I appreciated this reader's edition and learning "the rest of the story." I found the Introduction a little long and dry, though the information was valuable. After reading the two chapters excised from the original book, I am glad they were omitted from a book intended for young adult readers. The two essays at the conclusion of the book were enlightening ( )

Island of the Blue Dolphins is an incredible book about survival. It left me with a haunted feeling, and I felt the need to read it through as quickly as possible.
I seriously could not put this one down. ( )

-incredible and stark survival story
-emphasis on the meaning of human/animal connections.
-has some very sad and scary moments
-material for upper middle grade readers
-description of a battle where a significant number of people die.
-people and animals die or are killed ( )

Based on a true story . It is like surviving on an island with no people to help you ..it's a nice adventure story. ( )

I read this book probably twenty times over when I was a kid, so it was interesting to revisit it as an adult. I'm pleased to say that, unlike a lot of other childhood reads, this held up well, though the sadness of the circumstances around the real story hit me pretty hard. O'Dell's inspiration is based on a Native American woman who, when the rest of her tribe left their remote island off the Southern California coast, stayed behind. She ended up living alone for 18 years. The way O'Dell handled her survival story and the passage of time is deftly done. You never really come to know Karana in an intimate way, which makes it easier to feel like you, the reader, are the one who is surviving alone. This newer version of the book includes a forward by acclaimed children's author Lois Lowry that adds more context for the real and fictional stories. ( )