Growing Home

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

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?

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

272 pages, Kindle Edition

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]

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.

[DianaRose]

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

[Jessica]

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

[Jenn]

“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

[Rhiannon Scott]

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]

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!

[Shannon]

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!

[Skye Elder]

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!

[Michelle]

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]

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

[Jenny Riddell-Wehmeier]

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]

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.

[Kylie Moffat]

This was cute. My five year old loved it and we now own an ivy plant named ivy.

[Angela De Groot]

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]

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.]

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]

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! 🪴🕷️

[Andrew Eder]

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!!

[Analie]

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]

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]

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]

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!

[Margaret]

I enjoyed this middle-grade novel in which Ivy the houseplant, Arthur the spider, Ollie the violet and Toasty the goldfish take it upon themselves to protect their home and Toasty’s rare octagonal fish tank from a would-be burglar. The story is sweet and the characters endearing. This is a fun book for kids and adults alike. The illustrations are beautiful, as well.

[Dramapuppy]

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

[Amber]

This was SUCH a fun family read aloud for my 3- and 6- year olds. The characters, the story, the humor, all of it was perfect for my kids and they were sooo into it the whole time.

[Jen Dawson]

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

[Aggie]

I loved this! It’s like a breath of fresh air after reading too much crime and suspense thrillers. I didn’t realize how much I missed this type of genre.

[Lauren]

Read aloud to Wesley
I think he liked it based on how he went feral every time i brought it out (or maybe he just liked the shiny cover)

[Tamara York]

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]

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!