The Fourteenth Goldfish

Georgette Perna's deft narration enhances Holm's story of a generation gap gone haywire. How do you cope when your grandfather turns up as a teenager who becomes your babysitter and draws you into a daring B and E of his former science lab? Perna voices 12-year-old Ellie's wacky adventures with glee. Her tones contrast well with the voice of Ellie's exasperated mother, who doles out life lessons to her previously 70-year-old father, Melvin, now a teen. Even better is Perna's delivery of Melvin's mixed persona of adolescent know-it-all and senior curmudgeon. Perna's exuberant storytelling takes the edge off the author's slight didacticism about the wonders, and evils, of science. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 26, 2014
Middle school doesn’t start smoothly for 11-year-old Ellie, whose best friend finds her passion (volleyball) and new teammates to eat lunch with, while Ellie flounders, uninterested in sports or her parents’ avocation, theater. A startling addition to the household helps Ellie get her groove back when Grandpa Melvin, a scientist, moves in
after engineering a cure for aging (the regenerative properties of jellyfish are involved) and transforming himself into a teenage boy. Though Melvin dresses and acts like the crotchety old man he was, he and Ellie bond over spirited discussions about Jonas Salk, Robert Oppenheimer, the possibilities of science, and the moral questions scientific advances can raise. Though the subject matter has a lot of intellectual heft, the writing has Holm’s ever-present light touch. The small cast, which refreshingly includes
divorced parents who treat each other
respectfully, is so well realized that the farfetched aspects of the plot seem almost plausible. This is top-notch middle-grade fiction with a meaty dilemma, humor, and an ending that leaves room for the possibility of a sequel. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Grinberg Literary Management.