- Mystery
- Chapter Books
- Ages 9–12
The shape of it
The shape of this universe.
Goldfish Boy is Lisa Thompson's bestselling middle-grade mystery world, centred on the young detectives of Chestnut Close. It opens with Matthew Corbin, a twelve-year-old whose severe OCD keeps him housebound, becoming the last person to see a missing toddler alive and having to solve the case from behind his bedroom window. The companion mysteries that follow bring back Melody, Jake and Matthew for further twisty puzzles - a graveyard spy, an unearthed skeleton - each a page-turning whodunnit wrapped around an honest, tender look at anxiety, trust and families under strain. Thompson is celebrated for treating mental illness and hard feelings with rare care while never letting the mystery slacken. Warm, gripping and quietly moving, it is a modern middle-grade favourite for confident readers who love a real puzzle with heart.
Lisa Thompson's bestselling Chestnut Close mysteries - gripping whodunnits wrapped around honest, tender stories of anxiety, trust and family, starting with the modern classic The Goldfish Boy.
Primary themes
Tone palette
- Suspenseful
- Thought provoking
- Heartwarming
- Exciting
The series
One way in.
Cultural footprint
A shelf of evidence.
What Goldfish Boy has done
- Bestseller
Cultural ubiquity
3/ 5Well-known to people who know the room.
Sensitivity
Moderate, and collection-wide.
Content notes
- Mental health
- Grief
- Death of character
- Illness or disability
- Parental separation
Across the collection
All 3 books.
About the creator