Odder while based on true life events at the Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the most heart warming and tender stories i have read in a while. The story is given such care in being told and keeps its audience (children) in mind throughout. If you are looking for a sweet and playful story that also has some action and adventure for your next read-aloud with your kids please look no further!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Katherine Applegate does it again. She makes you care about her lead character so much that you grow teary-eyed. Applegate's free verse is charming and spirited, as is her heroine, Odder, who lost her mother as a tiny pup. Now, three-year-old Odder is a risk-taker, loves to play, and is such a fancy diver that she makes triple doughnuts look easy. We learn her back story and the determination it took for her to become an ocean-lover. All her accomplishments are challenged when she swims too far out and encounters a great white shark one day. This book was inspired by the true stories of several otters at Monterey Bay Aquarium and their surrogate-mother program for orphaned otters. Applegate does a good job of blending free verse and scientific information while keeping Odder grounded in the animal world. Recommend this book to Upper Elementary students who love animals and heart-felt stories and to those who shy away from dense books.

Beautiful middle grade novel in verse by one of the best children's authors. This new one by Katherine Applegate is right up there with The One and Only Ivan, this time told from the perspective of a rescued baby otter.

Rare, powerful magic here! Odder dives inside the world of sea otters, and inside the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s remarkable mission to protect them. Odder is a page turner, with joy, humor, realism, and a crafty number of details. The story is in verse, which (over and over) captures essentials with phenomenal brevity and clarity. Understanding unseen, beautiful parts of our world is a joy that helps ensure their future. Children can read Odder themselves, but sharing as a read-aloud improves a superb book with togetherness. As always, the best children’s books speak to adults. Irresistible, playful, and illuminating, Odder is a feast that feels like dessert.

Applegate retains the famous charm of her animal stories in this new format, which will be more accessible for both younger and reluctant readers. There was a strong balance between the stories of the ocean, of repair, and of what is happening to the earth and animals. I loved the redeeming message of hope that comes from the end, despite the darkness along the way.

This is a delightfully charming book! Told in free verse with wonderfully detailed pencil illustrations this is the story of Odder and her relationship with the amazing Monterey Bay Aquarium staff. Odder is separated from her mother as a very young pup. She is rescued, rehabilitated and released into the wild. She is full of life and fearless. A life threatening injury sends her back to the Aquarium and a new adventure with The Aquarists and the rehabilitation program. Even though it handles some pretty heavy subjects, the story is vibrant and filled with life and joy. There is a glossary of terms used in the story and author's notes about the real otters that this story is based on and how they helped advance our understanding of otter behavior and successful rehabilitation after an injury or abandonment.

Odder is Katherine Applegate's newest release. Written in verse and told from the perspective of the otter Odder, the story is set in and around the gorgeous Monterey Bay Aquarium. It tugs at your heartstrings, and like What About Ivan (and Bob) will pull in some potentially reluctant readers who are fascinated with otters or marine life in general. What I loved even more is the amount of research she put into this piece, including her references at the end. I can see myself using parts of this book when we are writing fiction but adding in a research element as well. Thanks so much to #NetGalley for the opportunity to preview #Odder by Katherine Applegate. I loved it and cannot wait to share it with students!

Odder is a sweet tale based on a true story about an otter who lived at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Odder is an adventurous after who loves to swim and dive and push the limits. Washed on shore when she was just a pup, Odder has been taken care of by humans before. One day when she is out playing with her friend Kairi, she comes face to face with a great white shark. In order to save her friend, Odder pute herself in harms way and finds herself once again in the care of the humans at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This novel in verse is a sweet story about friendship, and taking care of those you love.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Thank you to Feiwel and Friends and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
A beautiful story told in free verse about a sea otter named Odder who loves to play and has no fear. She was orphaned when just a young pup when she washed ashore in Monterey, California. The humans at the Monterey Bay Aquarium worked to rehabilitate her and teach her how to be an otter. She is released and is the “Queen of Play.” One day she convinces her friend Kairi to venture beyond the “safe zone” to dive for yummy crabs. Both otters barely survive a shark attack and go back to the aquarium. Applegate based her otter characters on real life otters at Monterey Bay Aquarium. There are beautiful pencil illustrations as well. This is a quick read and I would recommend it for readers in grades 3 and up.
#Odder #FeiwelAndFriends #NetGalley

Katherine Applegate knows how to tug on your heart strings with her new book, Odder. This book follows an otter named Odder who spends part of its life in a rehabilitation center and part of its life in the wild ocean. Follow Odder's story as she faces challenges and triumphs. The book also includes sweet illustrations to go along with free verse writing.

