An Octopus Named Houdini

Here's "An Octopus Named Houdini." It was written by Zana Fraillon and illustrated by Corinna Luyken.

["All day long we can hear
that Sea howl prowling wild
inside our brains and every part of us is straining
to feel it taste it twirl it whirl it swirl it
inside our body
again.

Houdini the octopus lives in an aquarium, but she misses her home in the wild Sea. She doesn’t like the visitors who bang on her tank. Or the way she can’t feel the sun on her skin or the wind rippling the water. It’s a dull existence for a creature with nine brains.

Then one day she meets someone who is different than the others. Juno’s busy brain buzzes with so many questions and thoughts that Houdini’s skin tingles with wonder.

But the singing of the Sea is growing stronger and harder to resist. Can Houdini make Juno understand what she needs before it’s too late?"]

This book was beautiful. It was equal parts powerful and devastating. It was informative and inspiring. It was, I'm told, reminiscent of "Remarkably Bright Creatures." 

This book was about finding home and getting home and being home. It was about found family but also about freedom. It was about temporary safety but the dangerous choices leading to freedom winning out. It was about sympathy and empathy. It was about your heart not listening to your head.

It was also a novel in verse, and it flowed (ha, pun not originally intended). It was slow at first, but as soon as we met Juno, the book picked up. After that, I couldn't put it down. 

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