My Friend the Octopus
As seen:
By Lindsay Galvin
avg rating
17 reviews
From the bestselling author of Darwin’s Dragons comes a high-stakes aquatic adventure, perfect for fans of The Murderer’s Ape! England, 1893, and aquarium fever is at its height. Twelve-year-old Vinnie Fyfe works in the tea-shop at Brighton aquarium, and waits for her milliner mother to return from Paris. The arrival of a giant octopus changes her life for ever. Discovering a talent for art, Vinnie begins to draw the extraordinary beast. She soon realises she can communicate with the octopus through colour and – as a gripping mystery begins to unfold – discovers what true courage really means … The second middle-grade historical adventure by critically acclaimed Lindsay Galvin, author of Darwin’s Dragons A gripping Victorian mystery with a touching connection between a young girl and an octopus at its heart Strong STEM and natural history themes with an underwater twist Effortlessly blends exciting adventure with a rip-roaring historical mystery and non-fiction elements
PRAISE FOR DARWIN’S DRAGONS:
’A striking and original adventure … just the sort of story I love.’ EMMA CARROLL ‘WHAT a voyage! [Darwin’s Dragons] is everything you hope it will be …’ LUCY STRANGE ’[A] beautifully fictionalised story’ THE TELEGRAPH TweetReviews
It is fiction and I found the plot about Vinnie’s mother confusing but entertaining. Temitayo being the mystery journalist is another nice twist.
A great period adventure. The mystery behind this story had me gripped! I loved that the story was set in a different time period which can teach the children as well as entertain them.
A gripping historical tale of aquariums and the ocean, also showing some knowledge of industry
It was amazing with lots of twists and turns. I Loved it. I definitely recommend this for older kids. It was so good and I can't wait to read her next book.
A book about Vinnie who goes to Brighton from London to stay with her Auntie. She befriends an octopus at Brighton Aquarium who can do some strange things.
All the facts surprised me!How can they do this to children?
I loved this book the characters, the setting and of course the octopus. I expected a Victorian adventure based around the devil-fish but this story is so much more - the subtle discussion of society , class and women’s roles in Victorian England make this a thought provoking book wrapped up in an exciting fast paced adventure.
I love this book!
Its sad and inspirational.There is like a twist in every chapter but since this is set in the 80's I don't understand alot of the words.Overall it's an amazing book.
A gorgeous book. Lovely historical context as well as the octopus storyline. Did not shy away from issues of the time or making a supposedly good character more sinister.
Simply wonderful Victorian tale of two children battling against a tide of adult apathy, wicked villains and a trapped beast. I loved every page!
Good - I recommend reading
A colleague asked me about this book. Told them it's in my TBR pile but I'm happy to lend. Picked it up to put in my bag this morning. Thought I'll just read the first chapter...
Now I can properly recommend it!
Love 🐙 💜
#RfP #PastMyBedtime!
@LindsayGalvin @chickenhsebook
A beautifully written book about the importance of friendships and not judging others. Set in Victorian Brighton this is perfect for any readers who have enjoyed the likes of Murder most unladylike and The Sinclair Mysteries.
A beautiful looking book . There were a lot of themes in there and I felt like they were all fighting for a place and some felt a bit disconnected from the story.
I adored the parts about Brighton, about the Aunt and swimming, and the main characters relationship with the Octopus.
This was a really, really good book that kept me reading. I liked the poet and idea of the story. My favourite character is Charlie because of what he does and his sense of adventure.
This book is about an octopus's arrival in an aquarium and a girl whose mother has disappeared.
Absolutely brilliant! Gutsy heroine ‘Vin’ who goes in a journey of discovery in every single sense of the word! Brilliant portrayal of Victorian era with so many evocative images of this amazing time period. Fell in love with Brighton Aquarium and the characters within! Cannot recommend highly enough. Won’t spoil it but have cried, smiled and loved in equal measure! Learnt so much and inspired to learn more. Cannot wait to share with my new Year 6s.
