NOVEMBER 2015 - AudioFile
Narrator Sarah Franco tackles middle school friendship and grief in this debut novel. After her ex-best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced her death was due to a jellyfish sting. Franco portrays a tender-voiced main character who is hurt and confused about the changes middle school brings. At times, her narration has a nasal quality, especially with the adults, and the various characters sometimes lack differentiation. There are also some production issues. Nonetheless, this is a touching story of friendship and the stages of grief. S.B.T. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
The New York Times Book Review - Jacqueline Kelly
…heartfelt and fascinating…Benjamin explores the heartbreaking subject of grief in the young with dreamy, meditative and elegiac prose. She successfully captures the anxieties of middle school through Suzy's confusion and pain…The dedication of The Thing About Jellyfish reads, "For curious kids everywhere." It could also read, "For all those kids who need a gentle nudge to look closer at nature and science." Or perhaps, "For grieving kids who are struggling to come to terms with their losses, and seeking a path to peace and conciliation." There are, in other words, a lot of children who might not only benefit from this book but also find themselves deeply moved by it.
Publishers Weekly
★ 06/08/2015
In her first solo outing, Benjamin (coauthor of Positive with Paige Rawls) composes a moving portrayal of loss and healing. Franny Jackson and Suzy Swanson had been best friends for years until Franny joined a middle-school clique and began to drift from Suzy and her penchant for scientific facts. As seventh grade begins, 12-year-old Suzy channels the conflicting emotions surrounding Franny’s drowning death into silence, shutting out her divorced parents, her older brother and his boyfriend, her psychologist, and a caring science teacher. Replacing language with research, Suzy follows the scientific method, whose structure mirrors that of the book, hoping to prove that a jellyfish sting was responsible for Franny’s drowning. Reminiscent of works by Jennifer L. Holm and Sharon Creech, Benjamin’s novel is a shining example of the highs and lows of early adolescence, as well as a testament to the grandeur of the natural world. Increasingly fascinated by her own theories, Suzy embarks on an ambitious plan to prove her hypothesis, while tentatively reaching out to new friends and finding support for her emerging voice. Ages 8–12. Agent: Mollie Glick, Foundry Literary + Media. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
*"A painful story smartly told, Benjamin's first solo novel has appeal well beyond a middle school audience."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
*"Reminiscent of works by Jennifer L. Holm and Sharon Creech, Benjamin's novel is a shining example of the highs and lows of early adolescence."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
*"Benjamin's sense of timing and delivery is extraordinary, as she blends the visceral experiences of Suzy's journey with an internal dialogue that is authentic and poignant....readers...will fully immerse themselves in this superbly written, heartfelt novel."—School Library Journal, starred review
*"Benjamin's involving novel features clean, fluid writing that is highly accessible, yet rich with possibilities for discussion.... Her highly individual, first-person narrative makes compelling reading.... An uncommonly fine first novel."—Booklist, starred review
*"This novel has it all: just-right pacing, authentic voices and characters, beautifully crafted plot, and superb writing. Readers will find that this story lingers with them after the book is closed."—VOYA, starred review
"There are...a lot of children who might not only benefit from this book but also find themselves deeply moved by it."—New York Times Book Review
"Seventh-grade narrator Suzy Swanson will win readers' hearts as she silently struggles to come to terms with her complex emotions over the death of her former best friend."—Shelf Awareness
"A heartfelt read for kids and adults."
—First for Women Magazine
School Library Journal - Audio
★ 11/01/2015
Gr 4–7—Suzy and Franny met in a pool back when "making a friend, and having one, seem[ed] like the easiest thing in the world." But just before seventh grade, Franny—who could already swim underwater at age five—is dead by drowning. Smart, logical, full-of-facts Suzy cannot accept her mother's explanation that "[s]ometimes things just happen." Instead, Suzy is determined to prove that "there was an actual villain in Franny's story," via rare Irukandji jellyfish, an Australian scientist, and long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad. Relatively newbie narrator Sarah Franco's reading initially feels dampened, directly reflecting Suzy's denial that her former best friend, at just 12, is gone forever. As Suzy methodically researches her hypothesis, her refusal to speak out loud correlates with the building emotional frenzy of her desperate secret plans—her determination, fears, and hopes all build in Franco's voice. By book's end, "love tears or sad tears or happy tears" become easily distinguishable in Franco's sensitive narration, even as listeners will be pulling out a tissue themselves. VERDICT Perfect for fans of Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow, 2005) and Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine (Philomel, 2010). ["Strong readers of middle grade realistic fiction will fully immerse themselves in this superbly written, heartfelt novel": SLJ 8/15 starred review of the Little, Brown book.]—Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC
NOVEMBER 2015 - AudioFile
Narrator Sarah Franco tackles middle school friendship and grief in this debut novel. After her ex-best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced her death was due to a jellyfish sting. Franco portrays a tender-voiced main character who is hurt and confused about the changes middle school brings. At times, her narration has a nasal quality, especially with the adults, and the various characters sometimes lack differentiation. There are also some production issues. Nonetheless, this is a touching story of friendship and the stages of grief. S.B.T. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2015-05-06
In middle school, where "Worst Thing" can mean anything from a pimple to public humiliation, Suzy "Zu" Swanson really has a reason to be in crisis: her former best friend has died unexpectedly, and the seventh-grader is literally silenced by grief and confusion. A chance encounter with a jellyfish display on a school trip gives her focus—for Zu, the venomous Irukandji jellyfish, while rare, provides a possible explanation for the "how" of Franny's death. And Zu is desperate for answers and relief from her haunting grief and guilt. In seven parts neatly organized around the scientific method as presented by Mrs. Turton, a middle school teacher who really gets the fragility of her students, Zu examines and analyzes past and present. A painful story of friendship made and lost emerges: the inseparable early years, Franny's pulling away, Zu's increasing social isolation, and a final attempt by Zu to honor a childhood pact. The author gently paints Zu as a bit of an oddball; not knowing what hair product to use leaves her feeling "like a separate species altogether," and knowing too many species of jellyfish earns her the nickname Medusa. Surrounded by the cruelty of adolescence, Zu is awkward, smart, methodical, and driven by sadness. She eventually follows her research far beyond the middle school norm, because " ‘Sometimes things just happen' is not an explanation. It is not remotely scientific." A painful story smartly told, Benjamin's first solo novel has appeal well beyond a middle school audience. (Fiction. 12 & up)
