You’ve been there, / haven’t you, / in the cafeteria line / or the breakfast buffet, / taking a chance on/ some new food? / Grab, gulp, grimace: / You spit the offending / item into a napkin, / no harm, no foul. / Same goes for the shark, / who quickly / reconsiders and / retreats.
-- Narrator ("too late")

Importance: A shark attacks and nearly kills Odder, but the narrator does not treat the whole species as evil. This quote is important because it demonstrates the novel's desire to teach young readers that all creatures in the sea deserve empathy--not just the cute ones.

Nobody plays like / Odder plays. / Nobody has / her moves. / She loves to roughhouse, / can be pushy and eager, / too unruly for some, / but watching her / work the water / is a joy. / She doesn’t just swim to the bottom, / she dive-bombs. / She doesn’t just somersault, / she triple-doughnuts. / She doesn’t just ride the waves, / she makes them.
-- Narrator ("the queen of play")

Importance: Although...