JThe Soul of an Octopus has won the 2016 New England Book Award for Nonfiction. Sy thanks the members of the New England Independent Booksellers Association for choosing her book.

For the week of July 17 The Soul of an Octopus is on these regional bestseller lists:

#3 – New England Independent Booksellers Association

#6 – Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association

#12 – Southern California Independent Booksellers Alliance

#4 – Northern California Independent Booksellers Association

#8 – New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association

For the fourth month The Soul of an Octopus is on the New York Times Animals Best Seller list. It has moved up to #5 on the July list.

When Sy read at The Meetinghouse Readings in Canaan, NH, moderator Phil Pochoda introduced her. Phil is a retired publishing veteran (Simon & Schuster, Prentice Hall Press, Pantheon Books, University of Michigan Press, and the University Press of New England, where he edited two books written by Sy’s husband, Howard Mansfield.)

Phil welcomed Sy with this introduction:

Now well into the 21st century, long past the Age of Aquarius and the era of Carlos Castenada, shamans are in short supply. Those were the guys (since they are generally, but not always, male) who were able, sometimes with chemical assistance, to leave their human bodies, take up the form of their animal spirit guide, often a bird, but sometimes a fish or mammal, and do supernatural things for themselves and others. In particular, they were the mediators between the human and the animal worlds; they interpreted animals for humans and humans for animals.

We are lucky tonight to have, in New Hampshire resident Sy Montgomery, thephil-pochoda only shaman that I know of, and certainly the only one I know personally. Sy, as shamans do, roves the earth relentlessly: there have been sightings of her from the Caribbean to Sunderbans (a non-mythical place, which hovers somewhere between India and Bangladesh, and where non-mythical tigers regularly hunt non-mythical humans) with lengthy touch-downs also in Cambodia, the Amazon, Tahiti, New Guinea, Mongolia, and Manitoba. On her journeys she communes at length with birds, mammals, and sea creatures — surreal ones such as pink dolphins, ground-dwelling Kakapo parrots, golden moon bears, giant tarantulas, white sharks, tree kangaroos, snow leopards, and the giant Cassowary bird, and, as we will hear much about tonight, octopuses (not octopii), but she is equally tight with domestic animals such as pigs, chickens, and cockatoos.

Happily for us, she does return to New Hampshire after each shamanic adventure, where in book after book, article after article, she tenderly, beautifully, and passionately relates these transforming and transcendent experiences at so many human/animal interfaces. And so sitting safely in our homes, we and our children and grandchildren get at least a second-hand version of her miraculous shamanic border crossings, enabling us also, if we consent, to be transported out of our normal bodies into truly magical realms where we too may be deeply affected and our attitudes and actions towards animals permanently altered….

I’m so pleased to welcome back to the Meetinghouse, our neighbor, our friend, our shaman, Sy Montgomery.

For the week of July 10 The Soul of an Octopus is on these regional bestseller lists:

#5 – New England Independent Booksellers Association

#10 – Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association

#9 – Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association

#4 – Northern California Independent Booksellers Association

A view from Sy’s trip to the Serengeti where she followed wildebeest on their migration, which is the largest migration on earth. Here Dr. Dick Estes, who has been studying wildebeests for more than 55 years, surveys the herd.

Octopus Obsession: A Quilted Book Review Cathy Perlmutter was, she says, “born with a desperate need to make stuff.” She makes “mostly quilts” and shows her wonderful quilts on her blog Geflitequilt. Her most recent quilts are her first book review. “A few weeks ago, I picked up the new book, The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness, by Sy Montgomery, and could not put it down,” she writes. Above and below are Cathy’s two octo quilts. On her blog you can learn how to make these quilts. She concludes her quilted book review: “Read the Sy Montgomery book. You’ll love it!”

The Soul of an Octopus is a finalist for the New England Book Awards. Members of the New England Independent Booksellers Association will announce the winners later this summer.

Birdology has gone back to press for a new printing.

