The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin is a poignant and thought-provoking young adult novel about friendship, grief and coming to terms with loss. The story follows twelve-year-old Suzy after the sudden death of her best friend, Franny, as she becomes convinced that a poisonous jellyfish sting must have caused the tragedy and embarks on a quest to understand what happened. Through Suzy’s journey, the novel explores grief, acceptance, friendship, loneliness and the ways people try to make sense of events they cannot control.