I love Katherine Applegate, and I’ve been meaning to read Odder ever since it came out. Finally, I borrowed it from Kahaani Box and devoured it. It’s such a lovely book!
Odder is the story of a sea otter, an irrepressible character, who swirls and dances and leaps out of the pages. She is larger than life, curious, trusting and altogether a delight.
And that’s what brings me to what I love most about Katherine Applegate’s books – voice. Read The One and Only Ivan, and you hear the voice of the gorilla. Read Crenshaw and you can see both boy and giant cat. Recently, I reread The One and Only Bob, and was amazed at how Bob’s voice rings true right through the story – cocky, confident, brave and silly.
And finally, I come to Odder, a middle-grade novel in free verse. We see Odder on every page, and her unique worldview makes me shake my head in wonder. Glass, for instance, would be a mystery, wouldn’t it? It’s hard, immovable water to an otter, the kind you cannot go through. And humans? They’re animals trying to be otters as they try to teach her how to be an otter.
Katherine Applegate seems to get into the skin of the animal she’s writing, making the reader chuckle at the authenticity of a novel perspective. Odder, like everything else I’ve read by her, is delightfully optimistic, and this is what makes me return to her work over and over again. Yes, otters continue to be endangered, but the picture isn’t uniformly bleak. By giving us a glimpse of conservation efforts, she brings a surge of joy, and that all-powerful emotion, hope. I love it!
| Title | Odder |
| Author | Katherine Applegate |
| Tags | Verse Novel, Middle Grade, Animal Story |
| Rating (out of 5) | 5 |
| Ages | 10+ |
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