Octo book keeps on swimming. For the week of June 12 The Soul of an Octopus is on these regional bestseller lists:

#7 – New England Independent Booksellers Association

#6 – Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association

#7 – Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance

#4 – Northern California Independent Booksellers Association

The Great White Shark Scientist is published today, June 7. Above is an exclusive photo of the festivities at the publishing offices of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

The Soul of an Octopus is in its 6th printing for the paperback and the 12th printing for the hardcover.

“Don’t Panic: More Sharks Are Lurking Near Massachusetts’ Busiest Beaches.” Sy speaks up for sharks on WGBH’s Boston Public Radio, WBUR’s Radio Boston and NHPR’s Word of Mouth.

“The great white shark gets a bad rap…. According to writer and naturalist Sy Montgomery, it’s time to set the record straight. ‘If you look at the numbers, your chances of being hurt by a great white shark, they’re actually one in 37 million,’ Montgomery said in an interview with Boston Public Radio Thursday. “Whereas your chances of being injured by a toaster or a toilet or a room freshener are much higher than that!”

“Citing a 1984-1987 study showing 1,600 New Yorkers suffering from bites from other humans, Montgomery stressed that shark attacks against humans pale in comparison. ‘If you’re not afraid to go into your bathroom where the deadly toilet is lurking, or into the kitchen where, oh no, there might be a malfunctioning toaster,’ she said, ‘you shouldn’t be afraid to go into the waters of the Cape.’”

Traveling in style. The New York Times asks various stylish designers, chefs, singers and artists, what they pack. “When it comes to travel, they focus on the same things: the right bag, clothing that doesn’t wilt during a long flight, and the best tech and audio gear” – and the right book. Andrew Smith, a Detroit car guy — executive director, global, Cadillac design – told the Times, on June 2, “I typically also take a couple of novels” And for this trip: “I just bought The Soul of an Octopus.” Of course. It’s the Cadillac of octopus books.

Number One in the Pacific Northwest. As of May 26, The Soul of an Octopus continues to be a popular choice for readers:

#1 – Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association

#7 – New England Independent Booksellers Association

#4 – Northern California Independent Booksellers Association

#15 – New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association

#6 – Midwest Independent Booksellers Association

And it is at number 7 on the New York Times Animals Best Seller list for June.

Shark! Sy’s newest book for young readers, The Great White Shark Scientist, is being greeted with great reviews:

• A powerfully persuasive book &#hellip; a convincing attitude changer that adults might find engrossing enough to read at the beach.
  — The Huffington Post
• Prepare to be enveloped in saltwater air and dizzying blue water in this latest entry from veteran author Montgomery… Exceptionally written and highly recommended for those looking to give a timely summer boost to STEM collections.
  – School Library Journal, starred review
• This appreciative introduction to a much-maligned species will thrill readers while it encourages them to see great white sharks in a new way.
  —Kirkus, starred review
• Montgomery’s play-by-play narration and Ellenbogen’s dramatic photos give the scientific excursion a thrilling sense of immediacy that should leave readers feeling like they’re along for the voyage.
  — Publishers Weekly
• One minute Montgomery recounts the technical details of shark tracking, the next minute relays the steps she needs to take to be safe on the ocean, and the next narrates an all-out shark chase, as researchers on a boat and in a plane work together in a successful shark identification bonanza. This approach fully immerses readers in the field research experience, as do the excellent photographs of people, sharks, and the environment.
  — The Horn Book
• A fine addition to the ever-popular shark shelf.
  — Booklist, Starred Review
• Thoughtfully presented with focus and accessibility [and] ample delight for thrill seekers.
  — The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Sy meets Sy the Octopus. The New England Aquarium has named one of its new Giant Pacific Octopus after a certain author and frequent visitor. “It’s a huge, huge honor.” says Sy (the author not the octopus).

As the Union Leader reported: Montgomery recently met Sy, who was captured in the wild just a few weeks before she came to New England Aquarium.

“She is perfect,” she said. “She is amazing.”

