In the delightful free verse novel Odder, Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate (The One and Only Ivan) introduces a playful, inquisitive sea otter who lives off the coast of California.
Three years ago, the adorable Odder was separated from her mother during a sudden storm. The young marine mammal was rescued by the aquarists of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, nursed back to health and released into the wild. Fully grown Odder ("the queen of play") constantly looks for food and adventure. When she persuades cautious friend Kairi to swim out into the Bay, they encounter a great white shark. The shark wounds both otters before realizing that sharks don't even like otters as food. Odder is again found by aquarium staff and brought back to the artificial environment. Odder's second stay at the aquarium is very different from the first: she and Kairi will not be released, but they will help the scientists raise otter pups in new ways.
A humorous and somewhat aloof third-person narrator tells readers about Odder's first stay at the aquarium through flashbacks during her second stay. As the back story unfolds, readers learn a great deal about sea otters and the wise people who study them but try not to bond too closely. Applegate's text is absorbing, her spotlight on the animals' nature and emotions powerful. Odder "loves to roughhouse,/ can be pushy and eager,/ too unruly for some,/ but watching her/ work the water/ is a joy." Charles Santoso (Wombat Underground) sensitively details his realistic, curvilinear black-and-white illustrations. Santoso's superb spot art and the extensive author's note add much to this stellar presentation. --Melinda Greenblatt, freelance book reviewer