The Thing about Jellyfish

by Ali Benjamin

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Deep, devastating, but above all else hopeful, The Thing About Jellyfish confronts complex emotions through Suzy, the kind of protagonist who will end up feeling like a friend.

This stunning debut novel about grief and wonder was an instant New York Times bestseller and captured widespread critical acclaim, including selection as a 2015 National Book Award finalist!

After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy must have been a rare jellyfish sting—things don't just happen for no reason. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory—even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.

Oddlot Entertainment has acquired the screen rights to The Thing About Jellyfish, with Gigi Pritzker set to produce with Bruna Papandrea and Reese Witherspoon.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316380843
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/04/2017
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	9,896
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

About the Author

Ali Benjamin is a National Book Award Finalist for The Thing About Jellyfish and the author of The Next Great Paulie Fink, as well as the adult novel The Smash-Up. She is also the co-writer for HIV-positive teen Paige Rawl's coming-of-age memoir Positive and Tim Howard's New York Times bestseller The Keeper. She is a member of New England Science Writers and has written for The Boston Globe Magazine, Martha Stewart's Whole Living, and Sesame Street. She lives in Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

…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.

The New York Times Book Review - Jacqueline Kelly

★ 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.)

Publishers Weekly

*"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

From the Publisher

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

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

NOVEMBER 2015 - AudioFile

★ 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)

Kirkus Reviews