The Thing about Jellyfish

by Ali Benjamin, Sarah Franco (Read by)

Overview

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:	9781478907473
Publisher:	Little, Brown Young Readers
Publication date:	10/28/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 5.70(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ali Benjamin is the co-writer for HIV-positive teen Paige Rawl's coming-of-age memoir, Positive, as well as 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

★ 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

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