I Adore this Sweet new title by Katherine Applegate! The writing was amazing as one would expect from Applegate. It is incredibly rare that I highlight passages in my Kindle but this title had me doing just that. The illustrations are also to die for. So sweet and perfectly matched to the story. I loved learning more about this special species through both the storyline and the author's note at the end. I hope that everyone who reads this will gain a new understanding of the beauty of this endangered animal.

A remarkable story about life in and out of the ocean through the eyes of an otter. Odder, as he is called, spends part of his life in a rehabilitation aquarium at the beginning of his life and shares the ocean with otters and other sea creatures once ready. Odder faces challenges while in the ocean but faces them with bravery; despite his mother’s advice as a pup, Odder ventures into the deep and encounters a shark, which at the end, leads him back where he started. Katherine Applegate does a beautiful job writing this book. It is lyrical and the reader will dive right into Odder’s world!

Inspired by the real life Monterey Bay Aquarium program that partners orphaned otter pups with surrogate mothers, Odder is a humorous free verse tale told through the eyes of the Queen of Play. Odder has spent most of her life off the coast of central California. Until one day she has a brutal encounter with a shark that leads her to the aquarium. While there, she is reunited with her friend and the two start an incredible journey of fostering other otter pups.

Sweet, lyrical, and charming, Odder is a beautiful story of loss and hope. I loved how much non-fiction information was woven into the writing. Katherine Applegate did a wonderful job balancing a lovable character with learning about otters, ocean life, rescue and rehabilitation, and so much more. The style of writing made this a book that is easily accessible for most readers, and could be read quickly or broken in to small sections. All in all, I loved it and can't wait to share it with my kids. Beautiful story and very well-written.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

A moving story about an otter called Odder, full of personality and emotional resonance. The free verse technique is effective in conveying the story and emotions, and the book as a whole is as educational as it is engaging, with particularly adorable illustrations by Charles Santoso. My only problem with it is that I have a hard time imagining exactly what age it's intended for, as it is, frankly, quite a sad story at times (nature is harsh, after all), and perhaps too much so for many younger children. That being said, the style definitely lends itself well to reading aloud, and it genuinely taught me more about sea otters without feeling at all lecturing or dry.

A charming novel in verse by beloved author Katherine Applegate. Odder is an inspiration and a sweet character that you won't soon forget!

Thanks for netgalley and Macmillan publishing for the advanced reading opportunity of another gem by Katherine Applegate. This book will be a great addition to all upper elementary and middle grade classrooms. With a powerful message of perseverance, believing in yourself, friendship and trust, animal lovers will fully enjoy! The novel in verse is so engaging for those reluctant readers too!

Katherine Applegate will continue to be an auto-buy author for me!!

What a delightful story. I had never read a book written in verse before, and I wasn't sure what to expect. I really enjoyed it though. Otters are my favorite animal, sea otters specifically, so I was very excited to read Odder. I loved learning about otters and what goes into rescuing, raising, and rehabilitating them. When you visit an aquarium, you don't often get to see the behind-the-scenes of what they are doing to help the animals. Overallm it was definitely an enjoyable read!

I will read anything that Applegate puts out! Her writing is so creative and her characters are charming. I learned a lot about otters, aquarium life, rescue and return, as well as otter relationships and all in a creative verse. Young readers, especially animal lovers, will enjoy this book.

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Content: clean

I am a huge fan of Applegate's work. This book is so sweet and so moving. I loved it. Verse is the perfect vehicle for Odder's story. I think she's easy to relate to. We all kind of feel odder sometimes, don't we?

Odder is a carefree and playful otter that captures your heart and makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside...until the real world watched up with her. The ocean can be dangerous, as her mother warned her when she was young.

This book was a joy to read, even the 'sad' parts. Beautiful and inspiring while also feeling light and frivolous. An excellent book I highly recommend!