The memory of reading this floated to the surface.

"The Language of Goldfish by Zibby Oneal"

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/413121.The_Language_of_Goldfish

I read it in Monterey when I was a young person. I don't really remember very much about the story. I I might not have connected with this actual story that much, but I think the art on the cover was what I remembered the most about it.