Fascinating premise with an occasionally baffling execution. Ellie, an eleven-year-old in the Bay Area, is shocked when her mom brings home her grandfather...as a teenager. Melvin has changed himself back into a thirteen-year-old through the powers of science. But is the fountain of youth all it's cracked up to be? The book never waivers from this theory--this strange young man is definitely Ellie's grandfather. Props for that, but many of the intriguing questions from this set-up are left unanswered. As I was reading, I was disappointed thatEllie never comes across as an eleven-year-old girl. Her character is hard to pin down. She does start to grow into a budding scientist, though, and that transition is truly wonderful. The conclusion is highly resonant and appropriately thematic without ever seeming truly earned. The Fourteenth Goldfish is a fine experiment. 
 {3.5 stars}