, and a wonderful soul. I tried so hard...This is a children's book. I don't agree with it, but some people say allowances have to be made for that. In any case, if you decide to read it, keep that in mind.Synopsis: Ellie is an 11 year-old girl with artistic parents who is currently suffering a break-up from her best friend, and doesn't like the change. One

This is a sweet, solid story about intergenerational discourse, friendship, and behaving in an responsible manner. Plus, science!The only complaint I have is Ellie's assumption that her friendship with Briana is done. She never talks to Briana about it and Briana, who is busy pursuing other interests, continues to make an effort to stay on friendly terms with Ellie. I would have liked to have seen some sort of examination of that particular situation.Otherwise, I was delighted and charmed. Recom...

I read The Fourteenth Goldfish for a second time today and still really liked it. The only thing I wished was different about the book, was if not everything ended happily so suddenly--her mom gets married to Ben, and Ellie suddenly has Momo as her new best friend. Of course I like happy endings, but I wish there was a bit more struggle for it.

Holm has spun a beautiful little tale for readers of all ages that addresses family, growing pains, and the importance of belief in the possible. Science facts sure to entice curious readers are found throughout the novel. I love this simple, evocative story & found many connections with the familial relationships & Ellie's uncertainty about her future. A must read. THIS REVIEW COMES AS A RESULT OF READING AN ADVANCED READER'S COPY. MUCH THANKS TO THE RANDOM HOUSE REPS AT ALA14.

This book was awarded by NetGalley - I LOVED it!!!I wish I had read this book while I was in middle school! I think it had EVERYTHING I would have wanted! The way the Information was so gently handed to the reader, would have prompted me to find other books to further research the scientists, they were so well explained. The family issues, and interactions were believable. Growing out of one relationship and into another as we all do, as the one between Ellie and her best friend and having divor...

The Nitty Gritty: Ellie's world is about to get sucker punched in the gut. First, her best friends runs off for greener pastures with the volleyball team, her father is off on a tour with his play company and her mother is a hipster looking for some fashion sense. If that isn't enough her grandfather is now a moody teenager.Like most people Ellie doesn't like change, but her grandfather and more importantly her dearly departed goldfish, Goldie just might teach the middle schooler that change is

This almost felt too short. It started and ended quite abruptly and I was left wanting more. I see there’s a sequel so look forward to checking that out. I loved the science aspect of it and the family relationships and enjoyed the story, though. Read it on the recommendation of my 9-year-old.

My thoughts upon finishing this: 1. This is like Rebecca Stead lite! And I mean that as a compliment! Stead's books explore themes in interesting and sophisticated ways. This explored a theme (the impacts of science on nature) on a bunch of levels in a way that is (probably) easier to grasp for most young readers. I'm very excited to talk to kids about this one. 2. Man, I love this idea of a teenage grandparent. So funny. There was something about it that was familiar to me, but I can't put my f...

Holy moly! We will be buzzing about The Fourteenth Goldfish in the fall. http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/2013/...