Montgomery offered the octopus some fish on a “grabber,” but the animal grabbed her arm instead. “She pulled and pulled me and almost pulled me in.” she said.

Then Sy the octopus “hosed” her with saltwater from her tank, a move that can either be hostile or playful, according to Montgomery’s book. “And after that, we just got down to petting each other,” she said. “She was sucking on me, letting me pet her head, and changing colors.”

Montgomery loved it.

She also loves the notion that folks will be singing Sy’s praises when they visit the aquarium’s new exhibit, “Tentacles.” “Thousands of people will be saying, ‘Sy is so beautiful,’ ‘Sy is so flexible,’ ‘Sy is so strong,” she said, laughing. “And so colorful!”

Go Pig Go! The paperback of The Good Good Pig is now in its 15th printing.

Arms Across America III. The Soul of an Octopus is on these Regional Independent Bestseller Lists for the week of May 15:

#5 – New England Independent Booksellers

#4 – Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association

#7 – Midwest Independent Booksellers Association

The paperback is now in its fifth printing.

Kochałam go jak wielką, grubą świnię. Bo był świnią. That may be Polish for: “I loved him like a big, fat pig. Because he was a pig.” At least that’s what Google Translate says is the headline on the extensive interview of Sy by Paulina Reiter, editor in chief of the leading Polish women’s magazine Wysokie Obcasy. From what we’ve read through the fog of Google Translate, it is a good, thoughtful interview. At right is the cover of the Polish edition of Sy’s Journey of the Pink Dolphins.

Arms Across America II. The new paperback edition of The Soul of an Octopus returns to six regional best seller lists for early May:

#5 — New England Independent Booksellers Association

#11 — Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance

#5 — Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association

#9 — Northern California Independent Booksellers Association

#7 — New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association

#10 — Midwest Independent Booksellers Association

Quest for the Tree Kangaroo is a grade 4-5 Exemplary Informational Text for the Common Core Standards.

Sy serves as affiliate faculty (nonfiction) for Southern New Hampshire University’s Master of Fine Arts in Fiction and Nonfiction program. Recently SNHU News interviewed Sy. Among the questions: What challenges you most as a writer and how do you overcome it? Her answer: “Too often I am intimidated by my own material. I think: I’m not good enough for this. I’ll screw it up! … But at these times, I don’t pretend to believe in myself. Instead, I believe in my teachers-the animals and people I met along the way. I trust in those teachers when I can’t trust in myself. I can’t believe in myself all the time (who can?) but I can always count on the animals, and they give me the strength and courage to go on through anything.”

Inky’s escape is the talk of the town. Inky may have left the building (the National Aquarium of New Zealand) but he’s still on our minds. The NewYorker.com called Sy to discuss octopus intelligence. Just what was Inky thinking? Hard to say, of course, but it doesn’t mean he wasn’t thinking. “It’s easy to project our own feelings onto animals—and that’s a mistake,” Sy told The New Yorker, “but it’s a worse mistake to think that we are up on some kind of pedestal and that animals can’t also think, feel, and know.”

The Soul of an Octopus has returned to the Best Seller list. The paperback debuted at number seven in March and in April it moved up a spot to number 6 on the New York Times Animals Best Seller list.

Arms Across America. The new paperback edition of The Soul of an Octopus is on several regional best seller lists:

#5 — New England Independent Booksellers Association

#4 — Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association

#14 — Northern California Booksellers Association

#15 — Midwest Independent Booksellers Association

The paperback is already in its third printing.

The Consequences of Consciousness. Leslie Thatcher has interviewed Sy for Truthout. They talked about how we treat animals. From the interview: “The idea of the tree of life is a beautiful metaphor, but it’s not ladder-like; it doesn’t start in the dirty ground and end with us humans up above on the top with the angels. I personally don’t want to be on the top. It’s lonely there. I’d rather be embedded with the family. There are definitely ways of understanding the reality of the world that we humans cannot access with our senses. Other creatures, including birds, can see colors we can’t — and we know these colors are real. There are truths out there that have been discovered by other species that we may never discover and understand.”

