Scott O'Dell (1898–1989)

This is fast becoming a classic of children’s literature. The novel is based on a true story of a woman left behind on an island off the coast of California when the rest of her Native American tribe left the island for the mainland. The real woman who was eventually rescued and taken to Santa Barbara Mission spoke a language that no one understood. She succumbed to disease just a few weeks after arriving in California, so she was unable to tell her story, except for a few basic ideas show more conveyed in a sort of sign language. O’Dell imagined the rest.

Karana is twelve years old at the outset of the novel, used to the division of labor and cooperative work of her tribal family. She knows how to make clothing and forage for food, but tribal custom leaves the hunting and fishing to the men. Still, she is a keen observer and figures out how to repair an old canoe, build a shelter, secure stores of food, and clothe herself. Left alone on the island, she struggles with making a decision to hunt – will the gods be angry if she dares to craft a weapon and use it?

I loved this young woman. She’s practical and brave, resourceful and creative. She works hard at survival, but she works “smart” as well. The village area that was ideal for a community is too exposed for her to live there alone. The large flat mesa-like rock gives her safety from the pack of wild dogs but does not provide shelter from the wind and elements. She befriends one of the dogs and has a companion at last … for the first time realizing how lonely she had been before she had Rontu to talk to.

I really liked how O’Dell conveyed the importance of a connection to nature. He also gives a sense of how all-consuming the work of survival is for Karana. This is not to say that she has no elements of joy or play, but she cannot afford to be idle for long.

O’Dell has crafted an enduring story of strength, courage and resilience. The book won the John Newbery Medal for excellence in children’s literature.

Note: This is the second time I've read this, the first being sometime in about 1998. But I didn't record it in any way, nor write any review at that time. show less

O’Dell writes this Newberry Award Honor Book in short, nearly truncated sentences and in language that is clean and simple while metaphor-filled. The dialog is sparse, successfully reflecting the sparseness of the Canyon de Chelly landscape. The story watches a subtle character arc for the protagonist Bright Morning who opens the tale wanting little more than the responsibility to tend to her mother’s sheep and sees her in the end making bold, dangerous decisions for her family while show more bringing confidence back to her once-strong and haughty, now wounded husband’s shattered spirit. A wonderful read aloud that leaves you wanting to wander the trails of Canyon de Chelly and listen for the voices of the Navaho. show less

O'Dell fingers the interesting tension when a parent molds a child more to his liking than the child's. In this novella, set in the days during the fight for control of California, Carlota is the daughter of a successful Californian rancher, who is treated as the replacement of a dead son. Who is Carlota? Is she a horsewoman? a warrior? brave or weak? compassionate or wise? Can she be all of these things? O'Dell captures Carlota's development just as she begins to understand who she really show more is and wants to be. Worthwhile reading. show less

Bright Dawn is a young Inuit woman (called Eskimo in the book). Her family has recently moved from their native village by the ocean to a town further inland. Her father while out hunting had become traumatized when he got stranded on an ice floe and nearly died. He couldn’t face the sea again, so the family uprooted. Bright Dawn is troubled by all this, but in town she finds an unexpected opportunity to participate in the Iditarod with her sled dog team. The leader, Black Star, is part show more wolf. Her father never liked Black Star as well as the other dogs due to his willfullness and independent nature, but Bright Dawn finds that an asset in the grueling race. At the start she becomes off-and-on-again companion to another racer, an older man named Oteg. This man wants to camp with her, give her advice, tell her stories. She appreciates some of this, isn’t sure if she believes all the old stories, and then starts to feel like he’s holding her back. In the end, she has to follow her own decisions and trust in her lead dog. They face many dangerous obstacles (including encounters with a wolf pack, angry bull moose, terrifyingly bad weather, and treacherous ice). Bright Dawn really wants to win the race, but she doesn’t hesitate to stop and help others who need it on the way and to care for her dogs properly. I wouldn’t say she finds herself on the race, more that she grows into who she’s been all along. It’s nice to read details that mesh with others from stories I’ve read of Inuit in the past, or of sled-dog mushing. A lot of the traditional Inuit customs, and beliefs recounted by Oteg were ones I hadn’t heard of before. I also liked that at the very end of the story, Bright Dawn’s father has the opportunity to face his fears in order to help his daughter. That felt a little contrived, but not terribly. To me this story felt rather calm due to the somewhat understated writing style, but I bet younger readers would find it exciting. show less