The Benefits of Being an Octopus
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The Benefits of Being an Octopus
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Narrated by:
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Amy Melissa Bentley
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By:
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Ann Braden
About this listen
Seventh-grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. Not that her mom seems to appreciate it. At least there's Lenny, her mom's boyfriend - they all get to live in his nice, clean trailer.
At school, Zoey tries to stay under the radar. Her only friend, Fuchsia, has her own issues, and since they're in an entirely different world than the rich kids, it's best if no one notices them.
Zoey thinks how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus: eight arms to do eight things at once. Incredible camouflage ability and steady, unblinking vision. Powerful, protective defenses.
Unfortunately, she's not totally invisible, and one of her teachers forces her to join the debate club. Even though Zoey resists participating, debate ultimately leads her to see things in a new way: her mom's relationship with Lenny, Fuchsia's situation, and her own place in this town of people who think they're better than her. Can Zoey find the courage to speak up, even if it means risking the most stable home she's ever had?
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 536
Lucy Callahan was struck by lightning. She doesn't remember it, but it changed her life forever. The zap gave her genius-level math skills, and ever since, Lucy has been homeschooled. Now, at 12 years old, she's technically ready for college. She just has to pass 1 more test--middle school!
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4 out of 5 stars
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great empowering atory
- By a reader from Miami, FL on 05-24-19
By: Stacy McAnulty
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The Wednesday Wars
- By: Gary D. Schmidt
- Narrated by: Joel Johnstone
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 827
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 707
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 705
Meet Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High who must spend Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while the rest of the class has religious instruction. Mrs. Baker doesn’t like Holling - he’s sure of it. Why else would she make him read the plays of William Shakespeare outside class? But everyone has bigger things to worry about, like Vietnam.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Happy Book
- By David Tousey on 11-01-20
By: Gary D. Schmidt
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The Science of Breakable Things
- By: Tae Keller
- Narrated by: Jennifer Kim
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 109
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 89
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 90
When Natalie’s science teacher suggests that she enter an egg drop competition, she thinks it could be the perfect solution to all of her problems. With the prize money, she can fly her botanist mother to see the miraculous Cobalt Blue Orchids—flowers with the resilience to survive against impossible odds. Her mother has been suffering from depression, and Natalie is positive that the flowers’ magic will inspire her mom to fall in love with life again.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Awesome.
- By angie marquez on 09-12-18
By: Tae Keller
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One Crazy Summer
- By: Rita Williams-Garcia
- Narrated by: Sisi Aisha Johnson
- Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,286
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,085
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,080
Eleven-year-old Delphine and her younger sisters Vonetta and Fern travel to Oakland to meet their mother, Cecil, who abandoned their family years earlier. But even when Cecil gets them to her house, she shows no interest and seems to view them as nothing but a nuisance.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great family road trip book!
- By Iris J. Scott Love on 03-16-16
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Soul of an Octopus
- A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness
- By: Sy Montgomery
- Narrated by: Sy Montgomery
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,762
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,340
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,346
Sy Montgomery's popular 2011 Orion magazine piece, "Deep Intellect", about her friendship with a sensitive, sweet-natured octopus named Athena and the grief she felt at her death, went viral, indicating the widespread fascination with these mysterious, almost alien-like creatures. Since then Sy has practiced true immersion journalism, from New England aquarium tanks to the reefs of French Polynesia and the Gulf of Mexico, pursuing these wild, solitary shape-shifters.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Eight legs and so much more!
- By Kirstin on 07-02-15
By: Sy Montgomery
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Rebound
- By: Kwame Alexander
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 3 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 201
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 158
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Story5 out of 5 stars 160
Before Josh and Jordan Bell were streaking up and down the court, their father was learning his own moves. In this prequel to Newbery Medal winner The Crossover, Chuck Bell takes center stage, as listeners get a glimpse of his childhood and how he became the jazz music worshiping basketball star his sons look up to. A novel in verse with all the impact and rhythm listeners have come to expect from Kwame Alexander, Rebound will go back in time to visit the childhood of Chuck "Da Man" Bell during one pivotal summer when young Charlie is sent to stay with his grandparents, where he discovers basketball and learns more about his family's past.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Book
- By Cookie crumbs on 07-09-19
By: Kwame Alexander
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The Unteachables
- By: Gordon Korman
- Narrated by: Sarah Beth Goer, Oliver Wyman, Josh Hurley, and others
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,242
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,052
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Story5 out of 5 stars 1,051
A hilarious new middle grade novel from beloved and best-selling author Gordon Korman about what happens when the worst class of kids in school is paired with the worst teacher. The Unteachables never thought they’d find a teacher who had a worse attitude than they did. And Mr. Kermit never thought he would actually care about teaching again. Over the course of a school year, though, room 117 will experience mayhem, destruction - and maybe even a shot at redemption.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Awesome story, thoroughly enjoyable!
