BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSSeventh grader Zoey Albro lives in a Vermont trailer park with her mom, her mom's boyfriend Lenny, his father Frank, and her three younger siblings, Bryce, Aurora, and baby Hector. Zoey handles most of the childcare, often arriving to school exhausted and without her homework, easy prey for a classmate like Kaylee Vine who holds her nose whenever Zoey walks by. When her social studies teacher Ms. Rochambeau spots something in Zoey that Zoey can't yet see in herself, she pushes her toward the school's after-school debate club, a step that sets off a chain of events forcing Zoey to decide what kind of person she wants to become.
Free Battle of the Books questions for The Benefits of Being an Octopus
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about The Benefits of Being an Octopus. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a girl hand her panicking brother rocks to hold so he calms down?
✓ Answer
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
When Bryce melts down near a busy road, Zoey gives him one rock at a time to hold until the frenzy leaves him. She learned the trick during a frightening day at a boat launch and uses it to ground him.
- First half
In what book does a girl learn her family might move in with a sketchy man who hates cats?
✓ Answer
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
Fuchsia is upset that her mom wants to move in with a man named Michael for cheaper rent, and she fears she will not be able to bring her kitten. The threat of moving again hangs over her throughout the story.
- First half
In what book does a teacher let a girl sit in her cushy rolling chair to picture her future?
✓ Answer
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
Ms. Rochambeau clears her desk, sits Zoey in her rolling chair with pretzels, and asks her to imagine the life she wants. She says the walls of the hole we are in are sometimes too close to see anything else.
- Second half
In what book does an angry man call a woman "Little Miss Clueless" during a fight?
✓ Answer
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
Through the hole over the washing machine, Zoey hears Lenny mock her mom as Little Miss Clueless during an argument about gas money. Zoey recognizes that Lenny is deliberately discrediting his opponent, a debate trick she just learned about.
- Second half
In what book does a man yell from his recliner, "BOTH OF YOU NEED TO SHUT UP"?
✓ Answer
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
When Bryce and Aurora start fighting, Frank erupts from his recliner like a volcano, which Zoey calls Mount Frank. The kids burst into tears and flee to the bedroom, showing how the trailer is a place where no one feels safe to make noise.
- Near the end
In what book does a girl chase a silent boy down the road to say she knows he is innocent?
✓ Answer
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
In only a thin hoodie, Zoey runs after Silas to tell him he had nothing to do with the shooting. A single tear escapes his squeezed-shut eyes, and he finally breaks his silence to say she is not like the rest of them.
