Silence Is Goldfish

Gr 7 Up—Tess becomes mute after accidentally discovering that her dad isn't her biological father in this captivating UK import. Having spent the past several years telling white lies about her social life to her father so he'd be proud of her, Tess hits her breaking point when she reads a blog post draft on his computer about the baby he couldn't love because she was the product of a sperm donor. She decides to stop pretending to be whom he expects, which leads to her becoming mute when she realizes it's easiest to not say anything at all. Tess becomes determined to find her biological father, and the new substitute math teacher, Mr. Richardson, seems the perfect candidate. However, with her silence come more problems. She loses her best friend, bullies start taunting her even more, and her perfect image of Mr. Richardson slowly begins to erode. With the help of her goldfish flashlight, who talks to her in her head, Tess must find the courage to reclaim her voice and face the truth. Although the story takes a while to find its footing, the plot is intriguing enough to push readers through until the latter half picks up. While Tess's naïveté can be frustrating, it is nicely balanced with the realist voice of "Mr. Goldfish." Tess's struggle as she discovers her parents and teachers are flawed human beings will ring true with teens coming to their own similar realizations.