Starcast Join the waitlist
NPR's Book of the Day

NPR's Book of the Day

In 'The Jellyfish Problem,' an introverted scientist is called in to help an island

Jun 24, 2026 · 6m

Coming soon to iPhone. Already have it? “Listen in Starcast” takes you straight there.

On this episode

About this episode

Author Tessa Yang describes her The Jellyfish Problem protagonist as an "introverted, know-it-all dork." In the novel, Jo, a marine biologist, gets a call from her unrequited college crush, Nadia, who has a request. Nadia lives on a remote island, where they’re having a problem with a giant creature. Can Jo help? In today’s episode, Yang speaks with NPR’s Elissa Nadworny about similarities between Jo and the story’s central monster – and whether this book makes a good beach read. To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data…