It's more like 3.8 / 5.


I'll start with the good:
*The book deals with difficult topics; in a realistic way (despite being for a young audience/target). That’s a good thing that shows that all people can suffer in different forms.
*It’s reeeally painful, heartbreaking and intense. It hurt me so mucho reading the circumstances that Zoey and her family go through.
**It’s short and pretty easy to read, I finished in two sitting. The metaphors about being an octopus were warm and kinda melancholic at the same time.

What I didn't find so good:
*Despite the difficult issues, I feel that the way they are "solved" is very simple or easy. But again, I get “it” because it’s a middle school's book.
*I understand that no one is completely good or bad (specifically speaking of the issue of weapons); but I did feel that the author was a little pro-gun and I didn't like that very much.
* The resolution of the conflict and the final part with Matt, ugh.
* The characters don’t really have personality, aside from their problems.

Anyway, as a middle school teacher, it would be a book that I would recommend to my students so that they realize that their classmates (and everyone, actually) suffer in different ways and that doesn’t mean that they should be treated differently.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our library collection on preorder and will recommend it to students.

This is such a special book to me. We so rarely focus on poverty in a children's book and it shows. Given the amount of food insecurity we have in this country, this is a needed for students to know what it is like to be in need or that they are not alone.

One of my favorite books of all time! This book does a fantastic job of including so many of the obstacles that our students have to deal with on a daily basis-poverty, alcoholism, gun violence, relationships and so much more. You'll fall in love with Zoey and hope for only the best when it seems that everything tough is thrown her way. She tries her best to do it all but doesn't want any of her friends or teachers at school to know just how bad things are. I've read this book multiple times and continue to love it more and more.! It would be a great book club book for teachers/parents. It's important for adults to see what some kids are dealing with every single day.

I wasn't sure what to expect before reading. I admit part of me was actually expecting a novel about an octupus because my greatest weakness is not reading/remembering the snyopsis of novels but I was pleasently surprised by how impactful this novel ended up being.

I really enjoyed this middle grade novel. The MC, Zoey, is a badass. Growing up in poverty, the 7th grader is the primary caretaker of her three younger siblings (one an infant), herself, and attend school; she wishes she had 8 arms to be able to take care of everything she needs to. I was pissed at the mom for never listening to her and doing whatever her boyfriend who they were living with wanted and catering to his needs above her kids. I was also wary of Zoey's friendship with Fuschia, thinking she would bring Zoey down, but ultimately they helped each other out. It was definitely sad at times, but also hopeful.

This is an important book for everyone to read. Moving and powerful, it uncovers daily struggles some of our most vulnerable students struggle through.

This is a great book for any middle schooler who feels overwhelmed. Zoey doesn't have time for 7th grade clubs or sports -- she has to take care of her siblings and do homework while Mom works. It's tough living with Mom's boyfriend, but it's better than somewhere else.

Zoey learns so much about herself while taking care of others. This book is thoughtful and gripping.

I genuinely enjoyed meeting Zoey.; the use of the debate team was a great way to help Zoey find her voice. Many of my readers will identify with Zoey and I hope learn from her as well.

An easy read that is character driven, well written and relatable. Something i will come back to again and again.

This book gave me ALL the feels, and I don't know how I missed it in my middle school book roundup but it is going on the next one. It's an important book in that it will let some children feel represented and understood, and hopefully will afford empathy to others who are not in this situation. It is heartbreaking, challenging, empathetic, and full of grace.

The Benefits of Being an Octopus touches on both non-violent abuse - emotional abuse- and living in poverty. The topic is handled gracefully and carefully and sends a clear message that emotional abuse IS abuse. It also represents the struggles of students living in poverty beyond just the obvious.

Zoey is a strong, mature character - perhaps a bit too mature at times, but she has been through plenty to make her grow up fast. Her best friend Fuchsia faces equally challenging situations.

