The Goldfish Boy

A story about finding friendship when you're lonely and hope when all you feel is fear.

Twelve-year-old Matthew is trapped in his bedroom by crippling OCD, spending most of his time staring out of his window as the inhabitants of Chestnut Close go about their business.

That is, until the day he is the last person to see his next door neighbour's toddler, Teddy, before he goes missing.

Now Matthew must turn detective and unravel the mystery of Teddy's disappearance – with a little help from a surprising and brilliant cast of supporting characters.

Full of heart and a genuine and honest confrontation of some of the ways in which life can be hard to handle, this is a story about the courage it takes to face your fears and learn to live with them. Page-turning and heart-breaking, but ultimately life-affirming, this story is perfect for fans of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time and Wonder.

It is a book that will make you think about everything there is to discover, just waiting beyond your front door.

Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN: 9781407170992

Awards

Waterstones Children's Book of the month January 2017
Nominated for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2017
Shortlisted Teach Primary New Children's Fiction Awards
Nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2017
Nominated Goodreads Choice Awards 2017
Longlist Branford Boase Award 2018
Winner Southward Book Award 2018

Reviews
"Thompson strikes the perfect balance, seemingly without compromise, between an issue-driven novel and one with broad, commercial appeal. This empathetic debut is a middle-grade whodunit with a very special heart."
KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW
"A multilayered mystery at once suspenseful and heartrending."
BOOKLIST
"The novel successfully weaves Matthew's personal struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder and the search for the missing toddler into a compelling story with a hearty dose of mystery and adventure"
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL.
"This book is filled with intriguing characters and tragic, mysterious pasts. Thompson has created a modern teenage tale interwoven with classic literary themes like loss, guilt, neglect, and loneliness. This is a story for everyone, featuring mystery, drama, and enough realism to inspire students to research and understand the complexities of the mind."
SCHOOL LIBRARY CONNECTION
"Heart and humour, along with a strong message about the value of family, friends and facing fears [...] make this assured debut stand out."
OBSERVER
"Both a genuine mystery and an emotionally charged examination of fear and loneliness, this is a terrific read with warmly engaging characters."
DAILY MAIL
"This carefully judged, poignant story should help those with OCD feel less alone-and help others to understand the impulses behind painful acts of repetition."
GUARDIAN