Module 4: Island of the Blue Dolphins

Bibliography

O'Dell, S. (1960). Island of the blue dolphins. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.


Book Summary:

This book is based on the real life story of a Native American woman who lived in the 1880's. When white men come to the island to take it's inhabitants back to civilization, Karana is left behind when she jumps off the ship to stay with  her little brother, Ramo, who went back for a spear and missed hte ship in the process. Shortly after returning to the empty village, Ramo is killed by wild dogs. Forced to survive on her own, Karana struggles with the isolation of her existence. Will the white men come back for her, or will she be there alone for the rest of her life? Read the book and find out :)

My Thoughts:
I originally read this book when I was in intermediate school, and for some reason or another, I never realized that Karana was twenty-four years old when the story began. Knowing she was so close to my own age really put this book in perspective. I was totally in awe of her will to survive despite her isolation on the island. The heartbreak I felt when Ramo died really hit home with me this time, even though I knew from my previous experience with the book. I would definitely recommend that adults pick this one back up, or encourage your child to read it with you, it is a great story of survival!

Professional Reviews:

*Take TV's Survivor and Fear Factor, Hollywood's Cast Away, and the books Robinson Caruso and Call of the Wild...wrap them all together... make them SO MUCH better (in my opinion!) and what do you have? The classic book by Scott O'Dell, Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Ratha, M. (2009, July 2). [Review of the book Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell]. Ink Splot 26 Blog. Retrieved from http://blog.scholastic.com/ink_splot_26/2009/07/book-review-island-of-the-blue-dolphins.html

*This is the story of Karana, the indian girl who was stranded on an island known as the Island of Blue Dolphins with her brother Ramo. After a few months, Ramo died, leaving behind Karana all by herself. Year after year, she waited for a ship to come and take her away. While she waited, she built shelters, made weapons and hunt for food to keep herself alive. She also managed to make friends with some island animals. This story is not only adventurous but also a tale of self-discovery.

Zahn, R. (N.d.). [Review of the book Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell]. Retrieved from http://www.allreaders.com/topics/Info_25513.asp

Suggested Activities:

I would love to use this book in a middle school setting to have students discuss isolation and survival in the wilderness. Building on this theme, we would also read other books on survival, such as Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, and compare and contrast the situations and characters of the two books.

Image link:
http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=4Ua&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1573&bih=706&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsb&tbnid=SiP-93iFfFqxCM:&imgrefurl=http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2012/05/28/top-100-childrens-novels-45-island-of-the-blue-dolphins-by-scott-odell/&docid=aSXgpJrrJF02NM&imgurl=http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/files/2012/05/IslandBlueDolphins.jpg&w=268&h=400&ei=1rdgUP3BLaWC2wWf8YHYCg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=327&vpy=251&dur=2075&hovh=274&hovw=184&tx=91&ty=157&sig=108315845861219599235&page=1&tbnh=114&tbnw=72&start=0&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0,i:180