The heaviness is countered by Zoey's imagination. Her favorite animal is the octopus, and she imagines being an octopus with 8 arms would be helpful in accomplishing all that she needs to do. I also loved that a teacher saw something more in Zoey and encouraged (pushed) her into joining the debate club - which led to much of the revelations she experiences. This book celebrates all the difference a perceptive and caring teacher can make in the life of a child.

I know I'm not doing this book justice by this review - it was heartbreaking and lovely at the same time, truly moving, and beautifully written.
This is a book to be read by children and adults alike, and will likely generate interesting conversations.

This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book tackles some heavy topics for middle grade- poverty and domestic abuse, but does it well. I will be adding this book to the classroom library.

This is one of my favorite middle grade novels of the year! I just loved how real it was. I think many students will see themselves in this story. I have been telling everyone about it.

We need stories of poverty. More importantly, we need to see stories not of sudden poverty, but of long term struggles, of poverty as a general way of life. We need to see it as an ongoing reality rather than a quick loss and desperation to escape. We need to see it in degrees. And that's what Braden gives us here. This is a family that has been functionally homeless, jumping between housing situations. They stay in an emotionally unhealthy place because it is physically stable and finding anything else requires too much financial commitment. Braden explores the demands on caregiving children, the complexities of an abusive home, the gun debate, and, to a small degree, our cultural relationship with foster care. Some of these plot elements didn't entirely land. The opinions in the student gun debate are overly simplified and dismissive. Fuchsia's sub plot, too, is overly simplistic. With it's high concept ideas I would hesitate to spring it on unsuspecting young readers, but in the right environment it could inspire some wonderful and thought-provoking follow-up conversations.

This is a hard review to write. Not because it's a bad review, but because I have so many feelings about this book. All the feels. Tous les feels. My biggest feelings are both sadness and hope, both drawn with care and grace through Ann Braden's incredible writing. 

Braden's The Benefits of Being an Octopus is an emotional story of a young girl (7th grade) learning to take control of her life through difficult conditions. While this book is theoretically written for middle schoolers, I'm glad I picked it up. The writing itself is aimed for that age group staying simple and accessible. However, it never feels like she's dumbing down the language and is still approachable for higher level readers. 

Focusing on the experiences of Zoey, Braden's book, delves into what it's like to live through poverty and cycles of non-violent abuse. There's nothing particularly graphic or traumatizing about the content, and instead gives a great example of emotional abuse that isn't ok. At times Zoey does feel far more mature than the usual 7th grader. For instance, she learns and identifies behavioral issues that most adults struggle to identify. These moments provide a great show/learning moment for younger readers and a good reminder for older readers.

In focusing on Zoey's particular point of view, Braden has found a way to discuss a wider range of topics than just the poverty and abuse issues that Zoey herself is dealing with in her life. She uses education and background conversation to introduce without fully discussing wider ranging topics such as being careful about judging others and gun violence. While she does bring in some politics on the gun issue, she manages to give a rounded point of view that isn't hard one way or the other. A good learning moment for any middle schooler in this day and age where gun violence is already something that many students in the US may already be concerned about.

Ultimately, a very sweet book about a strong young girl facing not insurmountable difficulties, but definitely hard challenges, and learning to stand up for herself and others.

Please note: This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was one of the best books I've read this year! I loved the character of Zoey. She has so many responsibilities for a young girl.

Zoey is not doing well in school and at home she is a caretaker of her siblings for much of each day. She moves through this story as an octopus would move through the ocean, hiding while in plain sight. Throughout the story she learns to accept herself as a strong young lady with many opinions that need to be heard.

Her teacher introduces Zoey to debate and this club changes her view of herself. She becomes stronger and is able to make changes in her life to help those around her.

If you have students who are shy and you want to help them learn about how to speak up and empower themselves, this is the book for them! I run a debate team and I am going to purchase this book for each of my debates. I know they will love it. Thank you for writing such a deep, thoughtful story and sharing Zoey with us! We are all better for meeting her and learning about the power of voice!

