Island of the Blue Dolphins (1960)

I remember reading this book several times as a child and being absolutely fascinated by it! It’s such a great book! ( )

Island of the Blue Dolphins was inspired by the true story of Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island. It is a highly-fictionalized account of her survival alone on the island. While the story weaves in a handful of known elements, it takes liberties with some of the facts in order to create a story that is appropriate for and appeals to the young. Reading further on the topic from multiple sources is highly recommended as there is much in the way of contradictory information about the events, and the book deviates far too much to be taken as history on any level.

Regardless of accuracy, it is still a story with great appeal for young readers. It was the first assigned book I remember rereading repeatedly. In particular, it suited me as an only child and an animal lover. ( )

O'Dell tells an interesting story, and I think part of the reason I didn't enjoy the story is the amount I would have struggled if I had been in the main characters place. Parts of the story were slow, but other parts were extremely action packed, I guess it's a good reflection of how life really can be sometimes. Definitely a great descriptive picture into a world we are not often exposed to. ( )

I had heard of Island of the Blue Dolphins but had never been interested in reading it until I visited one of the California Channel Island. The story is set on San Nicolas Island, the most remote of the eight Channel Islands of California. The narrator is a girl who was left behind when her whole tribe were taken off the island by the Spanish after Russian and Aleut fur trappers had attacked their village and killed most of the men. In a story like Robinson Crusoe she tells how she survived alone for years while she waited for a chance to join the rest of her tribe on the mainland at Santa Barbara. She is supposed to be buried in the cemetery at the Santa Barbara Mission. She was lonely on the island but when she got to the mission there was nobody from her tribe who spoke her language left there. A sad story. ( )

Very interesting introduction and archaeological essay and footnotes to lend context and added knowledge to a book I loved but did not think critically about as a child. Would rec ( )