Inky Escapes! The Octopus flees his New Zealand aquarium and swims to635961944895460363-Screen-Shot-2016-04-14-at-1.33.58-AM freedom. Sy was busy fielding questions from The Christian Science Monitor, Slate, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. USA Today, and Public Radio International. Here’s one story from PRI.org and USA Today:

A well-loved octopus named Inky escaped recently from the National Aquarium in New Zealand. Aquarium manager Rob Yarrall says the lid to the octopus’ tank was left slightly ajar after maintenance one night.

“He found this rather tempting, climbed out,” Yarrall says, “and he managed to make his way to one of the drain holes that go back to the ocean, and off he went, and didn’t even leave us a message, just off and went!”

The escape happened earlier this year, and hit the New Zealand national press Tuesday.

“Octopuses are fabulous escape artists, and it’s absolutely not surprising that he saw an opportunity to explore and he took it.” said Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus.

According to Montgomery, octopus escapes from aquariums are common. “They can squeeze through the tiniest spaces and easily, a 100-pound octopus can squeeze through an opening the size of an orange,” Montgomery said.

The drain pipe in the New Zealand aquarium was about 6 inches wide. Octopuses can typically squeeze through an opening as small as their mouths, or beaks, as they are the only hard part of their body.

“Their muscles are less like our biceps than our tongues,” Montgomery said, “so they can flow in a way that, even if our muscles were detached from our bones, our muscles could not do.”

A slime covering Inky’s skin would have prevented it from drying out as he oozed from his tank to the drain that led to his freedom. And the suckers on his tentacles, which octopuses can use to taste food, would have also helped propel him across the floor. “Each sucker can lift an enormous amount of weight.” Montgomery said.

According to Montgomery, a 3-inch-diameter sucker on a giant Pacific octopus can lift 30 pounds.

Montgomery says octopuses get out of aquariums so frequently not because of their Houdini-like escape skills, nor because they’re lonely — they’re solitary creatures — but because they are generally super curious.

“It doesn’t mean that Inky was unhappy where he was,” Montgomery said. “Astronauts don’t go into outer space because they don’t like Earth, they just want to see what else is out there.”

Aquarium manager Yarrall says Inky was brought to the aquarium from a nearby reef just a few years ago, so it’s likely he’ll be able to survive in the wild. And while he didn’t leave a note, there was a different telltale sign that he did, indeed, escape and wasn’t stolen: a trail of water from his tank to that drainpipe of freedom.

The teachers and the students at the James Mastricola Upper Elementary School in Merrimack, New Hampshire, went all out, decorating with themes from Sy’s books. Here are two doors, above and below.

The Great White Shark Scientist is a Junior Library Guild Selection. The Junior Library Guild is a book selection service serving many thousands of libraries, which rely on them to guide their book purchases for young readers. The Guild reviews books in advance of publication and select those they consider the best.

China Bound. The China Ocean Press will be publishing the Chinese edition of The Soul of an Octopus.

Just published: The Great White Shark Scientist. Sy and photographer Keith Ellenbogen visit their editor, the fabulous Kate O’Sullivan, at Houghton Mifflin, and Sy adds to the Octo Art she left last time.

A visitor. Sy spent a recent Saturday with Polish journalist Paulina Reiter, editor in chief of the leading Polish women’s magazine Wysokie Obcasy. The interview should run in the magazine in about a month – Sy will post it for her Polish readers! Here Paulina holds the Polish edition of The Good Good Pig and gets a kiss from Thurber.

The Soul of an Octopus has just been published in paperback, and it’s already in its second printing.

Another volunteer for Sy’s Octo Troopers. Sy is proud of her ten-year-old penpal, Maya (at right in the photo) and her cool school science project. She and her dad wrote Sy after she read The Soul of an Octopus, which inspired her octopus-themed research.

