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Island of the Blue Dolphins (Island of the Blue Dolphins #1)

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 · rating details · 132,512 ratings · 4,190 reviews

The gripping story of young Karana, who survives by herself for eighteen years on a deserted island off the California coast.

Hardcover, 192 pages

Published September 9th 1960 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (first published 1960)

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Jun 12, 2009 karen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kiddiwinx, favorites

this may be the best book for kids ever written. it teaches young girls everything they will ever need to know in their resourceful lives: how to build a fence out of whale bones, how to kill giant squids, how to alternately befriend and defend against scary wild dogs, and how to make skirts from cormorant feathers. since i got kicked out of brownies and never got to learn All The Things That Girl Scouts Learn, this book taught me how to wilderness-survive. and now i live in queens. so - not muc...more

84 likes · like · see review

Jun 20, 2012 Christina rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-reads, juvenile

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I never read Island of the Blue Dolphins as a child, although I’m positive I wouldn’t have liked it then either. As everyone in Karana’s tribe is evacuating the island, she looks back and realizes her little brother has been left behind. She jumps out of the boat and swims back to the island, where they live there alone until her brother is killed. After his death, she makes friends with an otter and one of the wild dogs that may or may not have killed her brother. Of course, as the days turn in...more

14 likes · like · see review

Jun 08, 2007 stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: prize-winners, young-adult, would-rec, good-more-than-once, historical-fiction, absolutely-must-read, childhood-favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

18 likes · like · see review

Oct 13, 2007 Hellokitty rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book that I read was," Island Of The Blue Dolphins" this book was great! It is about a girl named Karana, and she is from an indian tribe, she lives on an island called," The Island Of The Blue Dolphins". Her father is the chief of the tribe, she has an older sister and younger brother. One day some people came and battled them, and her father dies. After this some more people come to their island, and try to help them, so the people gather some belongings and get on the ship. Her brother f...more

14 likes · like · see review

Nov 21, 2012 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2012, historical-fiction

Set in the 1800's on an isolated island off the coast of California, I'd once heard this book described as the left coast's answer to Squanto. This book is different though in that it's one girl's tale of losing her people, meeting European explorers and becoming marooned alone on an island for many years. It's a cross between My Side of the Mountain, Robinson Crusoe and Hatchet.

It's a short first person read that draws in the reader and gives one an idea what it really might have been like to l...more

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May 10, 2012 Readerx rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Island of the Blue Dolphins is an exciting tale about life alone on an island. This book has won a Newbery Award and is just fun to read. Karana got left behind with her brother. This book teaches a great lesson, and is easy to read. Island of the Blue Dolphins has great details. Scott O'dell "hit the nail on the head with this book! I recommend this book to all.

After Karana and her brother got left behind something happened! Karana Survived on her own by making weapons. She kept pets so she was...more

6 likes · like · see review

Aug 03, 2007 Kathryn Cantrell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: All children and everyone who remembers this book fondly.

This was the best book in my early elementary years. I remember my first grade teacher, Mrs. Hendrickson, reading it to us over the course of a few weeks in serial form. I read it myself in third grade. And now, out of nostalgia (can you be nostaligic for your 8-10 year-old self?), I'm re-reading it. I remembered it as the adventurous, though sad, life of a young girl. Now it seems less about adventure and much more about the heart-breaking trials of a lonely girl, left alone and for dead.

What t...more

8 likes · like · see review

May 10, 2012 Bubbles74454 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm in sixth grade and we read this book in class. A ship comes and takes villagers from the village of Ghalas-at East. But a young girl named Karana gets left behind. Karana waits for the ship to come back. While she does she goes after animals, builds shelter, gets food, whatever she has to do to survive.
The central idea of this story is it takes hard work to survive on an island. Karana goes out everyday at dawn and returns at sunset. That is a very long time to be out and working. She has...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 10, 2013 Jason Koivu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Island of the Blue Dolphins is the good old fashioned heartbreaking kind of kids' lit they used to make us read in school back in the 70s and early 80s. Why? Because back then teachers liked to make their students cry. There's no other rational explanation for it.

