Ali Benjamin. (2015). The Thing About Jellyfish. Unabridged Hachette Audio.

Ali Benjamin. 2015. The Thing About Jellyfish. Hachette Audio.

Ali Benjamin, The Thing About Jellyfish. Hachette Audio, 2015.

Ali Benjamin. The Thing About Jellyfish. Unabridged Hachette Audio, 2015.

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1. • value: bully
2. • value: books about friends
3. • value: books about grief
4. • value: books for kids age 9 to 12
5. • value: death of a friend
6. • value: girls science
7. • value: books like Wonder
8. • value: book club recommendations 2018
9. • value: best books for middle school
10. • value: books with emotions
11. • value: best books for tweens
12. • value: fans of counting by 7

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2. • role: Narrator
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2015-09-22T00:00:00-04:00

edition

Unabridged

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title

The Thing About Jellyfish

fullDescription

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.

gradeLevels

1. • value: Grade 3
2. • value: Grade 4

reviews

1. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     Starred review from June 8, 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.

2. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content: 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
3. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     Starred review from June 1, 2015
     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)

     COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

4. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     Starred review from August 1, 2015
     

     Gr 4-7-Suzy's best friend, Franny Jackson, was a strong swimmer. There is no way she could have drowned, at least in Suzy's mind. Suzy's determined search for a different explanation for her friend's death leads her to believe that Franny was stung by an Irukandji jellyfish. Having nothing but time, since she has no other friends and has decided to stop talking, Suzy sets out to prove her theory. This multilayered novel takes readers on several concurrent emotional journeys. Benjamin skillfully blends time and narrative to slowly reveal truths about Suzy: first and foremost that their friendship was over long before Franny's death. The girl she had once thought was her best friend decided it was time for a middle school social upgrade, choosing popularity over her awkward childhood pal. Suzy's decision to seek revenge and remind Franny of their bond backfires, destroying what was left of their relationship. Consequently, Franny's death is the impetus for the protagonist's mission of personal reconciliation for the guilt and regret she feels over their falling out. Suzy's fierce intelligence, compounded by her painful transition into adolescence, makes her a sympathetic and compelling character. 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. Though Suzy herself is oddly unique in her self-imposed social ineptitude and singular focus, the politics of friendships and changing values of young teens will resonate with readers. Benjamin's inverse approach to tragedy, placing the death at the beginning of the novel and storytelling through the grieving process, transcends the trope, as the story triumphs in the affecting realities of emotional response and resilience. VERDICT Strong readers of middle grade realistic fiction will fully immerse themselves in this superbly written, heartfelt novel.-Juliet Morefield, Multnomah County Library, OR

     Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

5. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     Starred review from August 1, 2015
     Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Suzy lost her longtime best friend twice: first at the beginning of sixth grade, when Franny shifted away from her and into a clique of pretty girls, and irrevocably during the following summer, when Franny drowned at the beach. Entering seventh grade and burdened by painful memories that she can neither express nor forget, Suzy almost entirely stops talking for many months. She becomes fascinated with jellyfish and intent on linking Franny's drowning to a sting. Unable to connect meaningfully with those who are closest to her, she secretly, meticulously plans a trip to Australia to consult a jellyfish specialist in hopes of finding answers to her questions about Franny's death. In the end, though, a conversation closer to home offers what she needs in order to deal with the experience, forgive herself, and move forward. Benjamin's involving novel features clean, fluid writing that is highly accessible yet rich with possibilities for discussion. Science minded and fascinated by facts, Suzy is intellectually able to see the big picture but limited in her life experience. Her highly individual first-person narrative makes compelling reading. Facts and metaphors related to jellyfish are woven seamlessly into the narrative of this memorable story. An uncommonly fine first novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

6. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     January 1, 2016
     Suzy starts seventh grade traumatized by the accidental drowning of her former best friend, Franny, and by her parents' separation. However, she finds solace in researching the jellyfish she persuades herself caused Franny's death. Promising in voice, although overburdened by issues (including selective mutism), this is an original and affecting take on the preteen-turmoil novel.

     (Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

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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.

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awards

1. • source: International Reading Association & The Children's Book Council
   • value: Children's Choices Selection

publisher

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atos

5

bisacCodes

1. • code: JUV002170
   • description: Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Marine Life
2. • code: JUV039050
   • description: Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Emotions & Feelings
3. • code: JUV039060
   • description: Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship