This is a tale of adventure in the seas around the Aleutian Islands, seas that are populated by sharks and sea lions, whales and porpoises — and sea otters. Amikuk is a young sea otter. As he grows up and learns to swim and dive for his own food, he also learns that the life of a sea otter is full of dangers — from men who will stop at nothing to gain his valuable pelt, from killer whales, and from deadly sharks.

In this exciting and unusual story, Amikuk learns to take care of himself in dangerous waters, and — with the help of an unknown friend, an Aleutian boy named Peter — manages to escape from the clubs and bullets of determined hunters. It is Peter who saves Amikuk and his family from certain death more than once — although the otters never know of Peter's guardianship over their lives.

Woven into the story are the excitement of a shipwreck, a thrilling contest between a small band of men and a herd of huge sea lions, Amikuk's narrow escapes from sea marauders. All in all, this is a book that will delight all youthful readers.

From the dust jacket