Otto Undercover
Encyclopedia
The Otto Undercover books are a miniseries
of books written by actress Rhea Perlman and illustrated by Dan Santat
. They are written in an informal manner and contain illustrations on most pages. The fifth book, The Brink of the Ex-Stink-Tion, has been chosen by Child Magazine
as one of the 50 best books of the year 2007.
* 10-number ISBN not available.
to stop disease
. Two car thieves, named Ralphie and Paulie, attempt to produce a replica of Otto's car. They would keep Otto busy repairing the car while they use Otto's car to win the race.
The next day, Otto finds out that the car is fake
. When he goes to the race, Otto realises what had happened. He uses his remote control
to control his car and make it perform tricks with Ralphie inside. The race continues with Otto inside the car. His rival Fullsom, who overhears Otto and his aunts' communication, but cannot understand the conversation as they talk backwards. Suddenly, an accident happens in front of Otto. Otto takes advantage of the delay and changes tyres, a tactic that helps him defeat Fullsom. At the end of the book, Otto's parents write him a letter revealing his true identity
as well as his 'assignments'.
s like "racecar" and "Otto Pillip" - a double palindrome - regularly feature along with anagram
s and backward words. Oxymoron
s and onomatopoeia are introduced later in the series. Each word is highlighted and its classification is given at the side of the page. Perlman comments that it is a "great way to have something a little challenging and a little educational in the stories but still make them fun". The use of anagrams and palindromes occurs mainly when characters are speaking, and occasionally will appear in descriptive text, but not usually in the narration. They are often used to create confusion in Otto's enemies. Ordinarily the wordplay is used for comedic purposes.
Perlman believes children derive a sense of achievement from completing a chapter but many are frustrated by long chapters, so purposefully writes in small chapters commenting that she 'did that on purpose to make the process of reading a less serious endeavor, especially for reluctant readers who find 12-page chapters overwhelming.'
and Tanzania
on a safari
.. There are six books planned in the series altogether.
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
of books written by actress Rhea Perlman and illustrated by Dan Santat
Dan Santat
Dan Santat is an American author and illustrator, perhaps best known for his children's book The Guild of Geniuses and for creating the Disney Channel animated series The Replacements.-Biography:...
. They are written in an informal manner and contain illustrations on most pages. The fifth book, The Brink of the Ex-Stink-Tion, has been chosen by Child Magazine
Child (magazine)
Child is a discontinued American parenting magazine founded by Jackie Leo and MaryAnn Sommers in 1986 and published through 2007. It was originally backed by Italian publishers, then sold to The New York Times Magazine Group which published it until 1995 along with its other women’s magazines,...
as one of the 50 best books of the year 2007.
Synopsis
The series is about Jake Eboy, known as "Otto Pillip" to disguise his identity. The fake name was created by his parents to protect him. Although he has all kinds of adventures in his self-invented racecar named 'Racecar', his main aim is to find his parents and defeat their enemies.Books
The series is has a total of six books, all published in the years 2006 and 2007.- Born To Drive (2006) (ISBN 0060754958)
- Canyon Catastrophe (2006) (ISBN 0060754974)
- Water Balloon Doom (2006) (ISBN 0060754990)
- Toxic Taffy Takeover (2006) (ISBN 0060755016)
- Brink of the Ex-Stink-Tion (2007) (ISBN 0060755040)
- Brain Freeze (2007) (ISBN 9780060755058*)
Characters
The following is a list of regular characters in Otto Undercover:- Otto Pillip, or Jake Eboy
- Aunt FooFoo
- Aunt FiFi
- Hogarth and Eleanor Eboy (their letters appear regularly but do not make an appearance until Brain Freeze.
Plot summaries
Otto Undercover is a series about a boy named Otto, whose parents are working undercover. His racecar is the fastest in the world. The mystery of his parents is not revealed until the final book, Brain Freeze.Born to drive
Otto enters a racecar competition in which he expected to win $1,000,000 to sponsor researchResearch
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
to stop disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
. Two car thieves, named Ralphie and Paulie, attempt to produce a replica of Otto's car. They would keep Otto busy repairing the car while they use Otto's car to win the race.
The next day, Otto finds out that the car is fake
Fake
Fake means not real.Fake may also refer to:In music:* Fake , a Swedish synthpop band active in the 1980s*Fake?, a Japanese rock band* Fake , 2010 song by Ai featuring Namie Amuro...
. When he goes to the race, Otto realises what had happened. He uses his remote control
Remote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
to control his car and make it perform tricks with Ralphie inside. The race continues with Otto inside the car. His rival Fullsom, who overhears Otto and his aunts' communication, but cannot understand the conversation as they talk backwards. Suddenly, an accident happens in front of Otto. Otto takes advantage of the delay and changes tyres, a tactic that helps him defeat Fullsom. At the end of the book, Otto's parents write him a letter revealing his true identity
Identity (social science)
Identity is a term used to describe a person's conception and expression of their individuality or group affiliations . The term is used more specifically in psychology and sociology, and is given a great deal of attention in social psychology...
as well as his 'assignments'.
Prose
The series incorporates a lot of wordplay; palindromePalindrome
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction, with general allowances for adjustments to punctuation and word dividers....
s like "racecar" and "Otto Pillip" - a double palindrome - regularly feature along with anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
s and backward words. Oxymoron
Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms...
s and onomatopoeia are introduced later in the series. Each word is highlighted and its classification is given at the side of the page. Perlman comments that it is a "great way to have something a little challenging and a little educational in the stories but still make them fun". The use of anagrams and palindromes occurs mainly when characters are speaking, and occasionally will appear in descriptive text, but not usually in the narration. They are often used to create confusion in Otto's enemies. Ordinarily the wordplay is used for comedic purposes.
Perlman believes children derive a sense of achievement from completing a chapter but many are frustrated by long chapters, so purposefully writes in small chapters commenting that she 'did that on purpose to make the process of reading a less serious endeavor, especially for reluctant readers who find 12-page chapters overwhelming.'
Inspiration
According to Perlman, the books are based on stories she used to tell her son, Jake, and they incorporate many of the suggestions he made at the time. Perlman still consults her son about the technicalities of Otto's inventions. The inspiration for Brink of the Ex-Stink-Tion came from a family trip to KenyaKenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
on a safari
Safari
A safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
.. There are six books planned in the series altogether.
External links
See also
- Rhea Perlman
- Dan SantatDan SantatDan Santat is an American author and illustrator, perhaps best known for his children's book The Guild of Geniuses and for creating the Disney Channel animated series The Replacements.-Biography:...
- Random HouseRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...