How to Be a Goldfish

It is 1981 Ontario, and Lizzie and David are both struggling. Lizzie, 12, is terrified by her school family tree project. Lizzie’s teacher wants her to interview a family member and create a family tree. Her family consists of her mother, grandmother, and their friend Harry who lives on a farm nearby. She knows nothing about her father’s family because he left before she was born. She imagines being totally humiliated in front of her small-town community of Scotch Gully. “I wanted a big family like that so badly it hurt. Between polio and two world wars, there are only three people left in my family.”

Meanwhile, David, 11, hates Rosehill Public School located in an affluent Toronto neighbourhood where his mother’s new boyfriend Cameron Kelch lives. David is constantly bullied and grieves for his grandfather who had died recently. “For the last four months, David had sat alone after school in a walk-up apartment, waiting for his mom to finish work.” (p. 34) David is thrilled when his mother tells him they are moving back to live in his grandfather’s house. He can go back to his old school! On his last day at Rosehill, David gets into a fight with the class bully and gets suspended. He is devastated to discover that his grandfather did not own his home, and David must go back to Rosehill to face the bullies and continue living with Kelch.

After reading her father’s will, David’s mother discovers that she will inherit a farm in Scotch Gully. Kelch immediately sees the farm as a location where he could build houses and make a fortune. When they travel there, they meet Harry, who has been taking care of the farm for decades, as well as Lizzie. David is intrigued by the farm and the animals. Lizzie and David quickly become friends and plan to work together to save the farm from becoming Kelch's housing development. Lizzie nicknames David a “goldfish” because of his capacity to learn and grow. Soon long-hidden secrets about David and Lizzie’s grandparents are revealed.

How to Be a Goldfish is a well-written novel about a two young people who must deal with difficult circumstances. Both young people are courageous, empathetic, and engaged with their families. The narrative technique is intriguing. Lizzie tells her story in the first person while, in alternating chapters, David’s story is told in the third person. Both Lizzie and David are realistic characters who display growth and increasing maturity as the narrative progresses. Both have single mothers and complicated family relationships. David has lost his grandfather and must deal with his grief while fighting off bullies and living with his mother’s obnoxious boyfriend. Lizzie must hold her head up as she researches her tiny family and deals with community gossips.

Jane Baird Warren’s first novel is both touching and vibrant. Her characters are well-crafted and realistically portrayed. How to Be a Goldfish is a compelling read for both male and female readers who will learn about many topics, including family relationships, small town life in the 1980’s, gossip, loneliness, bullying, kindness, child abuse, greed, draft dodgers, LGTBQ rights, World War II, British home children, same sex relationships, female empowerment, wills, and family secrets.

Warren leaves readers with a memorable message about the power of empathy and kindness to change lives. Lizzie tells David, “Being a gold fish has nothing to do with how you look…. It’s about how you are. It’s about heart.” (p. 111)