Details

Length: 254
Story Build: Quick 
Character development: Fair
Age Recommendation: 6th grade and up
Reasoning: verbal abuse 

Summary and Details

I’ve had this book in my house for awhile, and recently, Melanie Roy made a list of social comprehension texts for my students to choose from for an independent reading project in my ELA class. This book was one that a student chose, and I remembered having a copy. I decided to read it, and it took me 24 hours to complete. 

This book reminded me a bit of The Thing about Jellyfish in that the author included many facts about a particular sea creature. Ha. In this novel, the main character, Zoey, knows many things about octopuses and finds herself wishing she were one. 

Zoey is the oldest of four kids, and she lives with her mother, her mother’s boyfriend, Lenny, and Lenny’s father, Frank, in Lenny’s trailer. As readers come to realize, this is the nicest place that Zoey has ever lived in; she and her mother have lived in poverty for all of Zoey’s life. 

However, even though Lenny’s place is nice, there is trouble beneath the surface. First, Zoey has most of the responsibility for her younger siblings, Bryce and Aurora, and the baby (Lenny and Zoey’s mom’s), Hector. She must get them off the bus and make sure they don’t bother Lenny or Frank. Furthermore, this keeps Zoey from completing her work for school, which causes nonstop disappointment and questioning from a very curious social studies teacher. Finally, Zoey is beginning to notice that her usually ambitious and strong mother is withering away and lacks confidence. 

Zoey starts to wonder if Lenny’s trailer, a place to call home, is worth all the trouble that she is having to endure. She also must decide if she wants to take on a debate club, which that annoying social studies teacher is pushing her to do. 

You root for Zoey and her intellect and street smarts. She is an excellent big sister and daughter, and  she is a role model for young girls for sure. You also want to find out if Zoey and her mother can find a way to support themselves without the help of Lenny… 

Celebrations

The way Braden is able to present the topic of poverty for young readers is thoughtful and insightful. It’s important for YA readers to understand the different socioeconomic statuses of the children in our nation and the struggles they may face. Braden definitely illustrates it in a way that is understandable for the young reader. Furthermore, she gives the audience women to root for and a protagonist who is thoughtful, strong, and courageous. 

Hesitations

Braden also tries to bring in the topic of gun control and gun laws through the debate team. I thought this was intriguing but also quite underdeveloped in terms of the plot. I liked the inclusion of the debate club as this helps Zoey in MANY ways, but the way that the social studies teacher pushed her into this particular topic seemed forced.