OCTOPUS MOON, by Bobbie Pyron, Nancy Paulsen Books, March 25, 2025, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 10 and up)
Fifth grade becomes overwhelming for a girl who struggles with depression in Octopus Moon, a novel in verse by Bobbie Pyron.
Pearl loves watching the majestic loggerhead turtles and octopuses glide through the water at the aquarium. Pearl finds it especially easy to identify with the octopuses, who have millions of touch receptors all over their bodies. They feel everything. Sometimes, Pearl wishes she was more like a turtle, with a hard outer shell—it hurts too much to feel everything.
And the changes at the start of fifth grade don’t feel good to Pearl at all. New teachers, lockers, and being in different classes than her friends is unsettling. Pearl tries her best to pretend she’s fine, but she starts to struggle with things that used to come easy, like schoolwork, laughing and skateboarding with her best friend, Rosie, running and even sleeping.
After a disastrous parent-teacher conference, her parents decide to bring Pearl to Dr. Jill, who diagnoses her with depression. At first Pearl is resistant to Dr. Jill’s help; she doesn’t like feeling different, but she also doesn’t want to continue feeling so bad all the time. When Dr. Jill asks Pearl to try one Impossible Thing each day, like running, skateboarding, or walking her dog Tuck, she decides to try. For each impossible thing she attempts, Pearl puts a bead on a string. Bead by bead, and with the support of family and friends, Pearl finds her way back to herself. She discovers just like the moon is always there in the sky, even if it isn’t full, she’ll always be herself even when she doesn’t feel whole. —Synopsis provided by Nancy Paulsen Books
Octopus Moon is a tender read that draws from author Bobbie Pyron’s own experiences with depression and anxiety. “I tried hard to pretend I was like everyone else — happy, confident, carefree. Nothing could have been further from the truth,” she writes in her author’s note.
It’s because Pyron lived these experiences that Octopus Moon works so well. Pearl’s feelings ring true. In fact, everything in the book feels authentic. Pyron gets right to the heart of things and her prose sings.
Written in verse, Octopus Moon moves quickly. And though the book is just over 300 pages, it feels shorter. It truly is a beautiful read about recognizing depression and learning how to live with it.
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