Island of the Blue Dolphins (Illustrated) (Hardcover)

by Scott O'Dell (Author), Ted Lewin (Illustrator) "I REMEMBER the day the Aleut ship came to our island..." (more)
Key Phrases: giant devilfish, otter cape, young otter, Coral Cove, Captain Orlov, Island of the Blue Dolphins (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Scott O'Dell won the Newbery Medal for Island of the Blue Dolphins in 1961, and in 1976 the Children's Literature Association named this riveting story one of the 10 best American children's books of the past 200 years. O'Dell was inspired by the real-life story of a 12-year-old American Indian girl, Karana. The author based his book on the life of this remarkable young woman who, during the evacuation of Ghalas-at (an island off the coast of California), jumped ship to stay with her young brother who had been abandoned on the island. He died shortly thereafter, and Karana fended for herself on the island for 18 years.

O'Dell tells the miraculous story of how Karana forages on land and in the ocean, clothes herself (in a green-cormorant skirt and an otter cape on special occasions), and secures shelter. Perhaps even more startlingly, she finds strength and serenity living alone on the island. This beautiful edition of Island of the Blue Dolphins is enriched with 12 full-page watercolor paintings by Ted Lewin, illustrator of more than 100 children's books, including Ali, Child of the Desert. A gripping story of battling wild dogs and sea elephants, this simply told, suspenseful tale of survival is also an uplifting adventure of the spirit. (Ages 9 to 12)

Review
"A haunting and unusual story. . . A quiet acceptance of fate characterizes her ordeal." -- -- School Library Journal Starred

"O'Dell tells the miraculous story of how Karana forages on land and
in the ocean, clothes herself (in a green-cormorant skirt and an
otter cape on special occasions), and secures shelter. Perhaps even
more startlingly, she finds strength and serenity living alone on the
island. This beautiful edition of Island of the Blue Dolphins is
enriched with 12 full-page watercolor paintings by Ted Lewin,
illustrator of more than 100 children's books, including Ali, Child
of the Desert. A gripping story of battling wild dogs and sea
elephants, this simply told, suspenseful tale of survival is also an
uplifting adventure of the spirit." -- Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (October 29, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395536804
• ISBN-13: 978-0395536803
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (620 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #53,192 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

118 of 124 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Karana: Tenacious and Hopeful Hero, June 23, 2005

By	A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "RIP MJ" (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Island of the Blue Dolphins (Paperback)

As a child, my grade school librarian wore out from me asking to borrow so often. Later, as a private tutor, my students chose this again and again. "Island of the Blue Dolphins" lives up to its reputation as one of the greatest children's book ever.

Libraries are good for borrowing books, but some books should be on the shelf of any young reader. Scott O'Dell's magnificent "Island of the Blue Dolphins" is just that. Save your librarian some grief and buy a copy.

"The Island of the Blue Dolphins" is not the story of a foolish young girl who missed the boat when the island was being evacuated. Far from it. Karana was on the boat. Her playful little brother, Ramo, wasn't. He was only 6 years old and could never survive alone. She jumped off and headed to shore to save him. The boat left.

Every little girl or boy has been alone, frightened without a clear way of finding his or her way home. Often, the problem is fixed by turning the next corner, finding out it is the same neighborhood it has always been. In the case of "The Island of the Blue Dolphins," Karana's home never changes. Everyone she knows and loves, however, leaves.

For 18 years Karana took care of herself, and she grows from a preteen child into a woman just entering her 30s. This is that story, filled with adventures similar to "Robinson Crusoe," another true story set to fiction. Fans of "Swiss Family Robinson," will likewise enjoy this.

Karana's ingenuity to survive is surpassed by her tenacity and hope. Weathering hard circumstances, such wild dogs, storms and the constant need to find fresh food and good water. She uses what she learned from her parents and other villagers before the left, and what she learns by trial an error.

As exciting as "Treasure Island," only with a female protagonist, the book is more than a tale of heroics. Scott O'Dell's keen sense of description separates this from the rest of the bookshelf. Although sensitive that his reader is younger, he still manages to place to reader in the story, imagining the smell of sea or hearing the not-so-far off bark of wild dogs.

Like other classics as "Old Yeller" and "My Brother Sam Is Dead," not everything comes easily to Karana. There are somber times when people leave, when her brother dies, or when things look bleak. O'Dell tells the story as realistically as he can, which makes the happy times happier.

I fully recommend "Island of the Blue Dolphins," by Scott O'Dell. It won "The Newberry Medal for Best Children's Book" for good reason.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I liked this book so much!, February 24, 2000

By	Yuko Iwamoto (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Island of the Blue Dolphins (Paperback)

I read the book "Island of the Blue Dolphin" The author is Scott O'Dell who won the Newbery Medal for this book in 1961. He has written so many kinds of books for teenagers and is one of the most popular authors for young people. In 1976 the Children's Literature Association named this riveting story one of the ten best American children's boos of the past two handred years. The story is about a twelve-year old American Indian girl,Karana. O'Dell wrote the real-life story of that litle Indian girl. One day a ship came to take the Indians off of the island, which looks like the blue dolphin. In all the excitement, they didn't make sure that everyone was on the ship. So they didn't notice that Karana's little brother wasn't on the ship. She jumped ship to stay with her little brother, who had been abandoned on the island, but he dided shourtly thereafter, adn she had to live alone on the island for 18 years. After that she had to wait a long time for them come back and get her. So she made weapons, built shelter, found good and fought wild dogs by herself,but also she made wonderful friend to talk with. She became a very strong person during those 18 years. This story written primarily for children. So if you like books about survival adn adventure read this book. It's a good book that touches your heart. I loved it!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Island of the Blue Dolphins, October 17, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Island of the Blue Dolphins (Paperback)

If you like heart breaking,touching,and sad books,you should definitely read the Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. It's about an Indian girl who gets separated from her family and is stranded on an island. Now she needs to survive.

Difficult challenges face Karana. For an example,she needs to find a way to hunt so she can eat. She makes a spear out of wood and carves a rock in a shape of a triangle and catches fish to eat. This book made me feel sad for kids who are orphans and who live on their own.

This book was so terrific the I read it in only two days! I would recommend this book to people of ages 8-150. And I think girls and boys would like this book because it is not too scary, it is just the perfect book to read. I read it, my mom read it,you should read it too.