The Benefits of Being an Octopus

This engrossing debut novel...takes the reader on her journey from the dire side of the class divide to a life of cautious hope as she learns the world is big enough for choices, actions, and results.

Gr 5-8--Zoey is a seventh grader in rural Vermont. Her mother works a low-wage job and the family is impoverished. Zoey must care for her three younger siblings, there often isn't enough food to eat, and her clothes are almost never clean. Completing homework is often impossible. On top of all this, they live with her mother's boyfriend, Lenny, who is moody and sometimes mean. Zoey knows that if she could be like an octopus, her favorite animal, she would be better able to handle all these demands, as well as camouflage herself when necessary. Zoey's English teacher reaches out and convinces her to join the school debate club. While the protagonist is reluctant at first, she finds she enjoys it. Over time, she learns about debate tactics, like discrediting your opponent, and realizes that Lenny has been manipulating her mother. Another plot point involves gunshots in the school parking lot, which are blamed on a student who lives in the same trailer park as Zoey. This heartbreaking, beautifully written book about finding one's voice will offer some readers a relatable reflection and others a window that can help build empathy and understanding. VERDICT Braden's story raises many thought-provoking and timely questions about the difficulty of escaping poverty and the prevalence of gun violence. Highly recommended.--Laura Gardner, Dartmouth Middle School, MA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

NPR Best Book of 2018
Bank Street List for Best Children's Books of 2019
2020 Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award Nominee
2021 South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominee
2020-2021 Truman Award​ (Missouri) Nominee
Middle School Virginia Readers' Choice Titles for 2020-2021​
Charlie May Simon Award 2020-2021 List
Iowa Teen Award List 2020-2021
Named to the Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher List, Maine's Student Book Award List, Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award List, Rhode Island Middle School Book Award 2020 List

"This heartbreaking, beautifully written book about finding one's voice will offer some readers a relatable reflection and others a window that can help build empathy and understanding." — School Library Journal, Starred Review

"This accomplished debut novel looks at poverty and domestic violence through the eyes of Zoey, who helps take care of three younger siblings for her overworked mother. While author Ann Braden tackles complex issues without being preachy, this is ultimately the story of a girl who wants better for her family—and the risks she's willing to take to achieve it. Zoey's voice is funny without self-pity, and it's easy to see how a perceptive debate teacher might notice her when others don't. The Benefits of Being an Octopus will change the way you see things, too." — Lisa Yee, author, most recently of the DC Super Hero Girls series, for NPR's Best Books of 2018

"The Benefits of Being an Octopus is a beautiful, layered look at the courage it takes to stand up to and stand up for the people you love—including yourself. Braden's story captivated me and carried me along, leaving me changed for the better. — Elaine Vickers, author of Like Magic and Paper Chains

"With grace and heart and words masterfully woven, The Benefits of Being an Octopus captures the quiet and loud masks of domestic violence. Braden navigates the complexities of choice and power and the meaning of courage. And how sometimes together, we can find our voice and our strength." — Elly Swartz, author of Finding Perfect and Smart Cookie

"This wise book knows we can't always keep the people we love safe. But it also knows that courage and compassion can sometimes turn lives around. You will care so fiercely about Zoey — the octopus-loving, truth-telling young heroine that you'll want to wrap all eight of your own arms around her." — Anne Nesbet, author of California Book Award winner, Cloud, and Wallfish

"You are seen. You are heard. You are loved." In a perfect world, every child would know these three absolutes. Ann Braden shares this message with her readers in a funny, poignant story about Zoey, her siblings, their mother, and one very special teacher. An octopus might be the most clever creature, but it can't hold a candle (or eight) to Braden's masterfully constructed prose." — K. A. Holt, author of House Arrest