The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden

 Zoey struggles in school but that is only because she spends her time at home looking after three younger siblings.  She lives with her mother, her mother's boyfriend and his father, and three younger siblings in a small mobile home. Her clothes are old and worn out, and it is hard to get to the laundry mat to clean them regularly, so she often smells funky. When her sociology teacher challenges her to join the debate team, she feels like she would never fit in with the "rich kids" on the team. She attends the meetings anyway, and what she learns about "discrediting an opponent" makes her realize that the relationship between her mother and the boyfriend is not a healthy one.  But what can she do about it?

Sometimes if I finish a book and don't have any holds ready to check out, I just hit the "available now" button on Libby. One of the books that always comes up is this one. It did win a lot of awards when it came out, but I guess it is not super popular anymore.  I finally decided to give it a try.  It is well written and authentically conveys the problems that underprivileged kids face. I appreciate that the author showed how the stepfather manipulates and emotionally abuses the mother without actually hitting her. It could be a very valuable book for someone to read who might be, themselves, living in an emotionally abusive situation.  For the more casual reader, it is a little heavy, but I know kids who like the emotionally heavy books. (356, 2018)