Great start to this story of a Chumash (local natives to the Santa Barbara, California area) tribe taken by surprise by fur hunters and then taken from their island, accidentally leaving behind a brother and a sister. There is sorrow a...more

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Mar 02, 2013 "HUNGER GAMES!" (this is Sabrina!) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought the Island Of The Blue Dolphins was a good book. It wasen't the best book i read but it was a good book. I think the genre of this book is action because alot of unexpected things happen. Like the war with the Aleuts, the death of her father brother and tribe, and when the Aleuts come back to the island. There was also alot of detail when these events happen in the story.Something i liked about this book was the setting. I liked the setting because she explains her houses,coral cove, a...more I thought the Island Of The Blue Dolphins was a good book. It wasen't the best book i read but it was a good book. I think the genre of this book is action because alot of unexpected things happen. Like the war with the Aleuts, the death of her father brother and tribe, and when the Aleuts come back to the island. There was also alot of detail when these events happen in the story.Something i liked about this book was the setting. I liked the setting because she explains her houses,coral cove, and the area where the otter play so well i can picture it in my mind. I think the point of view for this book is first person because it says i alot.Some parts i found interesting was when her father died.I thought this was interesting because now she has no father and that part of the story made me sad.Some parts i also found interesting was when Rontu became her friend,I liked this part because usually the dogs are trying to eat her like they did to her brother but instead Rontu became her friend.I also like the part when the Aleut girl comes to the island because know Karana can have a human friend she can speak and communicate with.The last part i found interesting was when Karana left the island at the end of the book.I found that part interesting because she has been living there for years and now she is leaving all her memories behind.

Questions:
1. Why did Karana's brother leave in the night by himself?
2. Why diden't the Aleuts give them what they wanted?
3. Why did the Aleuts come back?Did they know there boat sank?
4. Will Karana come back to the island of the blue dolphins?
5. Do you think Karana will make it to the other island safe?

I think this book relates to the books Julie Of The Wolves, Talking Earth, and Bread Winner because in Julie Of The Wolves Miyak is friends with a wolf or dog and in Island Of The Blue Dolphins Karana is friends with a dog named Rontu. The Talking Earth relates to The Island Of The Blue Dolphin because the two characters are on a island alone. The Bread Winner relates to The Island Of The Blue Dolphins because in Bread Winner Parvanna's family leaves and in Island Of The Blue Dolphins Karana's family leaves to another island.
I give this book 4 stars **** (less)

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Jul 20, 2008 Abby rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was freaking awesome. I loved it when I was a kid. All of the people on an island are leaving together one day, on a boat. I don't remember why. Anyhow, the main character's little brother got left behind on the shore. (What, they didn't think to do a head count before launching the boat?) She jumps off and swims back to be with him. The boat apparently drives only forward, and not in reverse, or they are in a really big hurry. I know this because they don't come back and get her or he...more

12 likes · like · see review

Jan 14, 2008 Anthony Paterra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the novel "Island of the Blue Dolphins", the main character is Karana. She is the daughter of the chief of the tribe that lives on the island, "Island of the Blue Dolphins". She also has an older sister, a mom, and a little brother. Her and the others from the tribe hunt and gather their own food, make their clothing, and build their shelter. They are very independent and are the only people who inhabit the island.
During this novel, the tribe is visited by foreigners who wish to hunt the ot...more

6 likes · like · see review

Dec 14, 2009 Jean rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone wanting to be a kid again

Shelves: favorites

a children's book, this is my all time favorite. based on the true story of a young woman who had to survive alone on an island for more than 20 years. typical me...i love stories about strong women. i promised myself that when i "grew up," i would visit the grave-site of the woman who inspired the book. when i lived in california, i finally made my way to the mission in santa barbara where she was buried. for a moment i was able to flash back to my childhood self looking into the future...and i...more

13 likes · like · see review

Aug 01, 2007 Patricia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, youngadults

Might I be bored, annoyed, or disgusted with Scott O'Dell's many works from the viewpoints of young women? If I read them now, sure, I might be.

But I SWORE BY Scott O'Dell when I was 10-12 years old, and I think that's what mattered. The girls in the books spoke to me, and they were written for me then, not for the me that is now.

I will buy his books for my younger cousins, and hope they get the sense of self and adventure that these short novels offer.

10 likes · like · see review

May 28, 2012 Giulia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Da piccola l'avrò letto più o meno una ventina di volte. Ora devo solo recuperarlo da qualche parte così potrò rileggerlo e ricordarmi il motivo del mio amore.

