Moonrise Vs. The Benefits of Being an Octopus

  My vote for this round is definitely Moonrise by Sarah Crossan. I found it much more engaging than The Benefits of Being an Octopus. I think this book is suitable for Junior High School students. The short, free verse poems as a way of storytelling would keep them interested. The format reminds me of Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. We focus mainly on fairness and moral dilemmas for the Language Arts 8 book clubs at my school. This is an area that many grade 8 students are interested in and have an opinion about. I think they would enjoy this as an independent read far more than The Benefits of Being an Octopus. Onto the next round!