Otto Undercover facts for kids

The Otto Undercover books are an exciting series for young readers. They were written by the famous actress Rhea Perlman and brought to life with fun drawings by Dan Santat. These books are written in a friendly, easy-to-read style. They also have cool pictures on almost every page! One of the books, The Brink of the Ex-Stink-Tion, was even named one of the 50 best books of 2007 by Child Magazine.

What are the Otto Undercover books about?

The series follows a boy named Jake Eboy. To keep him safe, his parents gave him a secret identity: "Otto Pillip." Otto goes on many thrilling adventures in his super-fast racecar, which he calls 'Racecar'. His main goal is to find his parents and stop their enemies.

Books in the series

There are six books in the Otto Undercover series. They were all published in 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)

Main characters

Here are some of the regular characters you'll meet in the Otto Undercover books:

• Otto Pillip, whose real name is Jake Eboy
• Aunt FooFoo
• Aunt FiFi
• Hogarth and Eleanor Eboy (Otto's parents, who send letters but appear later)

Plot summary: Born to Drive

In Born to Drive, Otto enters a big racecar competition. He hopes to win a million dollars. He wants to use the money to help fund research to stop disease. Two car thieves, Ralphie and Paulie, try to trick Otto. They make a fake copy of his car. Their plan is to keep Otto busy fixing his car. Then they would use his real car to win the race themselves.

The next day, Otto discovers his car is a fake. When he gets to the race, he realizes what happened. Otto uses a remote control to guide his car. He makes it do amazing tricks with Ralphie still inside! The race continues with Otto in his car. His rival, Fullsom, overhears Otto and his aunts talking. But Fullsom cannot understand them because they speak backwards.

Suddenly, an accident happens right in front of Otto. Otto quickly uses this delay to change his tires. This smart move helps him beat Fullsom! At the end of the book, Otto's parents send him a letter. They reveal his true identity and give him his first 'assignments'.

Fun with words

The Otto Undercover series uses a lot of clever wordplay. You'll often find palindromes, which are words that read the same forwards and backwards. "Racecar" is an example, and "Otto Pillip" is a double palindrome! The books also feature anagrams (words made by rearranging letters) and words spelled backwards. Later in the series, you'll see oxymorons (phrases with opposite meanings) and onomatopoeia (words that sound like what they mean).

Each special word is highlighted in the book. Its type of wordplay is explained on the side of the page. Rhea Perlman says this is a "great way to have something a little challenging and a little educational in the stories but still make them fun." This wordplay often appears when characters are speaking. It is sometimes used to confuse Otto's enemies. Mostly, it's there to make you laugh!

Perlman also writes the books with short chapters on purpose. She believes kids feel a sense of accomplishment when they finish a chapter. Long chapters can be frustrating for some readers. She wanted to make reading "a less serious endeavor," especially for kids who don't love reading.

How the books were inspired

Rhea Perlman says the Otto Undercover books are based on stories she used to tell her son, Jake. He even gave her many ideas for the books! Perlman still asks her son for advice on the technical details of Otto's cool inventions. The idea for Brink of the Ex-Stink-Tion came from a family trip. They went on a safari to Kenya and Tanzania.