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Island of the Blue Dolphins

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This is the story of Karana, a young Indian girl raised on an island off the coast of California. Supposedly it is based on a true story, and it tells of how she survived on her native island after all of her people were removed and her younger brother was killed. The reader never knows why Karana's people were removed from the island, which would have helped me understand the story a bit better. While Scott O'Dell is a good storyteller, there are some gaps that I wished he had explained better. For instance, when the Aleuts first came to the island when Karana's father was still living, there seems to be no gap in communications. Somehow the Aleuts can communicate with the natives. When the white men come and cart off Karana's people there again is no communication gap. However, after the Aleuts return to the island many years later, Karana cannot understand the native Aleut girl who befriends her. Finally, when we read of O'Dell's afterward, he tells how Karana cannot communicate with the whites except for sign language. But this inconsistency doesn't detract from an otherwise well told tale. Karana fends for herself for years on her island. She befriends the leader of the pack of wild dogs that killed her brother, she breaks with tribal tradition concerning women and weapons, she finds food, she builds a shelter, she survives storms, earthquakes, and a tidal wave, and she retains her sanity. This book is well written and moves at a quick pace. Asit is written for children, adults can read it quickly, but without becoming bored with the book.

A True Survivor

Customer Rating:

Winner of the Newbery Award, "Island of the Blue Dolphins" tells the story of Karana, a young Indian woman who becomes the sole occupant on a small island in the Pacific for several years. Based on a real woman who lived alone on San Nicolas Island from 1835 to 1853, it tells a moving story of survival where a woman with little means is forced to become resourceful, physically and emotionally strong and above all kept afloat by that fragilest of threads called hope. When a band of Russian sailors called the Aleuts land on the island, their presence quickly becomes a bad omen for the small Indian tribe who live there. After a trade disagreement goes horribly awry, several members of the tribe are killed, including Karana's father Chief Chowig. Not long after they bury their dead, another ship full of white men arrives and agrees to take them to a safer place, their bout with the Aleuts now posing a threat to their livelihood. In their haste to leave their small village of Ghalas-at, no one notices Karana's younger brother Ramo run back for his favored fishing spear. Knowing it is far too late to turn back for him, Karana goes overboard and swims back to the island to wait with Ramo for the next ship. She would wait a great many years to be rescued, many a tragedy great and small befalling her before she would see white sails on the horizon once again. During her fight to survive, Karana contends with climate, the acquisition of food and shelter and the wild dogs that roam the cliffs. She also contends with the beliefs of her tribe, the construction and use of weapons strictly forbidden to women. This belief is unavoidably challenged when Karana realizes she must have a spear for not only fishing but self-defense as well. O'Dell writes with a wistful air, Karana's voice becoming a poetic surrogate for the real Lost Woman of San Nicolas (as she was so known by historians), her own story never heard or extensively documented, a thing that is regrettably due to language barriers. He also writes of the comfort of companionship and the deep and prolonged yearning we all experience in the utter absence of human relationships. Bottom line: A survival tale for the ages, "Island of the Blue Dolphins" has been read for almost five decades and will continue to be read for many more, its themes of hope and perseverence making it a veritable cornerstone in young adult literature.

Classic adventure

Customer Rating:

This is a story I have read many times since I was a child. I'm sure every little girl goes through that phase where she would like nothing more than to be a wild maiden living alone with the animals, and that is probably the basis of a lot of appeal. But that does destract from the fact that this is an incredibly written, incredibly moving story of survival and the overcoming of loneliness. Based on an old story of a woman who survived for 18 years by herself, this tells the story of a young girl who is left on an island after her people build ships and leave their homeland. She jumps off the ship to rescue her brother, who subsequently dies. While waiting for ships to return for her, she dominates the island by herself with animals for company. The description is real and powerful, and O'Dell provides a strong character. It's great adventure and touching drama.

Dolphin book for school	Customer Rating:
We received this book very quickly, in the described condition. It was an earlier print of the book with a smaller font, but overall it was a great buying experience.

Just didn't excite me

Customer Rating:

My babysitter got this out for my 8 year old daughter who loves to read, and I started reading it first to see if she would like it. I remember reading it as a child but couldn't remember whether I liked it or not. As an adult I found it somewhat interesting but not captivating. Nothing much happens, and I didn't think it was written in a way which would excite my daughter. I found myself wishing Scott ODell were a better writer--the descriptions of how food or clothing is made from natural products are so thin, compared to the Little House books (which are masterpieces). Since so many people seem to love it, I guess you just have to check it out of the library and see.