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Dec 04, 2011 Carmel bear*quiana* rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

3 likes · like · see review

May 12, 2012 Ilovebatman rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Six grade is a awesome time to read "Island of the Blue Dolphins." "Island of the Blue Dolphins," starts with a twelve year old girl named Karana and a six year old doy named Ramo. And Karana had to face difficult challenge. Like finding a ship to take her away. Karana managed to keep herself alive by biulding shelter, making weapons,finding food, and fighting her enemies, the wild dogs. This story isn't just a adventure of survival, but also a tale of personal discovery.
I think that the centr...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 13, 2008 Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star-books, childrens, young-adult, historical-fiction, realistic-fiction, middle-grade, classics

I think this book is amazing. I read it five years ago, but I still remember it so vividly. The story seemed so real. It's exciting, inspiring, and heartbreaking all at the same time. Everyone should read this!

3 likes · like · see review

May 12, 2012 Alex rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was more than a good book! It was the summary of all human emotions and feelings since the dawn of time! It contained within itself the heart of human expression! There is no other word for it than....brilliance! Scott O'Dell, in his description of conflicts, scenery (the island especially), people, there is a simplicity like no other writer. He does a fantastic job at letting us explore Karana-the main character, or protagonist-and her life as she seeks to survive alone for 18 years!
I reco...more

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Dec 04, 2011 *Lolo* rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The genre of this book to me was action/adventure because she has a journey. This is my summmary: A girl named Karan is from a tribe and her trbie is going to a new island so while they are on the ship traveling away her brother Ramo is left on the island getting a fish spear so she jumps off the ship and swims back to the island and stays there with her brother while the people form the ship said they would come abck for them but while they are wating at the island there is a pack of wild dogs...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teenage-dream-wannabee, blue-like-the-ocean, childrens, classics, favorites, i-could-kill-you, i-wouldn-t-mind-that-life, like-a-cloister, middle-school-meddlings

it is a strange and dangerous thing to re-read a novel one loved as a 10 year old. you wonder if you will have the same unsatisfactory revelation that dippin' dots are, in fact, tasteless and absurd and not the tasty little candy-like morsels you once thought.

thankfully this was not the case.

as a 10 year old i loved this book for different reasons than i do now. it is that horrible place in childhood where you are beginning to feel adult longings, want specific freedoms, and are largely denied t...more it is a strange and dangerous thing to re-read a novel one loved as a 10 year old. you wonder if you will have the same unsatisfactory revelation that dippin' dots are, in fact, tasteless and absurd and not the tasty little candy-like morsels you once thought.

thankfully this was not the case.

as a 10 year old i loved this book for different reasons than i do now. it is that horrible place in childhood where you are beginning to feel adult longings, want specific freedoms, and are largely denied them from every institution you are part of. this book enabled me to believe that pre-teens are incredibly capable, knowledgeable, and unafraid in times of hardship. it helped give me some of those emotional tools i would need down the line. in addition, i worshipped the story. a young lady, alone on an uninhabited island, having to make do without her family; to create her own version of home and unity and faith as she saw fit. it was my own femininized version of treasure island. it wasn't the writing so much as it was the scenery, the imagery, and largely, the plot. i WAS karana, i HAD a faithful wolf-hound, and i shone brilliantly covered in seashells and bone that shimmered in the tropical sun. ah...

flash forward twenty years. i live in a house, largely because of the efforts of my own hands though not so literally; and it is crazy feral cats, not wild dogs that i regularly contend with. such is fate.

this time, i appreciated the simplicity of the story. a tale well told with just enough adventure to not be completely irreverant, and distinguised enough to make a 10 year old really BELIEVE. i still engaged with the story, and could picture the harsh waves crashing upon the rocks with just as much mental fervor as my ten year old keds wearing self. the wording, while limited in scope to a grown woman, i could still appreciate as a pastel-colored rendering of a good story and one suitable for the age group the author was ultimately pursuing. i suppose that's the mark of a book that will stand the test of time.

dunno. worked for me.

i wanted to pick it up again, i know that much. a story of adventure about a girl and her dog will always hold some special place in my heart. in some ways, i'm still that 10 year old, only now i get told "no" by different institutions. like that dude at sam's club that wants to make sure you have a membership card. or the atm machine. but i digress.

anyway, still a thoughtful, graceful story that i will continue to pass along to the youngsters. besides, one never knows when survival tactics may come in handy. abalone, kiddos! and roots, don't forget about the roots!

four easy, sea-slurpping stars.

(less)

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Nov 05, 2007 Nicole Marie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Island of the Blue Dolphins is one of my favorites. I first read it all the way back in fourth grade. Back then, I never really read these types of books but as soon as we read it in class, I couldn't stop. After we finished our unit on the book, I had to read the sequel, Zia.

