Odder by Katherine Applegate
Category: Bluebonnet
Age group: Middle grade
Format: Audio book
Summary: This book is written in verse and follows the journey of an otter named Odder. This book is inspired by true events. Odder is a fictional character that lives off the coast of California. Odder ends up being separated from her mother when she was a pup and raised by aquarists. She then is returned to the wild where she almost loses her life to a shark attack. She is recused again and will have to face the fact that she will not be able to live in the wild again.
Justification: Katherine Applegate has been an author that has a few popular books I have been wanting to read. I saw Odder and knew it would be a great pick.
Evaluation: I will be evaluating the plot, cover/illustrations, and the audio.
The plot was interesting, I was hooked on to the book, wanting to know what would happen next. I think the author did a good job in making the plot relevant to the interests of younger readers. The main character has an adventurous spirit, and readers follow along her journey.
I found the cover to be endearing. Having Odder on the cover makes it obvious to reader the book will be about an otter. I did check out a physical copy just to look through the book. I enjoyed finding different beautiful illustrations throughout the book, it felt like a nice surprise to see the characters in the story illustrated.
For the audio, I liked narrators and the different voices for each character. It really makes a difference when telling a story. Odder sounded as cute as she looks, I think young readers might enjoy that detail. I have to admit this probably was not the best book to read in audio since it was written in verse, I think I missed some of the pauses one would normally take when reading verses, but overall, the story was still clear.
References: Applegate, K. (2024). Odder. (C. Santoso Illus.). Paw Prints Pr.
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