Island of the Blue Dolphins

by Scott O'Dell

Book Overview

Scott O'Dell's Newbery Medal-winning classic is a gripping tale of survival, strength, and courage. Based on the true story of a Nicole?o Indian girl living alone on an island off the coast of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395536804
• ISBN13: 9780395536803
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Harcourt Brace and Company
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.3" x 9.4"
• Age Range: 10 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 7

Customer Reviews

Could not remember the name of this book for years

Have had this book on my mind for the last several years and have wanted to reread but could not remember the name of this book for the life of me. So glad I came across this.

Island of the Blue Dolphins has been a favorite since I was a kid!

So happy to have found this book again. I loved it as a young girl. Best part is finding out it is part of series so I can find out the rest of the story. Came in great condition and a good price.

Never Came!

I never received this book in my shipment! I was really looking forward to reading it to my daughter. :(

A romanticized retelling of a possible history.

This story has stuck with me ever since I first read it as a child and, rereading it as an adult, it's easy to see why. There's something so striking about a child protagonist who is left to survive alone on an island that echoes with the whispers of everyone she has lost. Her anger, loneliness, grief, and even her eventual happiness are all so beautifully written. I smiled, I cried, and I held my breath in suspense from beginning to end. For a child who was fascinated by what I could learn from historical fiction, this book fueled my imagination and it still brought me back to that place all these years later.

Wow...

Imagine if you were a 12 year old, left on an island 70 miles away from any other land? Imagine if you couldn't grow surrounded by human companionship? I recommend this to any 11+ year old kid, as they will really resonate with this book, especially since we've all experienced the pandemic. If you are interested in something similar, try Naya Nuki.

corrected review

I love this book. In the early sixties I read it and it formed who I am today. I would still love to live alone on an island at 65 years old. Anyway, there was a mistake in ordering, they cleared it up, they weren't being deceptive. It was an honest mistake. I couldn't be more impressed with their email admitting and the refund they offered. Great company.

My Favorite Book!

My copy of this book is old and weathered. There are a lot of typos and grammatical errors in my copy. The writing style is simple and often more simple than my brain likes to process. There is little dialogue but a ton of imagery. Yet, this is and will always be my favorite book. I hate rereading books but have reread this one multiple times and will read it many more times in the future. I highly recommend this quick read.

A classic

One of my favorites as a kid. I'm actually going to re read it again as an adult. The only book that's ever made me cry.

Hurts your heart, but it’s worth it!

This is an amazing story about a young woman stuck on an island by herself trying to defeat the odds and make a life worth living. Truly an amazing book.

First book I read in grammar school that ignited my desire for reading...

I purchased this book for my granddaughter Emma. I hope she gets excited and enjoys it as much as I did.

MaNawn

The book was in excellent condition, one page was torn off but the missing peace was kept neatly in the book so that I could fix it. Thank you for taking care with the the damaged page.

A Great Book

The Island of the Blue Dolphins was written by Scott O'Dell. The title Island of the Blue Dolphins describes the island Karana lives on. The setting is about 1835 on a small island where her tribe lived. It is based on a true story. They were kind people believing in many gods and were very close with each other. Karana (the main character, a girl starting at the age 12) is the protagonist because without her, there would be no point in the book. The Aleut otter hunters are the antagonists in the story for chasing them off their island. There are very few characters in the story but the main ones are Karana (main character), Ramo (Karana's six year old brother), and Rontu (the leader of the wild dog pack). The problem is that she was stranded on an abandoned island and her brother was killed by wild dogs who want to kill her too. She is living on her island with her tribe but the Aleut otter hunters come and get in a fight. This results in many deaths and her tribe has to evacuate. She ends up alone on the island and has to survive. It is written in first person, with Karana being that character. The book is very descriptive on plants, animals and many other island features. The dialogue has many Indian phrases from her tribe, but also uses proper English. The character development is flattering. In the beginning, Karana is a regular young girl but develops into a strong, brave and outgoing woman. The theme is no matter what the circumstances or what has happened, you must keep surviving and pushing on. Just like Karana, you must keep going on. This book is great and rightfully earned a Newberry award. This book gets a 5/5 star rating. This should be one of the most recommended, award winning classics for everyone of all ages to enjoy.

Karana: Tenacious and Hopeful Hero

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

book about indians and hunters who hunt animals in the sea.

Its about a tribe of indians and a young girl who live on an ialand,and animals who live in the sea.And also about people who hunt and catch these animals to live and survive.