THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH

In the vein of WONDER and COUNTING BY 7s, this middle grade novel is a love song to every nerdy, too-smart-for-her-own-good, kid. It’s about Jellyfish. Sort of...

What if you were the only person who understood how a friend had died? Would you travel across the world to prove it? Twelve year old Zu has never been like other kids. She prefers animals to people, is what her parents call a “constant-talker,” and thinks constantly about the sea and the stars. But when her estranged best friend drowns just before seventh grade, Zu retreats into a silent world of her own imagination. Convinced that the true cause was a jellyfish sting – and refusing to believe that sometimes things just happen, like her mother insists – Zu is determined to find out the truth…even if it means traveling to Australia, alone, to meet the famous Jamie Seymour, the “jellyfish dude from down under.” In this debut novel, Zu confronts life, death, and immortality in a world that’s slowly being taken over by creatures that are as alien as they are astonishing. Ali Benjamin tells stories about the issues that most affect our world: bullying, healthy food, smart responses to hunger, education, the planet, and the frontiers of science. Her work has appeared in print, online, and on television. She is the co-writer for HIV+ teen Paige Rawl’s coming-of-age memoir, POSITIVE, which will be released by Harper Collins in August 2014. She has written for the Boston Globe Magazine, Martha Stewart’s Whole Living online, and was the sole story researcher/ casting director for the hour-long primetime special, Sesame Street: Growing Hope Against Hunger, which won a 2012 Emmy Award. Ali has also co-authored The Cleaner Plate Club: Raising Healthy Eaters One Meal at a Time. She has spoken about food and hunger all over the country, and is a member of New England Science Writers. When not working, she wrangles children, drinks too much coffee, runs some, hangs out with friendly dogs, gazes at electron microscopy images of bugs, and teaches kids about storytelling and writing. She serves scrambled eggs for dinner far too often, and is a fan of a good mojito.