Sy’s publishers in Poland — Dobra, Swinka, Dobra (The Good, Good Pig) — have sent her a dozen birthday cards, including these two, above and below.

A meeting of the minds. The folks at Brainpickings have fallen for Sy’s “breathtaking inquiry” into the consciousness of octopuses. They advise: “do treat yourself to Sy Montgomery’s bewitching The Soul of an Octopus.”

Houghton Mifflin has just released this video, filmed at the New England Aquarium, about Sy’s forthcoming book, The Great White Shark Scientist to be published on June 7.

The Soul of an Octopus is now in its 11th printing.

Diesel, a California bookstore with four locations, has published an appreciation of The Soul of An Octopus in its online newsletter for February:

“Empathy for domesticated animals is natural to us, but empathy toward many other creatures can take effort. Mammals usually aren’t challenging, nor birds. Insects and reptiles are harder, but familiarity can make it easier. How about invertebrates of all kinds, though? And that most mysterious of invertebrates — the cephalopods, including the octopus?

“The Soul of an Octopus takes us into the stunningly alien world of octopus consciousness. From the mesmerizing chameleonic shapeshifting of their skin color, textures and shape changes, to their eight-armed dexterous coordination, to their playful intelligence, Montgomery introduces us to a life form that expands our imagination and strains our empathy into a bigger orbit. As she writes, quoting one of the biologists she works with: ‘Just about every animal,’ Scott says, ‘– not just mammals and birds– can learn, recognize individuals, and respond to empathy.’” And on working with these animals: ‘You learn to project empathy.’”

“It is a quantum leap in our sense of ourselves and of the place of consciousness in our planet’s fellow beings. As such, it is a bold step toward a greater understanding of the risks and values in the ecological relationships we maintain with the whole wide world.” — John E.

O is for Octopus. Helen MacDonald, author of the acclaimed H is for Hawk, was asked by The New York Times Book Review: “Who are your favorite writers on nature?”

MacDonald’s answer: “Too many to list! Off the top of my head, and restricting myself to modern writers, Barry Lopez, R. F. Langley, Tim Dee, Kathleen Jamie, Sy Montgomery, Julia Blackburn, Luke Jennings, and so many more.”

Big Read. Sy’s neighbors in Hancock, Peterborough, and Jaffrey are getting set for this year’s “Big Read,” when the communities will take on one book. This year readers will be wrapping their arms around The Soul of an Octopus. The libraries will buy books with a grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. On Earth Day, April 22, Sy will give a talk at the Peterborough Town House, 7 p.m.

A pig, a bear and a fruit fly walk into a bar&#hellip;what happens next? Listen to Sy’s interview on WGBH with hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan at the 1:45 mark.

The American Library Association has chosen The Soul of an Octopus as one of its 25 Notable Books for 2016.

The Octopus Scientists has won the 2016 AAAS/Subaru SB&F (Science Book & Film) prize for excellence in science books. For the last 10 years, The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, backed by Subaru, has honored outstanding science writing. The Octopus Scientists is their pick for the middle grades.

A Choice Honor. The Octopus Scientists is a CBCC Choices for 2016. CCBC Choices is the annual best-of-the-year list of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center. Choices considered 3400 books. They selected only 259 books or about 8% for the Choices list.

The Nerdy Book Club is led by the kind of people Sy loves to meet: dedicated teachers and readers. It’s run by four teachers in Texas, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. After visiting their website, you’ll want to bookmark it to see what they love to read. Each year they award “The Nerdies” to the best books and for 2015 they have chosen The Octopus Scientists.

A big thank you to the students of the Cambridge Friends School for their lovely notes after Sy’s visit. The covers of a few of these notes are above and below.

The Soul of an Octopus is now in its tenth printing.

That pig is still on the loose! Christopher Hogwood is spreading holiday cheer in Poland. Monika Szymon, owner of a gingerbread bakery, took time out at a hectic time to write to Sy: “Now we are busy with Christmas orders and have little time for reading. But your history of Christopher was with us during this busy time: I’ve been reading aloud from it. We fall in love with that energetic, hedonistic person. Probably that’s why Chris appeared spontaneously in our gingerbread works: as a piece of dough left after cutting out stars and trees. Thank you for your books and works!”

