The Thing About Jellyfish in Mock Newbery 2026

Dec 07, 2015 Christina rated it liked it

Shelves: middle-school, 2015-kids-ya

I really liked several aspects of this book, but other parts disturbed me immensely. On the plus side, I liked the central premise of the main character, Suzy, ceasing to speak as she struggles to understand the death by drowning of her estranged best friend, Franny. I also liked some of the minor characters in the story, especially Suzy's older brother and his boyfriend and Justin, a new friend who is marginalized by the popular crowd at school due to his ADHD. I also liked the author's use of ...more

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Feb 28, 2016 Barbara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: animals, depression, teachers, community, travel, death, science, emotions, health, facing-fears

One of my wonderful students suggested that I read this book, which was a National Book Award finalist. It just so happened that I'd already ordered the book so upon her strong recommendation, I moved it to the top of my to-read pile. I'm glad I did. Beautifully crafted with its fascinating passages about jellyfish and the nature of the universe, this is an exquisite meditation on friendship, love, loss, and grief as well as an example of persistence. While some readers may not love the facts ab One of my wonderful students suggested that I read this book, which was a National Book Award finalist. It just so happened that I'd already ordered the book so upon her strong recommendation, I moved it to the top of my to-read pile. I'm glad I did. Beautifully crafted with its fascinating passages about jellyfish and the nature of the universe, this is an exquisite meditation on friendship, love, loss, and grief as well as an example of persistence. While some readers may not love the facts about jellyfish that have been woven into the narrative of Suzy Swanson, those observations add depth and resonance to a story that would already have been appealing on its own merits. Suzy spends her seventh grade year trying to puzzle out why her former best friend Franny Jackson, a strong swimmer, drowned. As she works to make sense of something that cannot be understood--unexpected death--she clings to the notion that perhaps her friend died as the result of a jellyfish sting. Her certainty and obsession heighten so much that she plans a flight to Australia where she hopes to meet with jellyfish expert Jami Seymour. Anyone who has read Speak concerning another type of trauma will understand why Suzy decides to withdraw into silence and not waste her energy on words. Anyone who has experienced the particular joys and perils of middle school will recognize the isolation Suzy feels as her friend begins to leave her during their sixth grade year. Relating those incidents that lead up to her own inexcusable actions through a series of flashbacks serves well to heighten the suspense and explain why Suzy feels so guilty. As I read those passages, I was thrust back into my own junior high years as I failed to understood why so many of my classmates suddenly seemed so interested in boys and their own appearances. I loved how gently the book addresses these changes and the social pecking order that deemed someone who thought a little bit differently like Suzy to be unworthy of their time. I also adored how Justin Maloney, another so-called "misfit" in the class, understands Suzy in a way that no one else around her, not even her therapist, can. Finally, Mrs. Turton, that marvelously compassionate science teacher, stands as a great example for those of us who teach about what really matters, expending our energy and time on more than delivering a lesson on this or that concept or CCSS. What a marvelous, memorable, and heart-wrenching debut novel! By the time I reached its final pages, I was emotionally wrung out but oh, so glad to have read this book. ...more

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Jan 27, 2019 Meredith rated it liked it

Shelves: childrens-fiction, ebooks, lgbtq

Following the death of her closest childhood friend, Suzy becomes fixated on the idea that her accidental drowning was due to a jellyfish sting.

"Everyone else might have given up at sometimes things just happen. But I hadn't." (page 345)

The reader meets Suzy on a field trip at the beginning of 7th grade. A series of flashbacks reveal first that her friend Franny had drowned just before the start of the school year, then that Suzy and she had had a falling out, and finally what happened to end th Following the death of her closest childhood friend, Suzy becomes fixated on the idea that her accidental drowning was due to a jellyfish sting.

"Everyone else might have given up at sometimes things just happen. But I hadn't." (page 345)

The reader meets Suzy on a field trip at the beginning of 7th grade. A series of flashbacks reveal first that her friend Franny had drowned just before the start of the school year, then that Suzy and she had had a falling out, and finally what happened to end their friendship. During the present, Suzy obsessively researches jellyfish and searches for an expert who will corroborate her theory that a jellyfish sting caused her friend's death.

