# Yet another installment of "what's that book?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 11, 2007, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-installment-of-whats-that-book/399591 "2007-04-11T02:23:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-installment-of-whats-that-book/399591/1 "2007-04-11T02:23:32Z")
I appeal to you 'Dopers to name that book. I purchased this novel in the mid ninties at a books-a million. It was a sci-fi/ fantasy novel. The only thing I can remember about it was that it features a race of intelligent otter-like beings. If I recall correctly a brother and sister human have a sort of coming of age story while living with these beings. For some reason the I think that the color white might feature in the title as well. Anyone have a clue? šŸ˜• ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-installment-of-whats-that-book/399591/2 "2007-04-11T04:29:10Z")
Here is my [WAG](http://www.amazon.com/Island-Blue-Dolphins-Scott-ODell/dp/0440439884). Not really sci/fi, but it does feature a a brother and sister coming of age and IIRC they become friends with the otters. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-installment-of-whats-that-book/399591/3 "2007-04-11T04:37:06Z")
Could [this](http://www.amazon.ca/Changelings-Book-One-Twins-Petaybee/dp/product-description/0345470036) be it? ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-installment-of-whats-that-book/399591/4 "2007-04-11T04:41:10Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Borgia] Could [this](http://www.amazon.ca/Changelings-Book-One-Twins-Petaybee/dp/product-description/0345470036) be it? [/QUOTE] This seems much more likely, but Island Of The Blue Dolphins is still a kick ass book. At least it was when I read it as a youngling. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-installment-of-whats-that-book/399591/5 "2007-04-11T04:43:28Z")
[QUOTE=melondeca] This seems much more likely, but Island Of The Blue Dolphins is still a kick ass book. At least it was when I read it as a youngling. [/QUOTE] I should say I know nothing about that book. I just found it by googling some terms from the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-installment-of-whats-that-book/399591/6 "2007-04-11T11:04:30Z")
I thought **Doranna Durgin** had written two or three books around then with a common fantasy background featuring sentient otters, but I canā€™t find them under her name, so maybe it was someone elseā€¦ Definitely that part of the alphabet, though! Or, if it was a novella length story, **Michael Bishop** wrote _The White Otters of Childhood_. Itā€™s been published separately, as well as in collections. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-installment-of-whats-that-book/399591/7 "2007-04-11T12:47:33Z")
Nope none of those are the book Iā€™m referring too. Blast! This is driving me batty. The Mcafferry reference explains the ā€œwhiteā€ thing though. I had rather misguidely purchased ā€œThe White Dragonā€ in the same trip to the store. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-installment-of-whats-that-book/399591/8 "2007-04-11T12:53:22Z")
Upon further reflection it would seem that Mcaffrey is completely ripping off the novel I was referring to with that new series.