The story continues in the sequel to The Fourteenth Goldfish.

4^th Grade and Up

Ellie’s grandpa Melvin is a world-renowned scientist . . . in the body of a fourteen-year-old boy. His feet stink, and he eats everything in the refrigerator, and Ellie is so happy to have him around. Grandpa may not exactly fit in at middle school, but he certainly keeps things interesting.

When he and Ellie team up for the county science fair, no one realizes just how groundbreaking their experiment will be. The formula for eternal youth may be within their reach! And when Ellie’s cat, Jonas Salk, gets sick, the stakes become even higher. But is the key to eternal life really the key to happiness? Sometimes even the most careful experiments yield unexpected and wonderful results.

I was so excited and surprised when I learned that The Fourteenth Goldfish was going to have a follow-up story. I didn’t think there would be one, but I would never pass up the chance to read more about my favorite teenage grandpa. Like I said before, I would love to see this concept as a TV sitcom. I can see it now:

Coming this Fall on ABC, Teenage Grandpa filmed before a live studio audience.

I think the lesson to take away from this story is that it’s ok when things go wrong and to learn from your mistakes. Like Ms. Frizzle always says, “Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!”

To be a scientist, I believe, you must be a bit crazy. My evidence behind this: James Carroll, Jesse Lazear, and Ellie’s grandfather Melvin who all tested their hypothesis on themselves. I guess we do need crazy/brave people working in science because we need these cures, and when it comes to results, you sometimes need to go extreme.

As a bonus, extra credit to whoever counts how many times the word “Puberty” pops up in this book and writes their results in the comment section below.

This week’s Weird but True Fact about a Science Discovery

Scientists have figured out how to turn rotten tomatoes into energy.