Growing Home, Beth Ferry
Growing Home, Beth Ferry
List: $17.99 | Sale: $12.23
Club: $8.99

Growing Home

Author: Beth Ferry

Narrator: Kate Coventry

Unabridged: 4 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/27/2025


Synopsis

An instant New York Times bestseller!
“A meditative, charming delight.” —School Library Journal (starred review)

An unlikely team of talkative plants, a curious spider, and a grumpy goldfish use their newfound magical abilities to defend their family from a greedy human in this charming middle grade novel from New York Times bestselling author Beth Ferry, with illustrations from the award-winning Fan brothers.

Ivy is the beloved houseplant of young Jillian Tupper of Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, much to the constant dismay of Toasty the goldfish, who is technically the family pet—swimming in his special place of honor, the antique octagonal fish tank—and should be the most loved. It seems that’s how the cookie (or cheese puffs, in Toasty’s case) crumbles in the curious Tupper household, but soon a sequence of thrilling and magical events challenges that way of life forever.

First, there’s the arrival of Arthur, a knowledgeable spider with a broken leg and a curious mind, hidden in an old typewriter. Then Jillian throws everyone for a loop when she brings home dear, sweet Ollie, a school houseplant who just wants to be friends and sing. When Toasty splashes the plants with his tank water out of frustration, the friends learn that they can do magical things—like lift heavy objects and turn things invisible!

It turns out Toasty’s fishtank isn’t just for fish; it was made by a curious inventor who gave it special powers that, in the wrong hands, could disrupt everything forever. And a curious man with purple shoes just so happens to want that tank at any cost. Can Ivy, Toasty, Arthur, and Ollie grow to be friends in time to work together to save their beloved Tupper family from utter ruin?

About Beth Ferry

Beth Ferry is the author of numerous picture books for children including Roar for ReadingPrunella, and the New York Times bestseller Stick and Stone. She is an avid reader who believes that any day spent with a book is a perfect day. Beth lives with her family by the beach in New Jersey where she finds inspiration in the salty air. In addition to writing picture books, Beth also writes chapter books and graphic novels. She’s the author of the middle grade book Growing Home. You can learn more at BethFerry.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by DianaRose on February 07, 2025

such a sweet chapter book about the importance of what it means to be a friend, with the most unique of characters making up this quartet: an ivy plant and a violet plant, a super smart spider, and a grumpy goldfish! i especially loved how big words were introduced and explained to the young readers......more

Goodreads review by Kelly ♈ on April 16, 2025

There's nothing not to love in this story. Everyone is so stylish, most characters are bestowed a flippin' cute little hat in their illustrations-- I can't even. I love the subtle love letter to the printing and bookstore industries. I really wish this could be May's children's book pick for Barnes......more

Goodreads review by Katherine on May 02, 2025

Genre: Children’s Chapter Book Two houseplants, a spider, & and goldfish become unlikely friends. This was a super cute and sweet book about friendship and helping others with a sprinkle of fantasy/magic. The characters were lively and kept my attention. I liked how some harder vocabulary words were......more

Goodreads review by Theo on April 15, 2025

This was cute from start to finish. What I appreciate about this book is that it set the tone early and kept that tone of lighthearted banter. One could argue that the characters remain one-note, and I would agree with that. The writing is written so whimsically that I'm able to overlook that most c......more

Goodreads review by Shannon on May 28, 2025

An utterly charming and captivating middle grade novel about found family, magic and heartwarming friendships between plants, animals and a young girl. I enjoyed this one so much and think young readers will get a kick out of the adventures of these characters. The story gave me Finding Nemo vibes a......more


Quotes

"Kate Coventry sounds fully believable as she narrates this bewitching story featuring a talking goldfish, a plant, and a spider. Listeners meet feisty Jillian, whose parents ignore her while they concentrate on their antique shop; grumpy goldfish Toasty; braggart plant Ivy; and brave spider Arthur. Most enjoyable are the critters’ amusing arguments as they try to outwit each other to be Jillian’s favorite. Coventry directly addresses young listeners as “listener” as she speaks about math and books while teaching gentle lessons on acceptance and friendship. When a thief tries to steal Toasty’s aquarium, everyone unites to use their unique skills to move him to safety. This story is beautifully presented through Coventry’s skillfully developed personalities and wise advice."