The Benefits of Being an Octopus

This novel is a coming-of-age story—it’s about the protagonist’s growth from childhood to adulthood. Zoey Albro is in seventh grade throughout the novel. Identify a moment or moments when she “grows up.” What does that mean for her character arc? Cite specific examples from the text.

Zoey believes that the other students in school look down on her. What evidence can you find of this in the text? What changes her perception about her worth relative to other students?

The story is told from Zoey’s first-person point of view. How would the story differ if it were told from the perspective of another character? Choose a specific character and articulate their view of the same events.