The Octopus Scientists has been named to Booklist’s Editors’ Choice 2015 list.

The Soul of an Octopus is on The Daily Beast’s list of The Best Nonfiction of 2015: “Montgomery’s illuminating new book [is] funny, sad, and endlessly fascinating.”

“For those who are ready to welcome our octopus overlords,” Jillian Capewell, Entertainment News Editor for The Huffington Post recommends Sy’s octopus book as one of the “20 Notable Non-Fiction Books You Might’ve Missed This Year.”

The Nonfiction Detectives – “two intrepid librarians” who “review the best nonfiction books for children” – have chosen The Octopus Scientists as one of the best of the year. “Montgomery builds excitement, suspense, and a sense of adventure through the first person narrative, dialogue and vivid descriptions of what it’s like to spend days diving and searching for the elusive octopus…The Octopus Scientists is a recommended purchase for school and public library. It would make an excellent mentor text for a writing class working on first person narratives, and it would be an exciting read aloud in a middle school science class.”

Sy shared octopus images and stories with the students and staff at Cambridge Friends School near Boston on December 9. How does an octopus squirt ink? Where is an octopus’ mouth? How can you tell a male octopus from a female octopus? They had wonderful questions!

And she enjoyed her visit to the Marston Elementary School in Hampton, NH on December 14.

Shelf Awareness has picked a certain book about octopus as one of the best of the year, as has Deborah Blum on the National Public Radio show Science Friday.

The Soul of an Octopus is now in its 9th printing.

Scenes from Sy’s amazing week in New York at the National Book Awards. Her editor Leslie Meredith sitting next to her at the awards ceremony and dinner.

The cake Atria/Simon & Schuster created to celebrate the book. And here’s a link to Sy’s reading – four minutes for each finalist.

The best of the year. The Soul of an Octopus has a tentacle or two on many year-end lists of the best books:

• Library Journal picks it as the Best Sci-Tech book of 2015.
• Amazon says it’s one of the two best science books, and also “Sports/Outdoors” books. (Octo sports? O Amazon thy ways are mysterious, but thank you.)
• And both The Soul of an Octopus and The Octopus Scientists (grades 4 to 8) are finalists for the book awards from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Vote: The Soul of an Octopus is a semifinalist for a Good Reads Choice Award. Readers choose the winners, so please vote.

The National Science Teachers’ Association has chosen The Octopus Scientist as an Outstanding Science Trade Book for K-12.

“I have always felt deeply connected to different animals because, as a child, I didn’t feel there was a separation to start with. Most of us as children don’t feel that separation. Most of us as children, our dreams are filled with animals, and we can still feel the connection to our own past as hunter-gatherers who had to pay attention to the natural world and feel part of it. So that’s who we are, and to embrace the rest of animate creation is our own destiny as humans. And it is extremely dangerous for us to lose that.”

That’s part of the wonderful conversation Sy had with the writer Laura C. Rohrer who interviewed Sy for the National Book Foundation.

The Soul of an Octopus is a finalist for the 2015 National Book Awards. The other four nonfiction books that made the cut from the “Longlist” are: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me; Sally Mann, Hold Still; Carla Power, If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran; and Tracy K. Smith, Ordinary Light.

The winner will be announced November 18.

At your news kiosk now – if you are in Germany, Das Magazin. On the cover: “Man, octopus – there is none so close to us” – or so says Google Translate.
AT YOUR NEWS KIOSK NOW – IF YOU ARE IN GERMANY, DAS MAGAZIN. ON THE COVER:
“MAN, OCTOPUS – THERE IS NONE SO CLOSE TO US” – OR SO SAYS GOOGLE TRANSLATE.
Sixth and Seventh Printings. Simon & Schuster has ordered two more printings of The Soul of an Octopus.

