Book Reflection - Odder

Odder is quite the playful otter cub that just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. In this book, written in free verse poetry, tells us about the life of an otter cub in the dangerous world that exists for these adorable critters, always on the edge of extinction. We get the playful and curious side of Otter, with the more cautious side of Otter’s mother and, later, her best friend Kairi.

When otters get into trouble in this particular pool of the world (Monterey Bay, Monterey, California), they are rescued by humans. They are then taken to a facility that the otters call “Highwater” where they are rehabilitated if possible and then rereleased back into the Bay. The humans have to be careful to make sure the otters do not bond with them so that they retain a healthy fear of humans.

And, in those cases where they can’t…the otter gets a name.

There is also a lovely section at the back of the book that lists the real-world otters and their histories that inspired this book, which I dearly loved seeing!

Details

• Title: Odder Amazon
• Author: Katherine Applegate
• Illustrator: Charles Santoso
• Published: 2022 by Feiwel & Friends
• Age: 8 - 11
• Pages: 288

Reflections

• How beautiful a book can be written in free verse. No trappings of hypnotic rhymes. No getting mired down in prose. Lines quick and short. Perhaps as an otter might think.
• Befriending a wild animal may put that animal at risk of mistreatment by other humans.
• There are a variety of ways to teach one what they need to know.
• Just because you find a workable solution to a problem doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t continue to strive for a better one. Especially if the current solution leaves someone/something at risk.
• Like human moms, otters must find a way to keep their little ones safe while they do the other things they need to do for survival.
• Great wisdom and information can be found by listening to those older than you.
• It is tempting to sacrifice true freedom for guaranteed safety.
• Sometimes a child is better off with their “own” than a smarter/more capable/more willing “other.”
• Losing a child can be quite traumatic for many types of mothers.
• The path out of depression may come from taking love that is bottled from your pain, and then giving it to another that needs it.
• Enduring a traumatic event can cast shade on the future sunny days. It can be hard to get rid of that shadow.

Themes

• Family bonds and loss
• Friendship and loyalty
• Freedom vs. security
• Motherhood
• Grief and acceptance
• Conservation and rehabilitation
• Resilience and adaptation
• Finding new purpose
• Danger of losing healthy fears
• Taking care of nature
• Consequences

Characters

• Odder - main character, POV; playful; curious; loves to dive; cares for friends; fond of humans
  • also: #156; Jazz
• Ondine - Otter’s mother
• Kaira - Odder’s best friend; motherly; cautious
  • also: Twyla
• the Shark - hungry shark hunting in Monterey Bay
• Gracie and Holly - two older, female otters; permanent residents of Highwater
• #217 - otter pup; fostered by Twyla
• #209 - otter pup; fostered by Jazz

Other Notables

• Monterey Bay - where the wild otters live
• Highwater - Rehabilitation center for sea life from Monterey Bay.
• the Drop - where the slough (shallower water) empties to the deeper part of the bay
• the Fifty - scary story of how there were only 50 otters left

Quotes/Passages

Stay away from sharks. Stay away from humans. Stay away from all that you don’t understand.

It felt wrong, teaching the little one who made her cherish life to be afraid of it.

A keystone, that’s called, and without it everything falls, like a tower of blocks or a house of cards. It’s the same with keystone species — beavers, wolves, prairie dogs, bees, desert tortoises, sea otters — they are nature’s glue, holding habitats together.

And the more attached she grew, the less willing she might be to find the freedom she deserved.

If you listen long enough, you learn things, … Whether you want to or not.

Her playful, mischievous self has vanished. The shark attack shadows her the way a stubborn cloud can steal the sun.

It’s a relief, giving up and accepting the inevitable. Hope can be exhausting.

Water means play, and play is their purpose.

Not a review?

Although I enjoy reading a book review now and then, I’m not a fan of rating books.

Why? Well…

• There are books that I dearly love that I just couldn’t “get into” the first time I tried to read them.
• I have found that the same book can become a variety of different stories with different messages upon subsequent rereads.
• Some books don’t feel impactful at the moment you finish that last page, but have a way of growing in your mind in the following days, weeks, months.
• Just because I don’t like a song, doesn’t mean it ain’t good music.

So I don’t feel qualified to cast any sort of judgement on a book or prophesize how it will impact others.

But I do want to capture what struck me when I read the book so that I can help recall it later. This Swiss cheese memory of mine if full of threads of stories I loved, but can’t quite connect to the ideas I had when I read it. These are also the types of things I want to talk about with someone else who read it…the sometimes hidden (or perhaps completely imagined in my mind) layers of a story that tie to real life.

I am also tinkering with a way to capture notes about the characters, world, setting, etc. for future (self) reference since those tend to be the rich tidbits that I forget all too quickly. I try to keep them spoiler free, but useful for future reference.

My whimsical, nerdy heart hopes that others might find this useful as well!

Bunches of love,
Mimi Whimsy

But have you read THIS book?

Do you have a great book recommendation that you would love to see a “reflection” of? Let me know!