Suzy and Franny have been best friends for a long time. Then they get in a fight just before Franny goes on vacation for the summer. Suzy is sure they’ll make up in the fall, but something terrible happens. When she hears that Franny has drowned, at first she doesn’t believe it. It just doesn't make any sense--Franny was an excellent swimmer. How could something like this happen? Franny becomes obsessed with finding out how Suzy really died. That’s how she learns about jellyfish so small they're practically invisible and so venomous they could kill an adult. Sure they're usually found near Australia, but with climate change and sea temperatures rising, maybe their territory is expanding. Everyone keeps telling Suzy to move on, but she can’t until she gets to the bottom of the mystery.
“There are so many things to be scared of in this world: blooms of jellies. A sixth extinction. A middle school dance. But maybe we can stop feeling so afraid. Maybe instead of feeling like a mote of dust, we can remember that all the creatures on this Earth are made from stardust. And we are the only ones who get to know it. That's the thing about jellyfish: They'll never understand that. All they can do is drift along, unaware. Humans may be newcomers to this planet. We may be plenty fragile. But we're also the only ones who can decide to change.”
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
Erica's Picks
4th - 6th
Tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, school stories, tear jerker
“There are so many things to be scared of in this world: blooms of jellies. A sixth extinction. A middle school dance. But maybe we can stop feeling so afraid. Maybe instead of feeling like a mote of dust, we can remember that all the creatures on this Earth are made from stardust. And we are the only ones who get to know it. That's the thing about jellyfish: They'll never understand that. All they can do is drift along, unaware. Humans may be newcomers to this planet. We may be plenty fragile. But we're also the only ones who can decide to change.”
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
Erica's Picks
4th - 6th
Tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, school stories, tear jerker
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