While Suzy's complete lack of social skills and obsessive tendencies suggest that she is neuroatypical, her experience with friends growing apart is something common to many young people. No matter how close friends are, and how much history they have together, sometimes one of them changes and wants to move on to other people who share his/her current interests. This is extremely difficult to accept even for those without a clinical psyche disorder, especially for those who were blindsided by it.

In many ways, it's more painful to have a friend break up one than a romantic partner due to the lack of sympathy. Others tend to dismiss the loss by telling the person to just "make new friends." Suzy can't understand why Franny now wants to hang out with other girls and talk about boys, hairstyles, and makeup. People with larger circles of friends would have been sad at the end of a treasured friendship, but they would have been able to move on. Because she has no other friends to cushion the blow, she cannot let Franny go, and her attempts to get her friend to revert back to "the old Franny" culminate in utter disaster.

Suzy was grieving the end of her friendship with Franny long before Franny's death, but her death ended all hope of reconciliation. Subconsciously, Suzy hopes that if she can discover the "truth" behind why her friend drowned, then it will somehow change what happened, and she will regain the chance to salvage their friendship. Her single-minded pursuit of proving her jellyfish theory is a means of denial and way for her to avoid her grief. It isn't until the very end of the story that Suzy is finally able to accept her friend's death. "I suddenly understood -- that whatever it was, whatever the reason, it didn't really matter. It had 'just happened.' Somehow, that fact -- that sometimes things do just happen -- seemed like it might be the scariest and saddest truth of all." (page 345)

The book ends on an optimistic note, suggesting that Suzy will be able to move past her grief and form new friendships. Aside from its discussion of grief, the story reassures young people that others are willing to befriend and help them even if only they are open them. ...more

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Dec 03, 2015 Susie rated it really liked it

I really, really wanted to love this book. I really, really wanted it to be my Newbery pick. After all, it's got a main character with my name (spelled differently), a great science teacher (I used to teach science), and the fascinating side topic of jellyfish (I loved the jellyfish exhibit at Monterey Bay when I was there this summer). Something was just lacking for me. Maybe, though I realize a book can't tell all parts of a story, I felt there wasn't enough done for Suzy when she clearly had ...more

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May 12, 2017 Kimberly rated it liked it

Shelves: adolescent-literature

What an interesting little book. Suzy is a seventh grader who is just a little different. She knows things. She loves to learn about her world and when her friend tragically drowns, Suzy is not okay with the response "some things just happen." By learning about Jellyfish Suzy sets about discovering the unknowns in her world. Quirky and insightful, this book is worth your time. However, readers who need lots of plot and pacing may find it a bit slow. If you enjoyed Wonder, you'll like this book. ...more

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Oct 30, 2017 Deanna Day rated it it was amazing

Realistic fiction, Middle school, friendship, science inquiry, death.

My favorite part of this book were the science facts and information about jellyfish. This would make a wonderful read aloud in science classrooms. The science teacher is an amazing educator too. Many middle school children will be able to relate to this title because of the issues of friendship, lunchtime, bullying etc.

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May 18, 2016 Lynn L rated it liked it

Shelves: middle-school

A little girl in my class gave this to me to read. She handed the book to me one day and indicated I should read it. I knew she had liked the book. It is endearing how students assume you will like the books they find special.

This book is very readable. A girl struggles with a friend's death and fitting in herself. ...more

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Sep 01, 2019 Pamela rated it it was amazing

Perfect portrait of a young person’s grief, regret, and growing apart from a best friend. The science sprinkled throughout is captivating as well.

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Nov 30, 2015 Dolores rated it liked it

Shelves: family, audio-book, middle-grade, realistic, award-book, friendship, school, divorce, grief, bullying

3 1/2 stars. Suzy is cast adrift by the death of her best friend in a drowning accident. She withdraws into a silent world within herself, where her search for answers leads her to believe a rare jellyfish sting caused her friend Franny's death. Suzy is smart, but socially awkward and unsure, and her journey through grief to the other side is poignant. I wanted to like this book a lot more than I actually did. It has a lot going for it, and will probably speak to kids, especially those who have ...more

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