Growing Home

by Beth Ferry, Terry Fan (illustrator), Eric Fan (illustrator)

A motley crew 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?

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Childrens, Friendship, Animals, Fiction, Humor

272 pages, Hardcover

Published May 27, 2025

About the author

Beth Ferry is the author of the picture books Stick and Stone and Land Shark. Her family has cared for myriad pets, including two land sharks, a hedgehog, a blue-tongued skink, and a heap of hamsters, but her absolutely perfect pet is an English bulldog named Winston. She lives in New Jersey.

Reviews

[Leslie Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is categorized as 'middle grade' it was recommended by the bookseller when I checked out at Barnes & Noble last week. She said there were really more adults reading it than children and I can see why. This was an enjoyable, engaging, and humorous story with loveable characters. I thought it would be a great book as my final book of the year to help me decompress and wind out a somewhat tumultuous year. I recommend this to adults who want to take their minds off of their problems for a short time and become immersed in the world at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story for younger readers. I especially enjoyed Toasty the Grumpy Goldfish, and also the lovely illustrations by the Fan Brothers!

[DianaRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

a favorite read of 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

[Rhiannon Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly was surprised with how much I enjoyed this one. A wonderful story about the importance of friendship and a little bit of magic.

The story takes place at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, where Toasty, an orange goldfish, and Ivy, an ivy plant, live with the Tupper family. A couple who owns an antique shop called Re-Store-ation, and their daughter Jillian who dreams of becoming a botanist.

The chapters are short and I could see them being the perfect read aloud or bedtime story, especially with Beth Ferry's beautiful prose leading the way.

Also who doesn't enjoy a book with a halftime break chapter 😉

[bjneary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to Pernille Ripp for recommending this book! What a great 1st middle grade book for this author, After her many wonderful picture books! The plot of this story with magical plant & animal characters living in a house where Jillian loves plants and animals but some of the animals & plants are jealous of the attention Jillian gives to her “friends” - will bring a smile to all readers’ faces as they follow the journey of the Inhabitants of this house! There is laughter, suspense, and mystery, a must read!

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Do not sleep on this book! Our family had a fantastic time reading this aloud over the course of a week. My eight and six year old were very engaged, while the three year old ran circles and got into trouble around us. The plot is propulsive and fun and each short chapter ends on a cliffhanger which left us saying, “just one more!!” every time. It was funny, cute, silly, and had lessons that even adults still need to learn. I can’t recommend this middle grade book enough.” - mom, 35 years old

“I think you should read this book, because I learned that you should care about others and not just yourself. This is an important lesson to learn.” - Rosemary, 8 years old

“I liked this book, because of the characters and how they cared for their friends.” - Bonnie, 6 years old

“Was fun!” - Josie, 3 years old

[Skye Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely adorable!!!
Heartwarming and very likable characters, and the storyline is so good!
Definitely recommend to people who are looking for a heartwarming story or just an adorable story!
Arthur is probably my favorite character!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 and was good on audio. Highly recommended!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

How many books feature house plants as main characters? A charming children’s story that reminded me of Kate DiCamillo’s good work

[Zoe Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

live laugh kids books! But this one was really tender! I love learning about friendship from a kid perspective:)

[Jenny Riddell-Wehmeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing Home is a charming middle-grade novel that blends whimsy, humor, and tender moments in a way that appeals both to young readers (ages ~6-10) and to older readers who appreciate gentle fantasy. The premise—plants, a spider, and a goldfish discovering magical abilities and needing to band together to protect their human family—is delightfully imaginative and full of surprising depth.

“A fish tank without a fish is like a toaster without any toast. And that was how Toasty got his name.”

[Kate Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was super cute. I loved the illustrations and the touch of magic. ✨🪴 My favorite character was Arthur.

I don't think I quite connected with the humor.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly delightful and entertaining. Heartwarming too. A story choc full of quirky characters transformed through the bonds of friendship. There’s a little mystery and a lot of magic - just like all good stories have and the best friendships contain.
Terry and Eric Fan’s illustrations throughout add humor and heart and lots of hats. I was thrilled to spot the owl from The Night Gardener, one of my all time Fan Brothers picture books.

[Kelly ♈ · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 and Noble, it would tie so nicely to the April one, Olivetti. Very different story, but the continuation reference would be amazing. But this is currently slated for a May 27 release date.
I kid you not, I shed my own little tears at the very end because of a conclusion to an arc in regards to Arthur. Hard to put into words, just that sometimes people are telling you profound things in a disguised way. I love how this story was wrapped up for Arthur, and for all spiders, and for a gently encouraging reward demonstrated in extending our understanding, consideration, and respect for others.