This book was SO amazing! It covers some really tough topics in a really great way for the age group it is written towards. It touches on gun control, domestic abuse, bullying and teaching that even though you might be young you still have a voice and need to use it. Zoey is such a strong, intelligent main character and I instantly felt for her and her situation. She learns to stand up not only for herself but for her mother and her friends. I also really loved her teacher and hope there are some out there in real life like her. I would love to see all middle and even high school students reading this book. There is so much to learn from it!

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Skyhorse Publishing and Netgalley!

I loved this book and what it had to say and show. There is a big misconception out there that most poor people are lazy and don't work, or don't work hard enough. This story shows how people get caught up in the circle of just getting by which pivots on greedy people with the means to buy property charging too much for rentals that are barely livable and the people who have to live in them because they don't get paid a livable wage for doing hard work other people stick their noses up at; like emptying the soiled diaper bins at the nursing home and cleaning them out. Doing that every day, but never having any extra money, so you have to wear worn out clothes and you can't pay for dentist so your teeth go bad and that pretty much kills your chances to get a better job. I hope everyone reads this book, regardless of age, because most Haves dont seem to get what most Have-Nots go through to survive, and how substandard living conditions and scraping by affect how people act and react with one another.

The story also shows how just one adult understanding and believing in a child can change the trajectory of that child's life; and how when women come together to help each other out and lift each other up, instead of seeing each other as rivals, they can lay a foundation to build a better life for themselves and their children. Wonderful messages to be giving in a Middle Grade book.

I myself see this more as Young Adult. It's written the way YA (teen) books used to be written before all the YA publishing money-wheel spinning started. The characters are in seventh grade. It's nice to see a book written about teens still being appropriate, content wise, for most of the 7-11 readership.

The one star subtraction comes from the head-scratching inclusion of a thread about hunting bobcats. At one point I thought it was going to lead to the subject of some people using hunting as a way to put food on the table, but that was never discussed. Then I thought it was going to be a twist and have them find a bobcat, after spending months tracking them, and shoot it with a camera instead of a gun, to say if you are hunting for "sport" and the thrill of the hunt why not a framed photo instead of a stuffed dead trophy. However, a conversation about whether or not they were in season came into play. There were too many confusing inclusions about gun ownership, and frankly the whole gun ownership question wasn't needed in this story. A debate subject about universal healthcare, or a living wage, would have fit in better for making the final debate point.

This book breathes such story into the challenges of poverty - especially for moms and kids. I loved it and think its a perfect choice for a parent/child book club 3rd grade and up. Probably 4th grade and up independently.

This book has so many cool things about it. I loved that Zoey joins the debate club at school (even though at first she’s an unwilling participant). Her natural talent shows in the way she approaches problems and cares for her siblings, which made it so easy to cheer for her as she battled anxiety about speaking in front of her classmates. I loved her teacher, too. So many moments between Zoey and her teacher had me all teary-eyed. They share a kind of understanding that only someone who’s been through a similar thing can share, and it obviously changes Zoey’s life.

Zoey’s relationship with her mom also gripped me. Because her mom works, Zoey cares for her siblings a lot of the time, and sometimes relates to her mom more as a peer rather than as parent to child. Some of that is kind of sad, but it also showed the way that your relationship with a parent changes as you reach middle school age and start thinking about things differently. I loved the way Zoey’s debate club strategies became the tools she used at home, and the way those same lessons helped her uncover unhealthy patterns in her family.

In the acknowledgements, the author talks about how someone asked her to write about rural poverty so that kids growing up in those situations would have a chance to see themselves in a book. I’m so glad she did. This book made me think of so many kids.

One of the really fun things about the book is the way Zoey uses imagery about octopus behavior to describe how she feels at different times or things she wishes she could do (like have extra hands to manage her three small siblings). I loved those descriptions and how they appeared consistently through the book.
I actually picked up a copy of this book after reading another blogger’s review of it, and I’m so very glad I did. I need to go back and comment on the review say thanks! The Benefits of Being an Octopus definitely deserves a read. This is one of my top favorites for this year.