the benefits of being an octopus
MASL Book Trailer Winner
The Benefits of Being an Octopus: Kayla N. from Heritage Middle School
About the Author
Ann Braden writes books about kids struggling to find their voice amidst the realities of life. After Sandy Hook, she discovered her own voice and founded GunSenseVT, a group which helped pass landmark gun reform in Vermont to both support the second amendment and the safety of communities. Braden also founded the Local Love Brigade, in which chapters across the country send love postcards to those facing hate. She is a former middle school social studies teacher, the co-host of the children's book podcast, "Lifelines: Books That Bridge the Divide," and a co-organizer of #KidsNeed Mentors. She lives in southern Vermont with her husband, two children, and two "insatiable" cats, Boomer and Justice. The Benefits of Being an Octopus is Braden's debut middle grade novel. Check out her website for more information.
About the Book
Seventh grade would be better if Zoey was an octopus. She could easily care for her younger siblings with eight tentacles, camouflage herself in class when she's forgotten her assignment (again), and release black ink to escape the rich kids who don't have to worry about electricity in Lenny's trailer or clothes that don't quite fit. It's clear where the lines are drawn and on which side Zoey and her friends, Fuchsia and Silas, are stuck. Then a teacher reaches out and encourages her to join the school's debate team. Zoey is a quiet, insecure bystander until an incident challenges her to find her voice and realize that choices exist when it feels like there are none.
Awards/Recognition:
Bank Street List for Best Children’s Books of 2019
Vermont’s 2019-2020 Dorothy Canfield Fisher List
Maine’s 2019-2020 Student Book Award List
Rhode Island’s Middle School Book Award List
Louisiana’s Young Reader’s Choice Award List
Oklahoma’s Intermediate Sequoyah Book Award List
Missouri’s 2020-2021 Truman Book Award List
Virginia’s Middle School Reader’s Choice List
Kentucky Bluegrass Award Master List for Grades 6-8
Arkansas’s Charlie May Simon Award List
South Carolina’s 2020-2021 Junior Book Award List
Reviews:
"A heartbreaking, beautifully written book about finding one's voice."--School Library Journal, starred review
“A compassionate look at poverty, hard choices, and defending one’s right to be treated humanely.”--Newbery Award winner Karen Hesse
Resources / Teaching Ideas
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