The Jellyfish Season

by Mary Downing Hahn

I thought becoming a teenager was going to be fun. Instead, the summer I turned thirteen my life turned upside-down. Dad lost his job and we moved into my aunt and uncle's beach house. Sounded great-but not When I had to share a room with my boy-crazy cousin Fay. Fay was having plenty of fun, but I just got to sit on the beach and watch. It seemed like Fay had the kind of teenage life I only dreamed of. But then the end of summer came and everything seemed different. It looked as if my life might even turn fun-side-up.

Genres: Young Adult, Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Juvenile, Coming Of Age

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

I grew up in a small shingled house down at the end of Guilford Road in College Park, Maryland. Our block was loaded with kids my age. We spent hours outdoors playing "Kick the Can" and "Mother, May I" as well as cowboy and outlaw games that usually ended in quarrels about who shot whom. In the summer, we went on day long expeditions into forbidden territory -- the woods on the other side of the train tracks, the creek that wound its way through College Park, and the experimental farm run by the University of Maryland.

In elementary school, I was known as the class artist. I loved to read and draw but I hated writing reports. Requirements such as outlines, perfect penmanship, and following directions killed my interest in putting words on paper. All those facts -- who cared what the principal products of Chile were? To me, writing reports was almost as boring as math.

Despite my dislike of writing, I loved to make up stories. Instead of telling them in words, I told them in pictures. My stories were usually about orphans who ran away and had the sort of exciting adventures I would have enjoyed if my mother hadn't always interfered.

When I was in junior high school, I developed an interest in more complex stories. I wanted to show how people felt, what they thought, what they said. For this, I needed words. Although I wasn't sure I was smart enough, I decided to write and illustrate children's books when I grew up. Consequently, at the age of thirteen, I began my first book. Small Town Life was about a girl named Susan, as tall and skinny and freckle faced as I was. Unlike her shy, self conscious creator, however, Susan was a leader who lived the life I wanted to live -- my ideal self, in other words. Although I never finished Small Town Life, it marked the start of a lifelong interest in writing.

In high school, I kept a diary. In college, I wrote poetry and short stories and dreamed of being published in The New Yorker. Unfortunately, I didn't have the courage or the confidence to send anything there.

By the time my first novel was published, I was 41 years old. That's how long it took me to get serious about writing. The Sara Summer took me a year to write, another year to find a publisher, and yet another year of revisions before Clarion accepted it.

Since Sara appeared in 1979, I've written an average of one book a year. If I have a plot firmly in mind when I begin, the writing goes fairly quickly. More typically, I start with a character or a situation and only a vague idea of what's going to happen. Therefore, I spend a lot of time revising and thinking things out. If I'd paid more attention to the craft of outlining back in elementary school, I might be a faster writer, but, on the other hand, if I knew everything that was going to happen in a story, I might be too bored to write it down. Writing is a journey of discovery. That's what makes it so exciting.

Reviews

[April]

Was, and still is, my favorite young adult novel. I've owned 7 copies, 'cause I was always loaning it out to people, saying they had to read it, and they all liked it so much they'd keep it.

[Nicole]

I read this book while I was in middle school and I will never forget it. A story that touched my heart while I was "coming of age".

[Novelesque Life]

4.5 STARS

"I thought becoming a teenager was going to be fun. Instead., the summer I turned thirteen my life turned upside-down. Dad lost his job and we moved into my aunt and uncle's beach house. Sounded great-but not When I had to share a room with my boy-crazy cousin Fay. Fay was having plenty of fun, but I just got to sit on the beach and watch. It seemed like Fay had the kind of teenage life I only dreamed of. But then the end of summer came and everything seemed different. It looked as if my life might even turn fun-side-up." (From Amazon)

Read so many time during my childhood, teens and even now. It is like a comfy old blanket.

[Raquel]

I'm reading a bunch of nostalgia MG and YA for some summer escapism. If I had originally read this one as a kid, I would have resonated hard with it. My feelings of always being "behind" my peers, and the anxiety over my body and not fitting in with teens who weren't obedient and dutiful... I would have felt a real kinship with main character Kathleen.

I appreciate the fact that adults and parents in these books are often, frankly, kinda shitty people. It's reality that plenty of kids have crappy parents or parents who act ridiculous. The YA of the 80s and 90s got it right in that regard.

[Catherine]

I have students who will like this book, but I don't think it aged well, meaning it was written in 1985 and seems quite dated. The characters are annoying and not very bright; there wasn't one I cared for, and the parents are written flat and selfish. I'm not much for one dimensional characters. This book didn't make me laugh or cry. Hahn has better books in her collection, but like my students, I'll still give anything she writes a chance.

[Chloe :)]

This was a sweet story about a young girl doing her best in non-ideal situations. Kathleen handles her father's unemployment and moving in with her hateful cousin with grace. Then, things become tense as she forced to keep a secret and the adults around her talk in hushes whispers.
I loved the themes of sisterhood and family. Despite their differences or arguments, these girls will always stick together.

