The Thing About Jellyfish

Do you need a good sobfest? Read The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin.

Suzy has decided to stop talking. Something really bad happened the last time she talked to her good friend, so she’s not saying anything.

Not to her mom. Not to her dad. Not to her brother. Not at school.

Then her science teacher assigns a research project. And Suzy thinks she knows what happened to her friend.

But she needs to get to Australia to talk to an expert about it.

Suzy’s journey through grief over her lost friendship is heart-rending. I think it took me about six months to read this book. I kept putting it down because it made me want to cry.

Now is the time I need a good cry. And The Thing About Jellyfish allowed me to spill the tears I’d been holding in during this quarantine.

Recommended for ages 10 & up.

NOTE to parents: Suzy’s older brother is in college and lives with his boyfriend. This is a very minor part of the book.