GROWING HOME

What People are Saying

"Fans of Beth Ferry’s charming picture books will be delighted with her clever new middle grade about the joys of finding true friendship. Featuring an unlikely set of characters, whimsical asides from an irrepressible narrator, and art by the brilliant Fan Brothers, GROWING HOME is an absolute delight!"

-Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal-winning author of The One and Only Ivan

"The story comes together like a recipe: Simple ingredients combine, transform, and rise into something wonderful. In its matter-of-fact wisdom, rich vocabulary (often defined within the text), hint of magic, and empathetic nonhuman characters who solve problems in creative ways this delightful work is reminiscent of Ferris by Kate DiCamillo. Charming."

- Kirkus Reviews

"Chatty asides from Ferry provide context and vocabulary lessons as a buoyant, omniscient narrator skillfully conveys the foursome’s idiosyncrasies, particularly Toasty’s sense of isolation and accompanying crankiness. Neat spot illustrations by the Fan brothers, rendered in their signature style, convey humorous details such as both Toasty and Arthur sporting fetching bowler-style hats."

- Publishers Weekly

​

​

"The utterly charming tale is populated by memorable, messy characters, and it’s a pleasure to watch them grow from jealous roommates to dear friends as they each gain wisdom and empathy. Touches of magic and a droll narrative style add enjoyment, and the occasional black-and-white illustrations are adorable accompaniments. A splendidly silly story that will have readers looking at friendship (and houseplants) in a new way."

-Booklist

​

​​

"Ferry has presented a wonderfully imaginative story with magic, mystery, and adventure, set almost entirely in one setting (goldfish tanks don’t move that easily). In addition, detailed pencil illustrations by the talented Fan brothers are sprinkled throughout, and these add whimsy to the novel’s delightfully expressive animal and vegetal protagonists, especially Toasty, with his signature bowler hat and perpetual frown."

-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

​​​

​​

"A grumpy goldfish, a self-confident ivy, a curious spider, and an anxious violet come together to love and protect their human family in this whimsical modern fantasy ideal for family readalouds."

-Shelf Awareness

​​​

​​​​

"Beautifully written, Growing Home’s 71 chapters zip along so smoothly that you’ll be sorry when the book ends. By then, however, you’ll have enjoyed the antics of all the characters and been swept up in their many adventures (including a break-in by a “nefarious” would-be thief determined to steal Toasty’s antique tank), you’ll have expanded your vocabulary thanks to the author’s thoughtful definitions, and you will probably have laughed out loud more than once at the clever turns of phrase and surprising twists of fate. A blurb on the cover declares this book to be “an absolute delight.” That’s not false advertising. And while the intended audience for this book is of elementary-school age, I can attest that even older readers well past any school age should read this book — especially if they’d like a break from the doom-and-gloom stuff that confronts them on a daily basis these days. Not only is Beth Ferry’s storytelling a delight, but so are the numerous black-and-white illustrations by Toronto’s Terry and Eric Fan throughout the 71 chapters."

-Bernie Goedhart, The Montreal Gazette

​