[Erin Lee]

This book definitely is reminiscent of another time, when parents let their children have some autonomy without having to worry about the constant looming threat of "stranger danger." Some aspects didn't stand well the test of time and other aspects encapsulate the uncertainty of being an awkward pre-teen. Not one of Hahn's best, but definitely not one of her worst, either.

[Bud]

It's one of the great injustices in American literature that Mary Downing Hahn is not acknowledged as the greatest living author of young adult fiction. Her books set in history or horror are most beloved, but many times she wrote simply about being a kid in an unkind and unfair world, not in any extraordinary time or haunting circumstance, and did so with tenderness and a talent for making her characters so relatable for young readers (or older ones remembering their own adolescence, either wistfully or mournfully).
In "The Jellyfish Season," Kathleen is dealt the unfortunate hand of moving away from home the summer she turns thirteen, due to her father losing his job; her family moves in with a pack of relatives who have troubles of their own, and it's not hard to imagine how rotten a summer Kathleen has. But Mary Downing Hahn, as usual, treats a downtrodden and weary character with such empathy that the reader roots for them, even when things don't seem like they're going to turn out hunky dory.
"The Jellyfish Season" is a hidden gem of young adult fiction; a highly recommended read for young people.

[Just Can't Pick a Book]

Honestly, of all the Mary Downing Hahn books, this one is just not at the top of my rating list. There are definitely some important coming-of-age themes and life lessons in this book, but if I was trying to get someone into MDH's work, this would not be one of my first picks, and based on the plot, I would recommend this book (and most MDH books) to upper middle grades.

At the beginning of the story, Kathleen, her mother, and her sisters must move to her aunts house in Chesapeake Bay. Her dad lost his job, and the financial struggles were too great to stay where they were living. She shares a room with her cousin who is older and quite a bit different than her. Will the girls become friends? Or will it be a long, boring summer for Kathleen?

Genre: Fiction (Coming of Age)
Themes: Family Stress, Self-Esteem, Relationships
CEFR: B1-B2
Lexile: 860

[Maddie]

Amazing book, I wish I could remember when I first read it, I must have been about 11/12ish..I think my mum picked it up for me at the village fete! I’m 23 now so for it to have stuck in my mind that long it must be good! Perfect coming of age story, would recommend to anyone around that age. It seems to have stood the test of time too as I would have read this in about 2009/2010 and it didn’t feel to out of date surprisingly even though it was already pretty old. Love a lot of Mary’s other work too!

[Jini Da9978]

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[Abeera]

Let’s starts

[LATOYA SCOTT]

My first time reading this book was elementary school . Cherished those days. These books are apart of our memories. I loved The Jellyfish Season.

[iuza]

i love summer book vibes but i wish this book was longer than i expected :)

[Kelsey Spaniel]

One of my absolute favorite books as a kid. Read it so many times and wore out both my copies

[Amanda Reads]

A captivating coming of age story. Couldn’t put it down.

[Rachel]

One of my favorite Downing Hahn books; Kathleen, a pre-teen and eldest of four (soon to be five) girls, must keep her family together as her parents suffer hardships and keep secrets from her. Entering into the secret-keeping world herself, she's bound to keep her bitchy, cousin, Fay's, secret about an older boy she's dating. When both of these worlds unravel, Kathleen and Fay find they have a strong bond to lean on.

[Staci Wyatt]

I read this book in
middle school and I loved it! A friend gave it to me and at first I didn't think I'd like it but the more I read the more I liked it. I've been looking everywhere for a copy of this book and have had no luck. I highly recommend this book to everyone who hasn't read it, you won't be sorry.

[Laura Hoskins]

Mary Downing Hahn was one of my favorite authors growing up. I'd love to get a copy of this book and read it again. From what I can remember it was about a girl who has to adjust to her new step family and has run-ins with her step-sister. She moves somewhere on the coast in the summer and the jellyfish wash up on the shore hence the title the jellyfish season.

[Nicole]

its been awhile... i read this book when i was thirteen and i remember thinking "here is another girl like me that everyone in the world is against" which makes it the perfect coming of age story because what teenager doesnt feel like that more than half the time. the most relate-able book i read at that age.

[Candace]

I re-read this one today and while it only took me a short time to do so, I still think that it is a great book for young girls to read. I loved Mary Downing Hahn's books when I was younger and I still love them now. I can't wait until my daughter is old enough to read them too.

[Angie]

I read this book over and over when I was a teen.

[Brandi]

This was one of my favorites to read when I was an early teen. I read it over and over.

[Celeste]

Cool.

[Michelle]

One of my favs when I was younger

[Tiani]

when i read this book for a book report i was so happy with the book that after the report i brought it home and read it again. i give this book and a+

[Annabelle Herbert]

How do you even read books on this thing. forget it, i am gonna use another site sowwy=(

[Karina]

This was another favorite!

[Allison]

I don't remember reading this book... Maybe I judged the book by it's cover (or the back cover synopsis).

[Bianca Warner]

Read this book numerous times. I think that the characters are very vivid as well as the feelings. I'll forever love it.