Growing Home
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Growing Home by Beth Ferry is an adorable middle grade fantasy novel about a goldfish, two house plants, and a spider who learn the importance of friendship. The story is primarily set at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive. Jillian loves her plant Ivy and has a big surprise for Ivy when she comes home from school, a new companion Ollie - a violet. Ivy is unsure of this new “friend” at first because of Toasty the goldfish. Meanwhile, a spider with a broken leg is an intellectual companion who has arrived at the Tupper family home when the parents recently acquired a new desk he was sleeping in. The Tupper family are antique dealers which accounts for the unusual octagonal fish tank Toasty inhabits.
Ivy knows she is Jillian’s favorite, Toasty is a grump and believes Jillian doesn’t care for him, Ollie has been lonely and isn’t quite sure how to integrate with the new family, and Arthur the spider is unsure if he plans to stay at the Tupper’s or return to his library. In the midst of all of this, the Tupper family is having financial problems and need to sell some special items in order to get on the right side of all their bills. This brings along someone who attempts to burglarize their home for the special octagonal fish tank. The friends must all work together to save the Tupper family and Toasty.
I absolutely adored this story. The narration was well done as the narrator would occasionally break third person and switch to second person to involve the reader. Additionally, as this is for younger readers, the author introduces some great vocabulary and defines the meaning within the story. Most importantly is the theme of friendship. There are so many great quotes and character development as the characters are learning what friendship means and how to be a good friend.
Noteworthy quotes:
Speaking of Arthur the spider, “He quite believed that she [Ivy] would make a good friend. And to be honest, he had never had a real, if somewhat vain and talkative, friend before (47).
Speaking of Ollie, “I was just saying that Mrs. Cannella liked to sing, and I like to sing, and sometimes when you sing, you don’t feel so lonely” (66).
One great aspect of the story is that throughout, each of the characters begin to consider what things are like from the other’s perspective. On page 111, Arthur is feeling a bit sad and left out by witnessing the way Jillian cares for Ivy and Ollie. But then the book says, “And for some reason, this made him look at Toasty. What would it be like to live in a tank? Did Toasty ever feel left out?”
“And if you’ve ever read a book, you know how they can make you feel. They invite you in. Ask you to sit down and be a part of something. Ask you to think, to feel, to wonder, to learn. They wrap you up tighter than he had ever wrapped up a housefly” (119).
“And their tears were working a little bit like glue, binding them together in this shared experience. Shared experiences are a little bit like superpowers–they have the power to forge friendships” (141).
On page 155, Ivy begins to consider what things are like from Toasty’s perspective. “And she did talk about being the favorite a LOT! Maybe he wasn’t interested in her because she wasn’t interested in him. Ivy would have to spend some time pondering this.”
“Feeling pretty or special or favored was nothing compared to the feeling of having friends. Of being a friend” (161).
“Some decisions are hard to make. And other decisions make us who we are” (204-205).
As you can see, there are some great themes and messages in this story. It is so cute and fun. I love the talking plants - Ivy and Ollie. If you have an elementary reader - second grade and up, this would definitely be a book to put on their “to read” list. It is cute, engaging, and reinforces great themes about friendships.
