The Benefits of Being an Octopus: Chapters 7–13

by Ann Braden
At school, Zoey hopes no one will notice her. After school, she takes care of her younger siblings while her mom struggles to make ends meet. But when her social studies teacher asks Zoey to join the debate club, Zoey might finally learn to speak up for herself and her family.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–13, Chapters 14–20, Chapters 21–28
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. waver
    move or sway to and fro
    Her eyes don’t waver. “I needed to learn how to get people to take me seriously.”
  2. cackle
    emit a loud, unpleasant kind of laughing
    Lenny flies Hector up into the air to make him cackle a few times, and then hands him back to me.
  3. fickle
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    “Because that toaster’s fickle. It won’t let just anyone get it to work.”
  4. impenetrable
    not admitting of passage into or through
    Unfortunately, there are four hours between when I arrive at school and the Social Studies and Science Interdisciplinary Block. And even though I try to channel Silas’s impenetrable wall, stuff finds its way in anyway.
  5. blubber
    cry or whine with snuffling
    I’m going to be a blubbering, shaking mess.
  6. wince
    make a face indicating disgust or dislike
    “Spill it. What’s up? Annoying grown-ups? Freaky nightmares? Boy drama?” She sucks in her breath. “You winced! That’s it, isn’t it?”
  7. suspend
    bar temporarily
    Now she’s less likely to actually punch someone since middle school punishments equal getting suspended and having to spend the day at home with her mom, but that’s probably for the best.
  8. podium
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    If I had to stand up there at that podium, I’d probably blurt out “octopus” and pee myself.
  9. bustle
    move or cause to move energetically or busily
    Ms. Rochambeau is bustling about up in front, in charge of the whole thing.
  10. resolution
    something settled
    Ms. Rochambeau goes on about how a “resolution” is the statement in the debate that you’re either arguing for or against, and other stuff, too, like about how if you’re confident in what you say, people will take you more seriously.
  11. unscathed
    not injured
    I manage to make it through the period unscathed.
  12. fussy
    annoyed and irritable
    She glances at the kitchen. “Can you cover dinner? I know these last few days of the month are tight. And Hector’s been pretty fussy today. I think he’s teething.”
  13. hoist
    raise or haul up with or as if with mechanical help
    My mom puts on her jacket and hoists the laundry basket onto her hip.
  14. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    “No later than two?” My mom’s brow furrows, but only slightly.
  15. torte
    rich cake usually covered with cream, fruit, or nuts
    “It’s a day old, but it takes a lot for a donut to go bad. Crystal brought home some almond tortes, too, but I know you don’t like almond stuff.”
  16. slack
    avoid responsibilities and work, be idle
    “For forever. I promised Jane Kitty I’d score at least once the next time I played against you, so there’s no time for slacking.”
  17. wield
    handle effectively
    I try to keep a straight face, but I burst out laughing. Especially because now she has grabbed a cue stick from the pool table and is wielding it like she’s the very proud drum major in a very proud parade.
  18. sac
    a structure resembling a bag in an animal
    Octopuses have these little sacs called statocysts that respond to motion and gravity, so that their eyes can be totally unfazed, totally steady.
  19. faze
    disturb the composure of
    Octopuses have these little sacs called statocysts that respond to motion and gravity, so that their eyes can be totally unfazed, totally steady.
  20. apparently
    seemingly; as far as one can tell
    Hermit crabs in the science classroom don’t look down on me. The cat-drawing girl (whose name is apparently Lydia) is another story.
  21. excerpt
    a passage selected from a larger work
    Sure enough, when there’s just a few minutes left of class and my tentacles start working to gather up my papers, Ms. Rochambeau, who has been reading us excerpts from Daniel Webster’s, Henry Clay’s, and John Calhoun’s speeches in Congress about the Compromise of 1850, wanders over to my desk without missing a beat and rests her hand on my notebook.
  22. rummage
    search haphazardly
    She bends down and rummages in one of the cupboards behind her desk until she pulls out a bag of pretzels.
  23. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    “That assumes I have a choice,” I say.
  24. affect
    have an influence upon
    Ms. Rochambeau practically leaps out of her seat. “But you do have a choice. You make choices every day, and maybe you can’t see how they could affect your future, but they do.”
  25. vault
    a strongroom or compartment for safekeeping of valuables
    He’s like a vault of silence. He has perfected the expressionless wall.
  26. stock
    provide or furnish with a supply of something
    Today is the first of the month, which means a refilled EBT card, which means: A stocked fridge.
  27. accelerator
    a pedal that controls the throttle valve
    It’s like she’s my old mom again. The old mom who would zero in on a project like a laser. The old mom who told jokes. The old mom who would climb into her car and step on the accelerator like she meant it.
  28. fallout
    any adverse and unwanted secondary effect
    He traces his finger around its edges. “I was still so raw from the fallout after coming out to my parents, and I was starting to worry that I was only there because I was running away.”
  29. drone
    an aircraft without a pilot and operated by remote control
    Frank is still watching that show—this time it’s a secret government drone conspiracy that’s going to make everything go up in flames—and he doesn’t even notice me.
  30. console
    give moral or emotional strength to
    Lenny walks over to my mom like he’s going to console her.
Created on Tue May 14 11:58:53 EDT 2019 (updated Tue May 14 16:43:04 EDT 2019)

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