Undead Pets 4 – Goldfish from Beyond the Grave

Sam Hay's Goldfish from Beyond the Grave is a gross and giggly mystery for 6 year olds about a zombie goldfish who wants to know who flushed him.

What happens

This is the fourth Undead Pets book. Joe has a magic Egyptian amulet from his great-uncle Charlie, and ever since, dead pets keep turning up at his door. They can't pass over until Joe has sorted out their problems.

This time it's Fizz. He belonged to Dan, the older cousin of Joe's best mate Matt, and everyone thinks the other fish in the tank ate him. Fizz is having none of it. He was the boss of that tank (or so he says) and he's sure a human put him down the toilet.

He's also a bit of a bully. Fizz growls like a gangster in a film and he will NOT leave Joe alone until he agrees to investigate. He pops up in a jar of pickled onions, a milkshake, the washing machine and the glass of water by Joe's bed. Guess what Joe drinks first thing in the morning?

So Joe gives in and goes along to a family barbecue with Matt. That means an afternoon with Matt's twin cousins and a gang of little ones who bite, pinch and want their dolls' nappies changed. One of the family could be the fish flusher.

Underneath all the slime it's a proper little detective story. Joe has to look for clues, set up a stakeout with a borrowed webcam and find a way to catch the culprit in the act. Your reader can play detective right alongside him.

The humour is very much the toilet kind. There's fish poop in a glass of fruit punch and a LOT of flushing. If your child loves a gross-out giggle, they'll be in heaven.

It's worth knowing that the whole series is built around pets that have died, although it's all played for laughs. Fizz is grumpy and sarcastic rather than sad, and nothing here is frightening. A child who has just lost a pet of their own might still find it a bit close to home.

What to read next

If they'd like to meet Joe right at the start, go back to Return of the Hungry Hamster, where Uncle Charlie hands over the amulet and a hamster chewing Joe's trainer laces is the first to turn up.