49 pages • 1 hour read
Katherine ApplegateA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Odder’s journey demonstrates healing in the face of traumatic events. Odder sustains both physical and emotional wounds from which she must recover. From her recovery after a shark attack to her emotionally processing the loss of her mother, Odder’s primary development in the novel comes as she heals from experiences in the sometimes-cruel ocean.
This theme develops mostly in Part 3 as Odder recovers from her injuries to accept a new role as surrogate mother to Otter #209. In the wake of the shark attack, Odder grapples with guilt and regret, leading her to renounce her former identity: “Odder promises herself that / when she returns to the water / she will be different, / cautious and sensible and / grown-up and boring. / […] She will stop being Odder” (183). The introduction of the otter pups triggers past emotional wounds; when she sees Kairi with her surrogate pup, Odder again ponders what became of her mother. As this painful question echoes in her head, Odder initially rejects her own surrogate pup because she feels that she isn’t “calm and kind / and patient and careful” like Kairi is (233). To find healing, Odder must resolve the sense of loss and inadequacy she feels.
By Katherine Applegate
Crenshaw
Katherine Applegate
Home of the Brave
Katherine Applegate
The Last: Endling #1
Katherine Applegate
The One and Only Bob
Katherine Applegate
The One and Only Family
Katherine Applegate
The One And Only Ivan
Katherine Applegate
The One and Only Ruby
Katherine Applegate
Willodeen
Katherine Applegate
Wishtree
Katherine Applegate
Action & Adventure
View Collection
Animals in Literature
View Collection
Appearance Versus Reality
View Collection
Beauty
View Collection
Books that Teach Empathy
View Collection
Earth Day
View Collection
Juvenile Literature
View Collection
New York Times Best Sellers
View Collection
Realistic Fiction (Middle Grade)
View Collection
Safety & Danger
View Collection
Science & Nature
View Collection
The Journey
View Collection