The Fourteenth Goldfish

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.