The Basics
Zoey's favorite animal & list 1 reason why this animal is her favorite.
Octopus; she wishes she had 8 arms to be able to handle all of her responsibilities.
Zoey Albro
The main character & the narrator; has to help take care of her siblings.
Bryce and Aurora throw toys at the TV.
When Bryce and Aurora throw toys at the TV during the football game commercials, Frank (Lenny's dad) yells at them and threatens them, which causes the toddlers to scream and run away. This reveals the Frank is [insert wc word]
“Some people can do their homework. Some people get to have crushes on boys. Some people have other things they've got to do.”
Zoey Albro
Conflict
Issues, disputes, or disagreements that happen between characters throughout a story.
The genre of The Benefits of Being an Octopus
Realistic fiction
Fuchsia/McKenna
Zoey's best friend, who has pink hair and an outgoing personality. Her mother struggles with addiction.
Zoey's mom does laundry.
Because the laundromat is a 40-minute walk away, Zoey's mom can usually only carry 1 load of laundry. Zoey adds a some of Bryce and Aurora's clothes and is happily surprised when her mom lets her add some of her own clothing.
"Your mother can't do it either."
Lenny
Debate
A spoken argument that requires the participants to be organized and use thoughtful counterclaims and rebuttals.
The setting (you must name all 4 to earn all the points--3 "where" and 1 "when")
Vermont, Zoey's middle school, Lenny's trailer, winter
Kaylee Vine
Zoey's bully; taunts and teases Zoey throughout the book
Zoey uses the toaster.
At home, Zoey struggles with the toaster (which clearly is broken) and looks to Lenny for help, but he dismisses her inability to work the toaster, saying that she’s just as incompetent as her mother.
"The only confident I am is confident that life’s never going to get any easier than this."
Zoey's mother, Kara
Blended family
A family composed of a couple and their children from the current marriage/relationship as well as previous marriage(s)/relationship(s).
The author of The Benefits of Being an Octopus
Ann Braden
Lenny
The owner of the trailer that Zoey and her family live in. He is liked by the neighbors, but can be intolerant to Zoey and her family.
Ms. Rochambeau asks Zoey to stay after class.
"That teacher wasn’t a fan of hunting." Silas shakes his head. "If he eats meat he sure isn’t thinking about where it comes from."
Silas
Poverty
Consistently not having enough money to meet one's basic needs (or meet them well) like food, shelter, and clothing.
Example: External; character vs character; Zoey has a lot on her plate because she has to take care of her siblings and she lives in poverty. This causes tension between her and her family as well as her peers.
Ms. Rochambeau
Zoey's social studies teacher who gives her tough love.
Zoey sees the refrigerator full of food.
At home, Zoey finds a stocked refrigerator and realizes that it’s the day that her mother’s EBT card has been refilled. At the Pizza Pit, her mom hopes that they can soon afford a washing machine. Seeing a glimpse of the confident mom that Kara used to be gives Zoey hope.
"Zoey, only you can choose what kind of person you become."
Ms. Rochambeau
Parentification
When a child takes on parental responsibility by taking care of a sibling or parent physically, mentally, or emotionally.