An Octopus Named Houdini

By Zana Fraillon

Odder meets Growing Home in this beautiful, illustrated middle grade novel in verse about an octopus named Houdini, her unexpected friendship with the aquarium owner's daughter, and her deep yearning to return to the sea.

All day long we can hear
that Sea howl prowling wild
inside our brains and every part of us is straining
to feel it taste it twirl it whirl it swirl it
inside our body
again.

Houdini the octopus lives in an aquarium, but she misses her home in the wild Sea. She doesn't like the visitors who bang on her tank. Or the way she can't feel the sun on her skin or the wind rippling the water. It's a dull existence for a creature with nine brains.

Then one day she meets someone who is different than the others. Juno's busy brain buzzes with so many questions and thoughts that Houdini's skin tingles with wonder.

But the singing of the Sea is growing stronger and harder to resist. Can Houdini make Juno understand what she needs before it's too late?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GPP8D3HX
• ISBN13: 9798347114757
• Release Date: October 2026
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Length: 160 Pages
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.1" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7