August 2019 Book, The Benefits of Being an Octopus

This month, Talk About Books is participating in the "Let's Read 2019" program supported in part by the Vermont Humanities Council. Multiple copies of The Benefits of Being of an Octopus  are available at the library.

Ann Braden's debut novel is written for juvenile readers but is being enjoyed by adults for its honest portrayal of poverty. She explores the cultural divides around class and the gun debate through the eyes of one girl living on the edges of society, trying to find her way forward.

Seventh grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. Not that her mom seems to appreciate it. At least there's Lenny, her mom's boyfriend - they all get to live in his nice, clean trailer.

At school, Zoey tries to stay under the radar. Since she is in an entirely different world than most of the other kids, she thinks about how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus with eight arms to do eight things at once; incredible camouflage ability and steady; unblinking vision; powerful protective defenses.

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