Odder: The Novel

By Katherine Applegate and Charles Santoso

Over 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list!

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, perfect for summer reading!

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.

Odder: An Otter's Story is also available in a new picture book format with stunning illustrations by Charles Santoso.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Sep 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9781250147431

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.

Book preview

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

Reviews for Odder

[niaomiya · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an absolutely charming, endearing, and poignant book. Using details from the real-life otter rescue program at Monterey Bay Aquarium, "Odder" follows the life of an otter pup (named Odder by his mother) from the time he was rescued, until he becomes an adult otter. Told almost entirely from Odder's point of view in freeform poetry, "Odder" conveys the wonder of childhood, as well as the complicated emotions of adulthood -- regret, responsibility, and even questioning the meaning of life.

Author Katherine Applegate -- whose Newbery Award-winning "The One and Only Ivan" is one of my favorite books of all time -- perfectly captures Odder's playful personality, anthropomorphizing just enough to help the reader be engaged with Odder's odyssey, but otherwise describing genuine otter behavior. Applegate demonstrates her continued deftness at writing about animals in such a way as to completely captivate the reader, engage our emotions, and, as always, bring tears to our eyes.

[carriewuj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reading for work - this is a middle grade novel in verse and so sweet! I love Katherine Applegate - her ability to understand and portray animal characters with compassionate reality is equal to EB White. In this book, loosely based on a real otter - and true to the Sea Otter Research and Conservation program out of the Monterey Bay Aquarium in CA, she introduces us to Odder, rescued as a baby, returned to the wild, and rescued again after a shark attack. Inspirational and just an all-around feel-good, the story gives hope - for the environment, for those who work for the greater good, and for the fragile, yet essential connection between humans and animals. Once close to extinction with a population of only 50, the sea otter has made a comeback and still is on the endangered list, but with a much brighter future and over 3000 in number. So much to learn from these playful adorable creatures and the efforts to save them!

[ourwellslibrary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A 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

[yarncatsnbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Witten in verse. Very engaging. Tells a potentially difficult tale in a sensitive way.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good science about otters, the ecosystem of the ocean, keystone species, rehabilitation, etc. Fairly extensive back matter. "... ice cubes filled with tempting shreds of crab meat."

But also just a nice animal story, if that's what you want. Surprisingly poetic verses; I'm impressed.

"The wind was not itself today.
She didn't like the way
it kept bullying the water."

[sjgirl-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Poetry 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.