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)

Product Description
In the Pacific, there is an island that looks like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. Around it blue dolphins swim, otters play, and sea birds abound. Karana is the Indian girl who lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Hers is not only an unusual adventure of survival, but also a tale of natural beauty and personal discovery.

Our daughter loved the book, espcially the parts about Karana making friends with the animals and surviving on her own. The book offers tantalizing possibilities for a 9-year old. My husband thought it was a great adventure book, and he liked the idea that the protagonist was a girl this time. I, too, thought it was inspiring that the main character was a brave young female who was able to wrestle with the natural environment and yet be respectful of its wonders.

I do, however, have two concerns, perhaps petty and irrelevant given the larger vision of the story. (1) Nowhere in the book was there a mention how how Karan made her many fires. She used fire to rid the houses at her abandoned village; she made fires for cooking and keeping warm. I remember only one description that hinted at the difficulty of making fire -- when Karana sprinkled ashes over her night fire and blew the embers in the morning to keep it alive.(I hope I got the description right.) Fire is very basic to sustaining long-term survival for humans. I think a young reader would have appreciated a brief description. (2) Given that the book was first published around 1960 or so and written by a man, I can understand why there was no suggestion whatsoever of Karana's first period and how she dealt with it. Karana starts out as a 12-year old and becomes a 30-year old at the end of the story (at least according to the author's afterword). Yet much of the book's description could have been attributed to a boy, except perhaps for Karana's interest in making the cormorant skirt. Her sexuality is, however, acknowledged at the end of the book when Karana realizes she can finally leave the island and she drawas the blue line on her face (as her sister did many years before) to indicate she is an unmarried female.

My concerns do not diminish the power of the book and I only wish the book had not eluded me when I was my daughter's age. Many of the great books about girls have the protagonist as orphaned in order to allow her to make defining decisions unfettered by parental, especially, maternal, constraints. While this books falls in that vein, Island is based on a true story and the real Karana did have to rely on her wits to survive and make sense of the world. If only I had read the book as a young girl!


Goes beyond the typical survival book   October 30, 2000
 16 out of 19 found this review helpful

"Island of The Blue Dolphins" is a classic in every sense in my opinion. After most of her people are killed by some Russians called the Aleuts, Karana has to live on The Island of The Blue Dolphins. While there, she has to learn how to survive alone by making shelter, her own food, etc. She also has to find a way to fend herself of the wild dogs should they turn to attack her, while also watching the seas to make sure the Aleuts don't come back. Will she be on the island alone forever? Will she be rescued by a ship? Karana has to find a way to survive long enough to find out.

"Island of The Blue Dolphins" is one of the best books I've ever read. Unlike many stories of survival, the author, Scott O'Dell doesn't ever sympathize much with what Karana has been through. In the end, it makes the book even better that he didn't reflect too much on Karana's losses. Once you get to a certain point in the story, it will grip you into reading it and not let go until the book is over. There's a lot of things about the book that you probably won't ever forget once you read it. It's pretty much a great and unforgettable book about survival and it couldn't have been written any better if you ask me.

I recommend anybody who likes great books that are about survival to get "Island of The Blue Dolphins." It's so good that it goes beyond the typical survival book, and you'll know what I mean when you finish reading it. It has elements of many other kinds of stories, and it's very compelling. It's a 5 star book without a doubt.