Odder: The Novel
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About this ebook
From #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wishtree and The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate, a touching and lyrical tale about a remarkable sea otter, also an instant #1 bestseller!
Meet Odder, the Queen of Play:
Nobody has her moves.
She doesn’t just swim to the bottom,
she dive-bombs.
She doesn’t just somersault,
she triple-doughnuts.
She doesn’t just ride the waves,
she makes them.
Odder spends her days off the coast of central California, practicing her underwater acrobatics and spinning the quirky stories for which she’s known. She’s a fearless daredevil, curious to a fault. But when Odder comes face-to-face with a hungry great white shark, her life takes a dramatic turn, one that will challenge everything she believes about herself—and about the humans who hope to save her.
Inspired by the true story of a Monterey Bay Aquarium program that pairs orphaned otter pups with surrogate mothers, this poignant and humorous tale told in free verse examines bravery and healing through the eyes of one of nature’s most beloved and charming animals.
Katherine Applegate
Katherine Applegate is the Newbery Medal–winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous books for young readers, including the One and Only series, the Endling series, Crenshaw, Wishtree, the Roscoe Riley Rules chapter books series, and the Animorphs series. She lives with her family in Nevada.
Read more from Katherine Applegate
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Reviews for Odder
45 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A fun and whimsical journey through the life of a sea otter! This was a thoroughly enjoyable and easy read. It is a very popular story with the tweens and I can see it being a fun quick read for adults that are interested in wildlife. Karen
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Poetry isn’t something I’m even remotely informed on so I won’t pretend to understand the skill level or artistry on display in this free verse novel, I just know that the story came across clearly and captured the emotions of these characters.
One of those books that would be a more than solid option if you want something that will read quickly yet still feel substantial. You get a full sense of Odder’s life experience from a playful teen-like rulebreaker flashing back (in a not confusing way) to her time as a pup before returning to the present and a more mature stage for her. Through Odder’s arc there’s also an arc of how otter rescues have evolved that’s both fascinating and heartening.
Odder definitely has its sad, distressing moments, but ultimately lands in a mostly uplifting place, plus there’s the added bonus that the otters are undeniably adorable throughout.
Book preview
Odder - Katherine Applegate
One
the queen of play
Monterey Bay, California
and environs
not (exactly) guilty
In their defense,
sharks
do not (as a rule) eat
otters.
True, sharks sometimes
taste them
by mistake, leaving
frowning bites
or the jagged clue
of a tooth or two.
But then,
in fairness,
nobody’s perfect.
too late
Say an empty-bellied
great white shark
is enticed by
a long, sleek swimmer,
a sea lion, perhaps.
(Big fans of
blubber, sharks.)
Curious, the shark
moves in for a nibble,
only to discover he’s
sampling a surfer (oops),
or, more likely,
a member of that most
charming branch
of the weasel family,
the southern sea otter.
You’ve been there,
haven’t you,
in the cafeteria line
or the breakfast buffet,
taking a chance on
some new food?
Grab, gulp, grimace:
You spit the offending
item into a napkin,
no harm, no foul.
Same goes for the shark,
who quickly
reconsiders and
retreats.
Of course, by then it’s often
too late for the surfer.
And almost always
too late for the otter.
hunger
One such shark
is prowling the waters
this very morning.
It’s daybreak,
cloudless and shell pink,
and for a moment the bay
seems to blush.
There it is:
his dorsal fin,
cutting through the
calm waves.
The shark is an adolescent—
a marine tween—
streamlined and strong,
but small for his age,
and far from his usual
haunts today.
His last meal,
a ray and two puny turtles,
was three days ago—
pathetic, by any measure.
No need to worry.
Hunger has a way
of focusing the mind.
If there is food
to be found, rest assured:
He will find it.
Otter #156
Not far from the shark,
Otter #156 floats on her back,
forepaws and flippers
held aloft,
soaking up sun
like tiny solar panels.
Tucked in a pocket of skin
under her arm
is a favorite rock,
just right for opening
mussels and clams.
She has seen more
than a few sharks in
her three years,
has even seen them
kill.
But right now her only concern
is what to eat for breakfast.
numbers and names
Friends call #156
Odder,
but humans prefer
their numbers.
They count cards and sheep,
errors and at-bats,
minutes and blessings.
Here in the bay,
they count
otters, too.
Squiggles and Splash
There’s a reason
for those numbers.
Endearing names
enchant the public,
luring humans too close.
Numbers are aloof,
but names are sticky,
fusing rescuer to rescued,
scientist to subject,
human to otter.
(And it’s not hard
to fall in love with
an otter pup.)
It’s a shame, really.
Think of the possibilities:
Squiggles and Splash
and Potter and Noodle!
Otto and Oswald
and Ozzie and Obi!
Still, it’s better this way.
These otters need
all the help
they can get.
questions
Her mother called her Odder
from the moment
she was born.
Something about the way
the little pup never settled,
something about the way
her eyes were always
full of questions.
to eat or not to eat
A few feet away
from Odder,
her favorite companion,
Kairi, drifts on her back,
aimless as a log.
Kairi, two years older
than Odder, has
shiny ebony fur.
Odder, smaller
and more agile,
has a deep brown coat
and caramel-colored head.
Play,
Odder wants to know,
or eat?
First we eat,
then we play,
answers Kairi,
who is always practical,
a cautious sort.
It’s annoying,
but when you’re
a free spirit like Odder,
teaming with a wise
and solid anchor
is never a bad idea.
First we play,
then we eat,
says Odder.
She gives her friend
a soft nose-nudge
and dives through quiet water
thick with eelgrass.
communication
When you cannot text or