Odder by Katherine Applegate

The Hook: 

Odder, the otter, has always been.... well...odd. She loves to explore and investigate mysterious, perhaps dangerous, inhabitants despite the other otters' warnings.  She is almost TOO curious.  Unfortunately, on one of these dangerous explorations she is attacked by a shark, and she washes up on the shores.  Thank goodness she is picked up by humans from the nearby aquarium who take care of her while she heals.  It is in a precarious situation, however.  If the humans take care of her too much or for too long, she may not be able to return to the wild and roam free.  Then she will always have to be in their care.  Despite their love for her—or maybe because of it—the humans do not want this to happen, so they try their best.  But Odder’s injuries are too much—both psychologically as well as physically.  Odder is very depressed.  She has lost her spirit.  But then the humans find a new job for Odder.  They have her become a surrogate mom to baby otters who have lost their mom.  She teaches them how to dive and use tools to open clams for food, all kinds of useful things so that the little otter can go back into the wild and roam free.   

This book is written in verse novel and it’s from Odder’s perspective, so it is a fun read.  It’s in our library.  It’s also in Sora and Axis 360 as an ebook as well as an audio book.  it is 2 AR points. 

My Thoughts (Be Careful There May Be Spoilers): 

Sweet, interesting story based on real events.  At the end, the author her notes about the otters whose lives these characters were based on.  I give this book 4.5 stars. 

My Recommendations: 

This book will be enjoyable for everyone, especially reluctant readers because it is a verse novel.  It is not action-packed, but I think readers who like animals and/or readers who are thoughtful and introspective will love it.