52 pages 1 hour read

Lisa Thompson

The Goldfish Boy

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2017

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Chapters 24-31

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 24 Summary

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, grief, mental illness, kidnapping, and bullying.

On the way back from town, Matthew runs into Jake. Jake taunts him more forcefully than usual, calling him Goldfish Boy and ridiculing his investigation with Melody. The conversation takes a turn for the worst when Jake brings up their history. He chastises Matthew for not standing up for him on the bus, many years ago, and all the other times Matthew could have been a good friend but chose not to be. Matthew knows Jake is right, and that hurts him.

At home, Matthew runs into Gordon, who is carrying a large box to Matthew’s. When they get to the door, Gordon drops a Harrington’s Household Solutions catalog, which Matthew picks up. When Brian opens the door, Matthew skirts around the men and rushes upstairs. Gordon only stays for a minute before saying he needs to head back to Penny. Brian tells Matthew he needs to speak with him, but Matthew is already upstairs, heading for the shower.

Chapter 25 Summary

Matthew sends an email to Jake, telling him he needs his help trying to get the fabric out of Nina’s tree. Ten minutes later, Jake replies, agreeing to go into Nina’s yard after dark.