The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

After the loss of her best friend Franny via drowning, Suzie grapples with grief. Convinced that drowning was not enough of an explanation of Franny’s death, Suzie concludes she must have been stung by a rare jellyfish. Through the exploration of the world and grappling with the unknowns of grief, she processes her loss through a 7th grade science oral report on her chosen topic: jellyfish.

Reading Level: Ages 10-12
Read Aloud: Ages 10 and up

While this coming-of-age novel explores many scientific topics, they come from an evolutionary perspective. This novel has a format that is lighthearted, while exploring hard topics like grief, divorce, why we exist, puberty and more. With diary-type entries, letters to the deceased, and research project outlines, it gives the reader a barrier to soften the blow of these heavy topics. While it is well written in this way, there are simply too many things in this novel that would make me hesitate to allow my children to read this. It portrays Suzie’s brother being gay as something normal and happy. It heavily implies that evolution is true and the way to interpret the universe. I do not believe most children in the mid-grade age range would have the discernment to read this and continue to understand things the way God intended.

Language:
dumb/dummy, oh my gosh

Questionable Behavior:
describes young adolescent girls wearing their clothes inappropriately
bullying (insulting, physical violence, spitting on someone’s face)
talks about things she has seen on the internet (a man with devil horns surgically implanted in his head and tattoos all over his face)
weight loss and eating disorders (these kids are in middle school)
“speak your truth” coming from a therapist

Sexual Content:
gay relationship (kissing, describing gay pda), crushes, dressing seductively

Other Things to Know:
Talks heavily about evolution, divorce, science being the answer to life’s questions, ADHD medication

This review was written by contributor, Kyra. To learn more about Kyra, click HERE.