Some people can do their homework. Some people get to have crushes on boys. Some people have other things they've got to do.

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. Her only friend Fuchsia has her own issues, and since they're in an entirely different world than the rich kids, it's best if no one notices them.

Zoey thinks how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus: eight arms to do eight things at once. Incredible camouflage ability and steady, unblinking vision. Powerful protective defenses.

Unfortunately, she's not totally invisible, and one of her teachers forces her to join the debate club. Even though Zoey resists participating, debate ultimately leads her to see things in a new way: her mom’s relationship with Lenny, Fuchsia's situation, and her own place in this town of people who think they're better than her. Can Zoey find the courage to speak up, even if it means risking the most stable home she's ever had?

Zoey, a seventh grade student, wants so badly to be an octopus. Even though she's only in seventh grade, she does not have enough time in the day to juggle all of the events going on in her life. Between getting caught up on school work, dealing with a poverty-stricken home, an abusive step dad, and trying to be a pre-teen girl, she can't do it all with her two human arms. Things change when Ms. Rochambeau volunteers (voluntells) Zoey to join the debate team. Zoey is cont confident enough to actually participate in the debate team, but she learns a lot about life- specifically hers. Zoey uses her newly found debate skills to convince her mom to leave her abusive boyfriend, and support their family without him. ( )

I'm not a young adult, a teacher, or a librarian so I can’t say how well this works as a middle grade novel. I can say it worked for me because of the audiobook's excellent narration and the sensitive way it told the story of a young girl holding her family together while helping her mother regain her self-esteem. It described poverty in a realistic manner, showing how it can trap women and children in abusive situations, but still managed to remain upbeat. What I especially liked about it was the emotional honesty of the main character and how she'd imagine herself as an octopus when things got out of hand. It was easy to feel like this was genuinely being told from the viewpoint of a young girl struggling to meet challenges beyond her years. ( )

Seventh-grader Zoey lives in rural Vermont and takes care of her three siblings after school while her mom works at a pizza shop; they live now with mom's boyfriend, Lenny, in a nice trailer where everything is neat and organized - but they still struggle to stay afloat, Zoey can't get her homework done or do any after-school activities, and under the surface Lenny wants to control more than just the way his CDs are alphabetized. When Zoey's teacher Ms. Rochambeau insists she join debate - even driving her afterward so she can meet the Head Start bus to get her siblings - Zoey learns about "discrediting your opponent," and eventually inspires her mom to break away from Lenny. A subplot involves Zoey's friend Fuchsia, whose mom is planning to move in with someone who threatened her with a gun, and the gun debate in a community of hunters. A stellar novel that shines a light on kids in poverty, and how they can fall - or not - through the cracks.

Quotes

And telling stories means I get to spend time in a world where the person in charge of what happens is me. (16)

"A debate is always about getting someone to look at things in a new way." (Ms. Rochambeau, 61)

"Only you can choose what kind of person you become." (Ms. Rochambeau, 94)

I know how easy it can be for everything to suddenly become a nightmare. (128)

I don't know what to say. How is it possible to have no visible cage around you, but to be so trapped? (208)

"Now that I can see the way out, I want out." (Zoey's mom, 229)

"I think sometimes you need to have your back up against the wall to find out what you're made of. And you just haven't had that happen to you yet." (Zoey to Matt, 243) ( )

A book that really deserves a wide audience of all ages. It's relevant to the times and yet has a timeless quality that should resonate with readers. ( )