If My Friend The Octopus had been classed simply as a story of friendship rather than something to solve, I would have found it much easier to enjoy. There is so much to discuss and explore here, considering how attitudes have (or have not) changed and no doubt inspiring a fascination for these amazing creatures to equal Vinnie’s. The language is conservatively close to the time period - without accidental modern vocabulary that I could see, though also missing anachronisms of the period that may confuse budding readers of our day.

In partnership with Sea Change Project, Off The Fence and ZDF Enterprises, My Octopus Teacher was executively produced by Ellen Windemuth.A gripping Victorian mystery with a touching connection between a young girl and an octopus at its heart, My Friend the Octopus effortlessly blends exciting adventure with a rip-roaring historical mystery and non-fiction elements. If you're interested in finding out all about how Vinnie Fyfe and her octopus friend came to be, keep on reading . Set in Victorian times, the novel offers much to enjoy, both as a read aloud and as a key text to inspire work from a class, including the attitude of ‘collectors’ and animal well being, working conditions, the role of women and racism. There are a number of plot line running alongside each other during the story, they are all equally as important so don’t cause distraction or confusion.

Bit by bit, she becomes more independent and forms local friendships, including the octopus in the local acquarium. My Friend the Octopus’ is a fabulous, many layered story which is full of colour and historical detail.The idea for a dragon discovery by Charles Darwin’s cabin boy was originally backstory, but gradually took over from the main story and I found out I loved writing historical fiction. For Captain Bickerstaff, the octopus is a ‘slippery beast’, a way to generate income for the aquarium.

The characters are full of depth – such as Vinnie, a budding illustrator and Charlie, a hopeful journalist. Although, I do admire the author’s attempt at bringing a more unknown side of history to her young readers, what with the heavy focus on Henry Lee’s book and on understanding the octopus. Despite it being set in the Victorian age it is told from a contemporary perspective with its relevance for today's readers.I had wanted to read this book over the summer but didn’t manage the time so was thrilled to see it as part of my Longlisting books for the Sparks! Foster was also a producer via his involvement with the Sea Change Project, [12] and his wife, Indian environmental journalist Swati Thiyagarajan, was production manager for the film. A smaller amount of underwater footage, not shown in the film, but filmed by the same pairing at the same location, had been shown previously on Blue Planet II, episode 5.