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Odder
288 pages
A fluid, free-verse journey through the playful highs and frightening lows of a daring sea creature's path to healing.
What it feels like
Reading this middle-grade novel feels like watching a marine acrobat in motion, thanks to a fluid, free-verse structure that mimics the graceful dives and somersaults of its subject. The narrative opens with a burst of playful, sunlit energy before plunging into a more poignant, emotionally challenging space following a sudden trauma. The atmosphere balances the natural dangers of the California coast with the tender, hopeful environment of an animal rescue program. It is a briskly paced yet deeply reflective experience that explores bravery, friendship, and the complex connection between humans and wildlife. Readers who are drawn to gentle, animal-centric stories will find themselves completely immersed in this charming, poem-like exploration of resilience and healing.
- Mood
- aquatic
- charming
- hopeful
- tender
- Tone
- poignant
- humorous
- playful
- earnest
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- bravery and healing · animal friendship · human-animal connection · overcoming trauma
- The writing
- Told entirely in free verse, the poem-like formatting creates a fluid, rhythmic reading experience that mimics the graceful movements of its aquatic subject.
- The arc
- Moves from carefree, acrobatic joy through a sudden, frightening challenge, ultimately arriving at a place of healing and newfound bravery.
- Who it's for
- Middle-grade readers who love animal rescue stories and appreciate the gentle, emotional resonance of novels in verse.
Content notes
- animal injury
- shark attack
- orphaned animals
About the book
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. Order spends her days off the coast of California, practicing her underwater acrobatics and spending time with a good friend. 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.
A poem-like formatted novel.
Description from Open Library.
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