The Island of the Blue Dolphin

The Island of the Blue Dolphin
by Scott O'Dell

This book is based on the true story of an American Indian woman who lived alone on the island of San Nicholas off the coast of California for eighteen years. In this fictionalized account of her life, Karana learns to hunt (overcoming the fear instilled in her by her father that women should never use weapons), make shelters, fences, shelves, clothing etc. But most of all, she learns to cope with the enormous loneliness and fear. One way in which Karana copes with this is by developing an empathy for the animals around her, so much so that by the end of exile the only animals she eats are fish and shellfish. She even uses kelp rather than seal sinew to tie things together. Karana learns to love her beautiful but desolate home. When Karana is finally rescued at the end of the book, one actually feels sadness as well as joy for her, something special has come to an end. Scott O'Dell wrote this book when he was feeling despair over the treatment of the wildlife and environment ear his home in California. The result is a beautiful, moving book that has stood the test of time. This book is available in our juvenile fiction section.

Marian