Just before the start of seventh grade, Suzy learns that Franny drowned while on vacation in Maryland. No one finds out that Suzy did it, and a summer of guilt and sadness follows. The urine melts by the time Franny arrives and is discovered by everyone in the hall, but Franny does not make the connection to how much she has hurt Suzy-in fact, she never even looks at Suzy, and instead goes down the hall in tears with her urine-soaked possessions. Suzy chooses the clearest message she can conceive: on the last day of sixth grade, she arrives to school early and places frozen disks of her own urine through the slats of Franny’s locker. Suzy recalls that Franny once made Suzy promise to send a clear sign if Franny’s behavior ever paralleled that of snotty Aubrey LaValley in their grade-with whom, ironically, Franny is now close. Soon, Suzy is hardly able to recognize Franny on the sixth grade campout near the year’s end, Franny stands by as a boy smashes a frog against a tree to impress her, and one night, Suzy suspects Franny of spitting on Suzy while she lays in her sleeping bag. Suzy and Franny grow apart, and Suzy spends much of her time at school alone.
In sixth grade at Eugene Field Memorial Middle School, Franny makes new friends, but when she attempts to introduce Suzy to them, Suzy inadvertently embarrasses Franny with “weird” conversation topics. In fifth grade, the last year before the start of middle school, Suzy’s world changes in several ways: her parents decide to divorce, her father moves out, her older brother leaves to attend college, and Franny begins to show interest in boys. Content in their relationship, Suzy continues her close friendship with Franny throughout elementary school. Suzy and Franny are so close growing up that teachers recommend Suzy “branch out” and make other friends.
Seventh grader Suzy Swanson thinks often of her former best friend Franny Jackson. She intends to prove her theory even if she must leave the country to do it. Grief and confusion augment Suzy’s growing understanding of the complexity of her world though Suzy is unable to accept the senselessness of Franny’s death, Suzy hypothesizes that Franny’s death resulted from a jellyfish sting. Though Suzy tries to regain the balance in their friendship, she is confused when her attempts to stay close to Franny do not work, and Suzy is left feeling sad and anxious. Suzy’s best friend is Franny Jackson, but upon entering middle school, Franny makes new friends. The coming-of-age novel demonstrates the challenges of growing up, especially around matters of friendship.
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