Odder
Odder
Katherine Applegate
Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, 2022
Grades 4-7
Animal Story/Narrative Poetry
Free verse poems convey the tale of an otter who has a hair-raising encounter with a shark and survives with human intervention. Odder, as she is called by animal friends, is referred to as 156 by the humans who rescued her as a pup. After nearly becoming a meal for a shark and suffering extensive damage, Odder is recued by the same group of humans and brought to their facility. Here she meets her old otter pal Kairi, who has been given a new human name, as well as an orphaned otter pup to raise. Once an otter is given a name instead of a number while at the center it means that you are not set to be released back to the wild. As Odder heals and rehabilitates, she makes friends with some of the other otters and we learn her backstory of her mother trying to survive and keep her pups alive in the wild. To Odder’s surprise, she finds herself renamed by the humans. Now she is “Jazz” and a further surprise comes as she is given her own pup to raise. Can Odder find joy and her sense of playfulness even in captivity?
Clearly an animal lover, Katherine Applegate of The One and Only Ivan fame turns from gorillas to otters in this agenda-driven story based on actual events. She was inspired by the work of the folks of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and combined the experience of a few different otters to construct Odder’s tale. Readers will certainly learn about otter behavior and the dangers that they face. Applegate gives Odder a wonderful personality that seems to reflect the playful nature of this species and will delight young readers. It was refreshing to get a break from all of the novels I have been reading about children with big problems, but, still, some of Odder’s problems are very serious and sensitive readers may beware. The poetry is beautiful and writing in this format helps to convey a dream-like underwater quality to the narration. Pencil drawings by Charles Santoso are absolutely adorable and will melt the hearts of all readers. Back matter includes a glossary of marine life terms, an author’s note separating fact from fiction, a bibliography, resources for readers, a map of the location of the rescue center, and actual photos of adorable otters. This story is a slam-dunk for animal lovers and will also charm stray readers, who pick up the book on a lark (such as myself). A pending picture book will possibly boost the appeal.