Table of Contents
What is the message of Island of the Blue Dolphins?
One of the central themes is the importance of friendship. Karana has been raised to live in harmony with the other members of her community, as well as the creatures of land and sea. Friendship helps all of these creatures to survive, since it inspires them to endure during difficult times.
When did Scott Odell write Island of the Blue Dolphins?
1960
Island of the Blue Dolphins was O’Dell’s first children’s book, written in 1960. Island of the Blue Dolphins is based on the true story of The Lost Woman of San Nicolas. From 1835 to 1853, a Native American woman lived alone on an island off the Californian coast known as La Isla de San Nicolas.
How old was Karana when the book ended?
She died, from obscure causes, seven weeks later. O’Dell’s novel compresses the interval between the massacre and the evacuation to a single year and makes Karana a 12-year-old who jumps overboard to rejoin her little brother.
What inspired Scott Odell to write?
Scott had come across the story of a girl who lived alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island while researching Country of the Sun. In the life of the Lost Woman of San Nicolas, he saw a way to make a statement about an issue that was important to him.
Who did Karana forgive?
Forgive enemies Karana displayed an ability to forgive her enemies. She showed this when she made friends with Rontu, the former leader of the wild dogs who had killed Ramo, her brother.
Does anyone live on San Nicolas Island?
The Nicoleño Native American tribe inhabited the island until 1835. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the island has since remained officially uninhabited, though the census estimates that at least 200 military and civilian personnel live on the island at any given time.
Scott O’Dell signing book soon after it was published in 1960. Photo courtesy of Scott O’Dell archive, O’Dell family trust. Scott O’Dell was born on May 23, 1898, in Los Angeles, California. His parents, Bennett Mason Scott and May Elizabeth Scott, named their son “Odell.”
When was the island of the Blue published?
Published in 1960, winner of the Newbery Medal, with more than 8.5 million copies in print, O’Dell’s novel, about a Native American girl, Karana, stranded alone on an island after the rest of her village leaves, is one of the most successful children’s novels of the 20 th century.
How did Odell Scott O’Dell get his name?
Scott O’Dell was born on May 23, 1898, in Los Angeles, California. His parents, Bennett Mason Scott and May Elizabeth Scott, named their son “Odell.” It wasn’t until years later, when Odell Scott was an adult, that he reversed the order of his first and last name, becoming Scott O’Dell.
What did Michael O’Dell do for a living?
During much of this time, while O’Dell was struggling with writers’ block, he also worked as a book review columnist and editor for Los Angeles newspapers. He loved books and he read widely—literature, history, folklore, and psychology. He and his wife Dorsa also led a busy social life.