Social media is choked with inspirational viral photos and videos of unusual animal friendships, but My Octopus Teacheris something very different. A year-long diary about one man and one octopus, it’s full of genuine wonder about the natural world, and frames the central relationship in terms that go beyond the mere “Aww, that’s cute!” response. I would love to read this book aloud to a group of children and it also lends itself well to a topic about the Victorian era, which it captures so well. Hopefully this is destined to become a classic.

Dan Schindel is a freelance writer and copy editor living in Brooklyn, and a former associate editor at Hyperallergic. His portfolio and links are here. Set in 1893, My Friend The Octopus is my second historical adventure with an animal at its heart, this time featuring Vinnie, a girl who finds herself staying with an aunt she barely knows at a seafront terrace teashop above Brighton aquarium. She starts investigating the disappearance of her mother, while also making a unique friend in the biggest octopus England has ever seen. It’s a twisty mystery with a truly toxic villain and some unlikely heroes. Also featuring, art, journalism, child-labour, cake and poison ... Night Mayor Franklefink has vanished from the Transylvanian Express - and it's up to you to solve the case! Part of the Solve Your Own Mystery seri...Then, the arrival of a giant Octopod gives her something to draw. The octopus, she calls it Ghost, seems to like her. Running throughout the book is the mystery surrounding Mrs Fyfe’s disappearance. I enjoyed this aspect of the plot very much. Mr Jedders is a wonderfully sinister villain. And the plot twists relating to this part of the story were unexpected and brilliant.

The characters are full of depth – such as Vinnie, a budding illustrator and Charlie, a hopeful journalist. All the characters show a lot of growth through the book, which is lovely to read. The detail in the story really captures the essence of Victorian England and it is full of wonderful octopus facts! I may be biased but Ghost is my favourite character for sure! I’d seen the ‘this book in three words’ section on the blurbs of children’s books before, and I previously found they did not disappoint. However, I am sorry to say, this book is neither ‘mysterious’ nor is it particularly ‘gripping’ - the first time I have not agreed with the three-word book descriptions. My Friend The Octopus is fairly sweet, and reasonably charming for small children, though it does not fulfil its purpose in acting as a historical mystery. If My Friend The Octopus had been classed simply as a story of friendship rather than something to solve, I would have found it much easier to enjoy.The arrival of a giant octopus changes her life for ever. Discovering a talent for art, Vinnie begins to draw the extraordinary beast. The second middle-grade historical adventure by critically acclaimed Lindsay Galvin, author of Darwin's Dragons, this is a gripping Victorian mystery with a touching connection between a young girl and an octopus at its heart. It includes strong STEM and natural history themes with an underwater twist! Foster was also a producer via his involvement with the Sea Change Project, [12] and his wife, Indian environmental journalist Swati Thiyagarajan, was production manager for the film. [13] The incredible octopus, Ghost, serves as a central character, revealing its astonishing capabilities and emotional depth: it helped that I had read several octopus non-fiction texts prior to this. I felt like I already knew Ghost. The bond between Vinnie and Ghost is particularly heartwarming, drawing readers even closer to this fascinating animal. This book was donated to our school by Julia, at the new local bookshop Ottie and the Bea in Framlingham. I kept it to read first!

The two mysteries of the story meet in a grand finale, where human characters reveal their true colours, just as Ghost is losing hers. But this book is not only dark. It is also filled with wonderful moments... such as Vinnie doing something unseemly as going swimming for the first time. Friendship. Gaining a new hobby and being very good at it. Baking. So many wonderful and lovely firsts that make you feel all warm and cosy. InterNewsCast (19 September 2020). "Where was 'My Octopus Teacher' on Netflix Filmed?". Internewscast . Retrieved 19 October 2020. There is something about Octopuses that makes The Husband and I absolutely adore them (it probably Cthulhu and Kraken related). So when I saw this cover in the middle grade section and saw it was set in Victorian England, I obviously had to get it. Neglia, Matt (10 January 2021). "The 2020 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Nominations". Next Best Picture . Retrieved 26 January 2021.

The (K)helpful forests of South Africa". CapeNature. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021 . Retrieved 19 November 2020.