What a great day to review one of my favorite childhood novels, Island of the Blue Dolphins. I love survival stories, and I think this was the first survival book that I read. I think I was about in 4th grade when I first read it. Kenton county library sale strikes again! Found this gem for a quarter! It's a first edition paperback. Not such a big deal, but a first edition just the same. It's got a bit of water damage and a little wear on the cover, but still good.
Ok. On to the greatness!
Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell
181 pages, Reading time: about 2 days
Back cover reads:
In the Pacific there is an island that looks like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. Around it, blue dolphins siwm, otters play, and sea elephants and sea birds abound. Once, Indians also lived on the island. And when they left and sailed to the east, one young girl was left behind.
This is the story of Karana, the Indian girl who lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Year after year, she watched one season pass into another and waited for a ship to take her away. But while she waited, she kept herself alive by building shelter, making weapons, finding food, and fighting her enemies, the wild dogs. It is not only an unusual adventure of survival, but also a tale of natural beauty and personal discovery.
Initial Reaction:
This book mentions agricultural things that I've never seen before, and I've wondered about them since I was little. Looking them up on the internet was helpful in painting a setting. Frick! I just got to chapter 9. I forgot how completely depressing the first quarter of the book is!
Ok, now that I'm finished, I just gotta say
Wow.
For a book so well beloved by me as a child, it certainly fell short of all the childhood feels that I expected. I guess childhood does that to you- you really remember the good stuff in a sparkly shiny way, and tend to forget the details that don't really matter.
Promote Virtue? I think that the primary virtue that imbues this book is perseverance and the will to survive. Karana goes through multiple tragedies- the death of about half of her tribe, her father, her mother, her brother, being left behind by the rescue ships, surviving a tsunami and earthquake (i think) before being rescued. I think that she also demonstrates great patience in learning to build effective tools and trying new things that have been forbidden to her previously. However, she goes about things in a hum-drum way that's more akin to living like she always has. It's not clear that her internal drive is a strong will to survive. I think that's because her tribe typically lives in survival mode, so it's nothing new for her.
Transcendentals? Karana appreciates beauty, and she has a strong sense of what is right and wrong. She does not needlessly kill things or harm nature. 4th grade version of me was enamored with the description in the book and thought it gorgeous. Current me isn't too impressed by it.
Overcome human condition? There really isn't an internal struggle to be dealt with. There are many external struggles, but not many internal. Karana perseveres in living alone on the island, but I'd say that she goes about things the way her people always have. Granted, living is more difficult now as the only inhabitant of the island. However, the only internal struggle mentioned is loneliness, and she fends that off by domesticating some dogs and birds.
Attitude toward Catholicism? Not really present, but we learn at the end of the book that the last ship took her to the Catholic Mission in Santa Barabara. She learned to communicate with a priest, Fr. Gonzales, by using sign-language (180). The Author's note mentions that "La Isla de San Nicolas (was named) in honor of the patron saint of sailors, travelers, and merchants" (182).
Paganry? Typical indigenous creation myths and beliefs, but nothing super obvious.
Swearing? None
Violence? Some, but nothing really gory. I think the goriest parts are the descriptions of the animal deaths.
Appropriate age? 3-6th grade
Writing Style: O'Dell's style is simple and straightforward. The narration is in 1st person limited, and Karana tells her story well. However, the writing can be choppy and too simple at times, but that's to be expected because the intended audience is really for 3rd-6th(ish) grade. I think that a 9-12 year-old's imagination can do much more with this story than a 30 something. I remember using it in my classroom during our survival unit, and the kids who chose this book loved it. I loved it too, at their age.
One thing that O'Dell's writing severely lacks is an appropriate sense of longevity. I was really confused by the end of the book regarding how long Karana had been alone on the island. This issue is cleared up in the author's note, however, when O'Dell tells us that she was there for 18 years. More information about her story can be found here. And here.
Notable Quoteables: Ack. None.
Great words: parley, reproachfully
Final Summation:
As an adult, this is my reaction:
However, the 4th grader in me is more like:
The only reason this wins the Word Nerd Seal of Approval is because I know that young kids love it, regardless of my opinion. There is nothing wrong with it. If I had read it on its own merits as an adult, it might have received a So Close or Meh rating. However, this is a superb survival story for young kids. I really can't wait to read it to mine. Therefore, it's
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