M.T. Anderson. 2006. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.384 pages. ISBN 978076362402-6
Plot Summary: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation is a historical novel that takes place in the 1760s in and around Boston. It chronicles the childhood of Octavian, who is raised with his mother in a scientific community of scholars. Octavian, whom we come to find out is a black slave, is raised with all the privileges and luxuries of a prince, especially in his education where nothing is spared. But he comes to find out that he is not a prince but a slave, an experiment to test whether blacks are a different species from white people. This first novel of the series chronicles Octavian’s childhood and education, and his slow realization of his precarious place in the world. It is only toward the end of the novel that Octavian plays a part in the revolutionary conflict that is the backdrop to the novel.
Critical Evaluation: The language of the novel is that of 17th century literature and the novel is (mostly) in the form of an account written by Octavian. The highly trained rational mind of Octavian explores the question of slavery and its meaning at a time to a people seeking their own freedom from the British. While the language may be a little oft-putting to some young readers in both its style and vocabulary, and the action moves somewhat slowly through the descriptions of Octavian’s education, the story is captivating enough to hold most readers.
Reader's Annotation: "We love fantasy novels in which the characters think that they're peasants but turn out to be princes and kings," Anderson says. "So I thought, 'Well, I'm going to write a book in which someone believes that they're a prince or a king and then turns out to be a slave.' " http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/28/AR2008112802766_2.html
About the Author:
M.T. Anderson is the author of 16 books; the majority for children and young adults. He grew up in Massachusetts and studied literature at Harvard, Cambridge University and Syracuse University. He lives in Cambridge, MA. His work is incredibly varied running the gamut from picture books for elementary school kids (Whales on Stilts), science fiction (Feed), to the vast historical novel which is The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing. When writing Feed, he said that he read a huge number of magazines and listened a lot to cell phone conversations in malls to help him come up with dialogue. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/B001FOR616/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books) In an interview with the Washington Post he stated that he was so obsessed with getting Octavian's voice right that for the better part of six years, he restricted his reading to books written in or relating to the 18th century. He started speaking in "’much longer sentences with a lot of semicolons,’” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/28/AR2008112802766_3.html). He defends the challenging themes and language in The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, saying "’It's insulting to believe that teens should have a different kind of book than an adult should. They know the world is complicated, and "they can tell when a book is simplifing life" (ibid.). You can visit his website at http://mt-anderson.com/
Genre: Historical fiction
Curriculum ties: This novel is relevant to the study of American slavery, especially the role of slaves and slavery in the American revolution. Readers learn a great deal about events leading up to the war and the rationalizations of slavery current at the time.
Booktalking Ideas: What would it be like to be raised as a prince only to find out you're a slave, and a scientific experiment at that?
Reading level/Interest Age: Grades 9 and up.
Challenge Issues: N/A.
Why Chosen: I picked this book originally because of the author. I think that Whales on Stilts is one of the funniest children's books I've ever read. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing also has won numerous awards including being a Michel L. Printz Honor book and a National Book Award winner. It also received a starred review from School Library Journal and Booklist, and is on the ALA's 2009 Best Books for Young Adults.
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