This story teaches us about living it up smart on our own and to make the best of bad moments. The Island of the Blue Dolphins is about a girl named Karana, who is left behind by her tribe on an island because she did not w...more

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Nov 14, 2008 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My fourth grade daughter insisted I read this because she enjoyed it so much, and I can see why. It was a fast read, but the story was engaging. It's based on a true story, and I was inspired by Karana and her resourcefulness. Descriptions of the island and the animals were vivid. Her relationship with the animals - as it evolved - was beautiful. We plan to visit the Southwest Museum in Pasadena to see the real artifacts from the Indian people who did inhabit this island . . .

5 likes · like · see review

Jan 30, 2009 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book really disturbed me. I read it when I was a young teenager and the idea of being stranded on an inhospitable island for a year by myself was, well, disturbing. And I never fully understood the relationship between the girl and the wolf. Perhaps I'll read it again now that I'm a self-sufficient adult who wouldn't mind a little peace and quiet for a little while...

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 20, 2012 lucy by the sea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, young-adult-fiction, kids-fiction, love

You know how kids avoid anything their parents tell them they will like? Well, I should have listened to my Mum. She was always trying to push brave feminist stories on me (probly cos I was (am) a big lazy wuss).

I loved Island of the Blue Dolphins. It is the story of a young woman living completely alone on an island. The loneliness underlies the adventure and although a lot happens the general feel is quite slow and reflective. Kindof sad but really empowering.

I will for sure be pushing this o...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 02, 2012 Samantha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childhood-favorites

This was yet another I read repeated times as a child. I loved reading the descriptions of how she crafted supplies and took care of herself on the island. She was kind of my hero.

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Jun 20, 2007 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

I remember loving this book as a child but could remember very little about the plot except that it involved a girl on an island. Rereading this kids' classic, I was surprised to learn that the story was based on a real-life girl who lived alone on an island for 18 years. Goodness!
While the story is good, it didn't resonate with me as much as it did when I was in elementary school. At that time, the idea of a female child being self-sufficient on an island was very appealing and exciting; while...more

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Dec 04, 2011 gummy bear ( Brianna S) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

the genre of this book is survival. the summary is her people go away and her brother is killed so then she has to find a way to survive.I think the compelling element was the characters. 1. routo 2. routo-aru 3. wild dogs. when routo died I had tears in my eyes but things got a little happier when she found routos son. I selected this passage because it really touched my heart when that happened. 1. why did her people leave her and her brother behind 2.why did routo die 3. who were the anlets 4...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Christopher Yang rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't remember everything about it clearly but I know that it was depressing.
The end.
Its not even one of my favorites so I dont even know why I am reviewing this....

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Jul 20, 2007 A rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literarycanonselections, fiction, youngadult

read this for the first time before fifth grade.
this book was like all my daydreams. she was strong...she lived on her own, faught against dogs and survived. even though it's probably not meant to be, i consider this book to being my first women's empowerment book. :) it definitely taught me the strength of the female body. an amazing story that i didn't want to end. by the end of the book i was certain that if i ever got stranded on an island, i'd survive. ((probably not, but hey, optimisim is...more

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About Scott O'Dell

Scott O'Dell (May 23, 1898 – October 16, 1989) was an American children's author who wrote 26 novels for youngsters, along with three adult novels and four nonfiction books. He was most famously the author of the children's novel Island of the Blue Dolphins (1960), which won the 1961 Newbery Medal as well as a number of other awards. Other award winning books by O'Dell include The King's Fifth (19...more

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“Below me Rontu was running along the cliffs barking at the screaming gulls. Pelicans were chattering as they finished the blue water. But suddenly I thought of Tutok, and the island seemed very quiet.” — 13 people liked it

“Many of our tribe went to the cliff each night to count the number killed during the day. They counted the dead otter and thought of the beads and other things that each pelt meant. But I never went to the cove and whenever I saw the hunters with their long spears skimming over the water, I was angry, for these animals were my friends. It was fun to see them playing or sunning themselves among the kelp. It more fun than the thought of beads to wear around my neck.” — 9 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/825740.Island_of_the_Blue_Dolphins?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349046412l/825740.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/825740.Island_of_the_Blue_Dolphins?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell[/url]

Island of the Blue Dolphins (Island of the Blue Dolphins #1)

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