The thing about jellyfish

WITH ALL THE emphasis today's educators and policy makers are placing on the STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - you would think there would be a steady stream of novels capable of inspiring young girls to consider a future in those fields. Not so. Such books come around so infrequently that special attention should be paid to them when they do. One that fits the bill is Ali Benjamin's heartfelt and fascinating fiction debut, "The Thing About Jellyfish," which has been nominated for a 2015 National Book Award. Our protagonist and narrator is Suzy Swanson, whose former best friend, Franny, has drowned while swimming in a calm sea. Franny had joined a new clique of popular girls when they reached middle school, and we learn that Suzy, feeling powerless to stop their gradual estrangement, had tried some bizarre behavior in a desperate, failed attempt to woo her friend back. Suzy's parents have also recently divorced, and in her multi-layered grief and confusion she has descended into selective mutism. This former chatterbox ends up sitting in a child psychologist's office for 45 minutes every week, refusing to speak to her therapist. Suzy knows her estranged friend was a strong swimmer, so she does not believe the adults' explanation that "sometimes things just happen." While on a school trip to the local aquarium, Suzy sees an exhibit of jellyfish, including the tiny, practically invisible Irukandji jelly, one of the most venomous creatures on the planet, with a sting that can result in painful and gruesome death. Some scientists believe that deaths from its venom have been mistakenly attributed to other causes, and Suzy latches on to the idea that an Irukandji was the villain in the story of Franny's death. Her obsession leads her to track down a jellyfish expert who lives on the other side of the globe. Together they will explain the inexplicable and write a new and better ending to Franny's story. Together they will prove that when things happen, they happen for a reason. The hitch is that Suzy must get to Australia, and she sets off on a journey that will involve not just lying to her family and other risky acts but also the realization - both crushing and liberating - that nothing she has done, is doing or ever will do can bring Franny back. Along the way, the reader learns many fascinating facts about jellyfish of all kinds, the scientific method, the accomplishments of the long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, cosmology and the expanding universe, zombie ants, the sixth mass extinction and many other science topics. It's all presented in an age-appropriate manner, although the cruel and violent death of a frog at the hands of a middle-school boy may be too much for some sensitive readers. 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, first at realizing she has become the "weird" kid and then at the death of the girl who was once her best friend. The only false note here is the presentation of Suzy's epiphany that there is no villain to Franny's story, which feels a little too rushed and pat at the end. 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. JACQUELINE KELLY'S most recent book is "The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate," the sequel to her Newbery Honor-winning "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate."

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 © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.