Last week Sy had the great pleasure of returning to Utah to visit a great group who are dedicated to putting children together with books that they’ll love. Sy spoke at the annual conference of the Utah Chapter of the International Reading Association. She was introduced by Lauren Aimonette Liang. Professor Liang teaches in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah and she has the kind of home in which reading flourishes. Professor Liang’s introduction:

In my life, Sy Montgomery is a superstar.

Sy has written over 20 books for children and adults. Her books have won several awards and her newest title, The Soul of an Octopus, is on the nonfiction long list for the National Book Award. Her children’s books have introduced thousands of children around the world — including my own— animals they may never have heard of otherwise, and helped them to love and care for these often endangered animals.

In my home it started with the kakapo. In first grade my son was asked to read a nonfiction book on an animal and write a report. Looking through the bookshelves in my office, he found and fell in love with Sy’s Kakapo Rescue book. This was the start of an avid interest in our house not just in the kakapo but in tree kangaroos, pink dolphins and more animals highlighted in Sy’s books. When my son’s class pet “Fang” suddenly became our family pet this past summer, we were prepared for the new “Fang Liang “ thanks to Sy’s book The Tarantula Scientist. Her writing is captivating, as she combines facts about her animal subjects with stories of her research and the adventures of the scientists she joins.

In my undergraduate and graduate children’s literature classes, many students read Sy’s works as an example of outstanding children’s nonfiction. A year ago while a small group was examining which sections of a page from The Snake Scientist were pure expository text and which were more narrative nonfiction, one student looked up at me and said, “I know this is narrative nonfiction here, but I think Sy makes it come alive so much that it’s almost persuasive text—I am suddenly loving snakes!”

In an interview Sy said “We are on the cusp of either destroying this sweet, green Earth—or revolutionizing the way we understand the rest of animal creation. It’s an important time to be writing about the connections we share with our fellow creatures.” Sy’s books inspire exploration of these special connections. Her books also show the extreme measures she undertakes in her research to better understand the animals she meets.

My children think Sy is amazing because she knows so much about animals they have come to love.

My students think Sy is amazing because she writes such eloquent nonfiction text for children.

I think Sy is an amazing superstar because she writes books that not only teach students about animals and the work of biologists and research scientists, but that also convince children — and adults— that the absolute coolest job in the world is being a nonfiction children’s author.

Great News: The Soul of an Octopus has been “longlisted” for the National Book Awards. There are 10 fine nonfiction books on the list.

Fifth Printing. Simon & Schuster has ordered a fifth printing of The Soul of an Octopus.

The Noodle believes that “all children can be avid readers — even those who would rather peer through a microscope than pore over a book.” See their list of books recommended by librarians for students in different grades. Sy is happy to see that the Noodle is recommending her book about Temple Grandin.

Dava Sobel, author of Longitude, is one of Sy’s favorite writers. Sy is happy to hear that Sobel will be discussing The Soul of an Octopus in the classes she’s teaching at Smith College. Sobel writes: “I read a few books myself this summer, including Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver, The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery, and H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald. All three will come up in conversation in this year’s classes, as they offer, respectively, a fictionalized account of organisms affected by climate change, a scientist’s appreciation of a misunderstood mollusk, and the bonds between humans and other animals.”

The Westmoreland Town Library in New Hampshire welcomes Sy with some Octopus Cupcakes.

Octo-occupation. For the third month in a row The Soul of an Octopus is on the New York Times Animals Bestseller List. It’s at number ten.

Indie Bestseller. The Soul of an Octopus has returned to the bestseller list of the New England Independent Booksellers Association (NEIBA). It’s at number 13 on the hardcover nonfiction list for the week ending August 9.

“Eight Armed Mischief: The Deeply Intelligent Octopus.” Sy’s interview on the Leonard Lopate Show (WNYC) inspired the staff there to come up with “The Five Top Octopus Occupations.”

Kiwi Octopus. Sy talks to Radio New Zealand.