Island of the Blue Dolphins
Common Sense Note
Lyrical writing and an unusual and compelling survival story based on fact overcome the slow pacing and create an unforgettable atmosphere.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jessica Pierce
Based on a true story, this novel shows how one smart, innovative girl uses her knowledge of the world around her to ensure her own survival. Trapped alone on her island, she draws on everything her tribe has taught her about finding food and shelter. Through many challenges, Karana remains intent not only on survival, but also on making a happy life for herself, showing incredible strength of purpose. Much like Gary Paulsen's Hatchet, this book is a realistic portrayal of the drastic changes which may occur in someone leading a solitary existence.
Karana finds strengths she never knew she had, which young readers find appealing. "If I had to live by myself, I think I could figure out how to tame the animals too. I think I would learn all kinds of new things," says twelve-year-old Chris. The book is full of vivid natural description, from the general geography of the island, to the specific details of how Karana obtains and prepares food for herself and her animal companions.
Though the book is about a girl who is stranded alone for eighteen years, it is not a lonely story. Kids will keep reading to find out not only how Karana keeps herself alive, but the many ways she has fun on her island, as well as the many non-human friends she finds. When her rescue finally comes, she leaves the island a different person than the girl who was stranded there so long ago. The joy of the book comes from watching this change take place.
From The Book
I felt as if I had been gone a long time as I stood there looking down from the high rock. I was happy to be home. Everything that I saw--the otter playing in the kelp, the rings of foam around the rocks that guarded the harbor, the gulls flying, the tides moving past the sandspit--filled me with happiness.
Plot Summary:
An island girl is separated from her tribe and must learn how to survive on her own. Through threats of wild animals, natural disasters, and invaders, Karana learns to apply her skills toward keeping herself alive. This gritty story was ahead of its time in its depiction of a strong, self-sufficient heroine.
When a tribe of islanders leaves their home in search of a safer place to live, they accidentally leave behind a twelve-year old girl and her young brother. The boy is soon killed by wild dogs, and Karana swears to devote the rest of her life to destroying the wild dogs who killed her little brother. Karana must learn, through various hardships, to get by without the help or wisdom of her tribe. Readers witness her struggle to survive, season after season, for the eighteen years she stays on the island. She is not lonely; eventually she befriends and tames various wild animals, including the leader of the wild dogs. After years of hating the dogs, she slowly comes to realize that it is easier to live in peace than to be constantly at war.
Related Books:
Readers who enjoy Island of the Blue Dolphins will also enojy O'Dell's followup, Zia.
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ViolenceThere is one battle scene, and the main character must kill in order to survive. Wild dogs and dangerous invaders constantly threaten. Karana witnesses the deaths of her father, and little brother is killed by wild dogs. |
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Social BehaviorWomen in Karana's tribe are not allowed to hunt, but she must break these rules out of necessity. By becoming a proficient hunter, she learns that she is as capable as any man. |
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