What books are similar to The Fourteenth Goldfish?

The 10 closest matches to The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm on ReadingList include Sunny Side Up, 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents, Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, Ghosts, and Backlash. Each is scored on shared themes (scientists, aging, and grandfathers), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Fourteenth Goldfish reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like The Fourteenth Goldfish

If you liked The Fourteenth Goldfish, read Sunny Side Up, 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents, or Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm (Realistic Fiction · grades 4–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of scientists, aging, and grandfathers. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 4–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Sunny Side Upgrades 3–6: Is by Jennifer L. Holm, the same author, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
101 Ways to Bug Your Parentsgrades 4–6: Shares themes of family life, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Piegrades 6–9: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Ghostsgrades 3–6: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Backlashgrades 3–8: Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Clayton Byrd Goes Undergroundgrades 3–5: Shares themes of grandfathers, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
No Talkinggrades 3–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Saving Zashagrades 3–8: Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Scranimalsgrades 3–6: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Aliens Are Coming!grades 3–6: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Fourteenth Goldfish for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Mr. Fox's Game of "No!" by David LaRochelle · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Poor Louie by Tony Fucile · grades K–3 — Shares themes of family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Fourteenth Goldfish for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Mr. Fox's Game of "No!" by David LaRochelle · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Poor Louie by Tony Fucile · grades K–3 — Shares themes of family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
All About Sam by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like The Fourteenth Goldfish for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

All About Sam by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
All the Impossible Things by Lindsay Lackey · grades 6–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).
Attaboy, Sam! by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Best Friends by Shannon Hale · grades 4–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Chomp by Carl Hiaasen · grades 6–8 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).

Books like The Fourteenth Goldfish for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of family life, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Fourteenth Goldfish?: The 10 closest matches to The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm on ReadingList include Sunny Side Up, 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents, Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, Ghosts, and Backlash. Each is scored on shared themes (scientists, aging, and grandfathers), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Fourteenth Goldfish reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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