- By Debbie on 04-22-19
By: Gordon Korman
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Starfish
- By: Lisa Fipps
- Narrated by: Jenna Lamia
- Length: 3 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 413
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 344
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Story5 out of 5 stars 342
Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth-birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules - like "no making waves", "avoid eating in public", and "don't move so fast that your body jiggles". And she's found her safe space - her swimming pool - where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It's also where she can get away from her mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie's weight will motivate her to diet.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Perfection!
- By JENNE ESTES on 07-02-21
By: Lisa Fipps
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Homecoming
- By: Cynthia Voigt
- Narrated by: Barbara Caruso
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 372
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 315
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 323
On Saturday morning, 13-year-old Dicey Tillerman sits in the car at the shopping mall with her younger sister and two brothers. Momma had said, "You be good." Then she walked away. They wait for a day and a night, but Momma never comes back. Finally, Dicey decides the children should go to Bridgeport, Connecticut where Aunt Cilla lives. Maybe Momma is waiting for them there. But they don't have enough money to take the bus. Determined to keep the family together, Dicey sets off on foot with her siblings.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The BEST audible book!
- By KP on 04-20-17
By: Cynthia Voigt
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Snow Treasure
- By: Marie McSwigan
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 302
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 233
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 235
For 12-year-old Peter Lundstrom, the Norwegian winter of 1940 begins like any other. When he isn’t in school, he spends the cold days outside, going sledding in the deep snow of his mountain village. But all around him, the adults are talking about the war that is raging through much of Europe. One day Uncle Victor warns that German soldiers will invade soon. He believes they will try to steal the bank’s gold bullion. But he has a daring plan to protect the treasure.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great story 🙂
- By Angie Brock on 10-19-18
By: Marie McSwigan
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Simon Sort of Says
- By: Erin Bow
- Narrated by: Will Collyer
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 49
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 42
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 42
Simon O'Keeffe's biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or maybe the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he'd do anything to forget: the story in which he's the only kid in his class who survived a school shooting. Two years after the infamous event, twelve-year-old Simon and his family move to the National Quiet Zone—the only place in America where the internet is banned.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Todays issues
- By Celeste on 01-26-25
By: Erin Bow
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Look Both Ways
- By: Jason Reynolds
- Narrated by: Heather Alicia Simms, Chris Chalk, Bahni Turpin, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 278
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 210
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 207
From National Book Award finalist and New York Times best-selling author Jason Reynolds comes a genre-defying new novel that serves as an homage to sharing the stories we all hold within ourselves.
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5 out of 5 stars
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We all have a point of view.
- By Schuhmacher22 on 02-12-20
By: Jason Reynolds
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Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
- Life of a Cactus Series, Book 1
- By: Dusti Bowling
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,127
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 970
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 964
The audio edition of the best-selling middle grade novel about a spunky girl born without arms and a boy with Tourette syndrome navigating the challenges of middle school, disability, and friendship - all while solving a mystery in a western theme park. Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is that she was born without them.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Ever wish a fictional character was real?
- By Audiobookaddict1 on 05-04-20
By: Dusti Bowling
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The Probability of Everything
- By: Sarah Everett
- Narrated by: Jordan Cobb
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 20
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 20
Eleven-year-old Kemi Carter loves scientific facts, specifically probability. It's how she understands the world and her place in it. Kemi knows her odds of being born were 1 in 5.5 trillion, and that the odds of her having the best family ever were even lower. Yet somehow, Kemi lucked out. But everything Kemi thought she knew changes when she sees an asteroid hover in the sky, casting a purple haze over her world. Amplus-68 has an 84.7% chance of colliding with earth in four days, and with that collision, Kemi’s life as she knows it will end.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Best to read without any info
- By Chance on 07-08-23
By: Sarah Everett
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The Thing About Jellyfish
- By: Ali Benjamin
- Narrated by: Sarah Franco
- Length: 5 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 613
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 523
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Story4 out of 5 stars 520
After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy was a rare jellyfish sting. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory - even if it means traveling the globe alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Highly Disappointed
- By Book Girl on 07-13-16
By: Ali Benjamin
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Rules
- By: Cynthia Lord
- Narrated by: Jessica Almasy
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 961
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 747
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 755
Catherine, a 12-year-old girl with big responsibilities, loves her autistic younger brother David and makes lists of rules she thinks will help him get by. But she often feels that her parents, focused on special care for David, forget that she exists, too.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Honest story with a touching ending for ALL ages
- By Ingrid on 10-20-12
By: Cynthia Lord
it is for the ages it's recommended to
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Great book with challenging subjects
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Great Book
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I also loved that this author showed topics from multiple points of view and didn’t vilify people for what they believed or enjoyed. Definitely an exercise in empathy and understanding.
Very well done.
Tough topics handled brilliantly
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Great read
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Narrator
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really good book
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moving away part
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Real life problems told in a great way.
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An Amazing Book
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