And of course:

𝙎𝘼𝙑𝙀 𝙏𝙊𝘼𝙎𝙏


Thank you SO MUCH to Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, and to Beth Ferry and The Fan Brothers, for the Uncorrected Proof.

[Kary H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am 100% obsessed with this book. Loved it so much and am already recommending it to others. The characters…I fell in love with all of them, non-human and human alike. The illustrations are what you’d expect from the Fan brothers. The humor was unexpected and just delightful. This sweet story manages to pack a punch and will stay with me for a while.

Thank to NetGalley for the advance peek at this cozy look at friendship, a bit of a mystery, and a really wonderful read.

[Katherine Bichler · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 mixed in and explained in a fun way. Kids will love it!

Thank you Simon & Schuster Children’s Books for the ARC! 🪴🕷️

[Analie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very family friendly and cute, great for young ones age 5-8. I loved the lessons about friendship at the end, but did struggle with the lack of plot for the first 150 pages. It’s heartwarming, but perhaps not the best example of great writing.

[Melissa Gaffney · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Such a sweet book. This would be a great read-aloud, especially at the beginning of a school year: Themes of friendship, risk-taking and redemption in an approachable and touching package. And who doesn’t love talking plants and animals?!

[Molly Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute and heartwarming story about friendship and what's important in life. I think I'll read this to my 3rd graders this year (and probably Emmy too) and then will have to buy an Ivy plant for my classroom!

[Alyssa Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet and silly story of friendship and family. It was a great read aloud for my 4, 7, and 9 year old. We all enjoyed it!

[Dramapuppy · Rating 2 out of 5]

What if your plants and animals could talk to each other? What if they were all bickering pests?

[Jen Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a heartwarming and funny story. A great re-aloud to share with early Elementary kiddos.

[Tamara York · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just adorable. This reminds me a bit of The Very Very Far North and Wishtree. The main characters are two house plants, a grumpy goldfish, and a spider. This would have made a cute read aloud when my kids were young (5-8 would be ideal). It would have had some good ties to activities for a homeschool book club pick. Loved the illustrations from the Fan Brothers.

[Denese Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Beth Ferry’s picture book and was so excited to read her new chapter book. Growing Home is such a heartwarming story filled with action and humor. This would be a great read aloud book!

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an adorable read for a middle grade reader - Growing Home is a lovely story about friendship and found family with some magic thrown in for good measure. Initially it's just Toasty the goldfish and Ivy the ivy living in the Tupper home with Mr and Mrs Tupper and their daughter, Jillian. ivy and Toasty are friends that keep each other company even though Ivy is a little focused on herself and Toasty is a little grumpy. When a series of events introduce another magical plant, a very smart spider, and a not so scary bird into the mix, they all learn a little more about the power of friendship. This is so sweet - and has a lot of humor thrown in.

[Andrew Eder · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely shocked this was book of the year at B&N and people like this?? This is not middle grade, this is upper elementary. And even so, this was simple with not much value. I’m not sure I would even want to read it as a read aloud!

And I’m very aware I’m not a 3rd grader so I’m not the intended audience BUT PLENTY of middle grade and upper elementary books are capable of reaching a variety of audiences. This does not. Bad!! Boring!! Snooze!! Basic!! Static!!

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review #1300

This was a charming story, aimed at young MG and early chapter book readers. It features a grumpy goldfish and an excitable houseplant, and new characters keep popping up. There is a lot of wordplay and fun dialogue. It’s mostly low-stakes, but there is a Big Scene near the end that is more suspenseful.



Language: Clean
Sexual Content: None
Violence/Gore: Mild
Harm to Animals: Spider’s legs are injured.
Harm to Children: None
Other (Triggers): attempted burglary, misunderstandings

[Rikita Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a fun and quick listen all in the eyes of little house pets/guests

[Relyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my. Oh. My.

It has been a long, long time since I have been this delighted by a book. As I read it, I find myself daydreaming of snuggling with my someday-grandchild and reading this aloud. We'll have a squashy coach and a soft blanket and a pretty plate of warm chocolate chip cookies. The dream and this book - just perfect.

I love illustrated chapter books, and the Fan brothers are amazing artists. I love cheeky writing that is truly for children, but never talks down to them. As opposed to so many children's books that either assume their readers are nincompoops or are really written for adults. Beth Ferry is a delight. She's whimsical and wonderful. The book is sweet and funny with a little bit of magic. Just perfect.

I plan to purchase three copies of this book. One for my library; I'm an elementary school librarian. One for my bookshelves. And one for the box in the top of my closet labeled Someday Grandbabies.

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 characters are not meant to "change" in this book. Our two main characters show the promise of change, and really that's all that we're asking in a story. I also appreciate the few pictures strewn about to help enhance the novel.

I definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a quick, fun read that's fast paced.