Island of the Blue Dolphins

Review by Alexis Cluff

Have you ever read a survival book? One that is full of danger and uncertainty? One that you may not want to know the end? Well, if you have and like those kinds of books, let me tell you about one of my favorite books: Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell.

Island of the Blue Dolphins is a heart-warming tale about Karana, a young native girl on the Island of Blue Dolphins. The daughter of the chief of her tribe, and a great example to her family, she has a great life on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Once White Men arrived on the island, though, everything changed for her.

Half of her tribe is killed off by the White Men, with the other half later going on a white-sailed White Men ship. She jumps off of the ship in order to go to her brother, who was left on the island. In the end, though, they are left by the ship. Soon, her brother dies at the jaws of wild dogs.

With her tribe gone, she is left, alone, on the island. With nothing but the old ways of her people, her life, and the small hope that a ship with white sails will come and take her back to her people, she faces the harsh winters, wild dogs, and challenges that the island has for her. This book tells the true story of an Indian girl over the period of eighteen years and how she survived on the Island of Blue Dolphins. If you like survival books, you are sure to love, like I do, the Island of the Blue Dolphins!