Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
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Book Reviews of Island of the Blue Dolphins
Book Review: Island of the Blue Dolphins
Summary: 5 Stars
Karana and her brother, Ramo, were looking out into the sea surrounding the somewhat large island they lived on. They saw something that seemed to be what they had imagined from stories to be a ship. Karana and Ramo go through many unspeakably difficult times throughout the book Island of the Blue Dolphins. They strive to survive when they are left alone on the island while the rest were taken off to an unknown place. Island of the Blue Dolphins tells the story about Karana and her tribe having to deal with a Native American tribe called the Aleuts that have come to their island to hunt otter. They offered to split with them a portion of the otter killed but when that becomes unfair to Karana and her family, the Aleuts end up fighting Karana's tribe and killing Karana's father, Chief Chowig. After having their chief killed, their new chief was named Kimki. After an incredibly long winter he decides the best thing for his people to do was to leave Ghalas-at. When they are leaving, Karana cannot find Ramo on the ship so she swims back to the island. From then on it is a struggle for her and her brother to survive. When she finds her brother dead killed by the wild dogs of the island, she is on her own from there forth. Eventually another ship returns and she realizes that it is time to leave the island. This book is a remarkable story and has many unexpected events thrown into it.
The characteristics of the main character in this book is showed throughout all of her actions. For example, when she burns down her village that she grew up in because she does not want to recall the memories of the people she once lived with. Up to that point the author had worked up to showing that she wasn't a weak girl but a strong driven young lady. This event shows that she only wanted to get stronger and use her time on the island not just to stay alive but to grow stronger mentally. When she finds Ramo killed by the wild dogs of the island she not only moves on but also allows herself to grow from that experience. She befriends the animal whom she called Rontu that had killed her own brother. That was one of the most significant events that displayed much detail in Karana's character.
The author of this book has a special way of evoking the reader's emotion through different events. When Karana finds Rontu under attack of the wild dogs it makes the reader become very emotional as well as when she had found her brother dead. The author made the reader have the same feelings toward each of these scenes because they resemble so much. The only thing different about these two scenes is their outcome. The outcome of Rontu being under attack foreshadows what the ending of the book could be like. This is where the author uses methods you may have to really think about while reading.
When reading Island of the Blue Dolphins you can see many symbols the author uses for foreshadowing. When the Aleuts came to the island, Karana wonders why Chief Chowig, her father, had given away his secret name to a complete stranger. When Chief Chowig is killed in battle with the Aleuts, many of the people of Ghalas-at believe that he died because he had given that secret name out. They thought that it was fate because of revealing something such as his secret name to a stranger. But even though the people thought that, Karana still gave out her secret name to one of the Aleut woman that had come. This showed great courage in Karana as well. These symbols of foreshadowing make the story much more interesting.
Island of the Blue Dolphins is an outstanding book that has many unexpected parts making the story ten times better. The author uses many techniques that allow the book to have a remarkable plot to it. This is a book for readers that like an emotional story that can have you thinking for quite some time as well.
-H.Cooper
Book Review: Truly Captivating, Endearing, and Emotional
Summary: 5 Stars
Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell is definitely a book that won't lose your attention and will be a challenge to put down. It is a partially fictionalized, partially non-fictionalized book about a young, twelve-year-old girl who, through a domino effect of life-changing events, is left stranded on an island, separated from her family and loved ones. This Native American girl, Karana, is so strongly determined to live that she spends the next eighteen years of her life on that very island, everyday hoping a ship will come to her rescue and reunite her with her family.The island Karana and her family all once lived on together, resembled a dolphin, only known to the few people and numerous animals that inhabited it. The people on this island called it "Island of the Blue Dolphins" because of the beautiful and stunning Blue Dolphins that were just as plentiful as the waters surrounding the island. And just as the dolphins were at peace and harmony with each other and the water, so were the Native Americans inhabiting the island at peace and harmony with each other and the land they lived on. But as time inevitably passes and changes, it too changed the "dream-like life" these Native Americans were living. The peacefulness these people experienced was taken from them the moment a red-flagged ship, belonging to the Aleuts, was spotted off shore, heading towards the Island of the Blue Dolphins. That moment, an irreversible and unavoidable fate, unbeknownst to the tribe, was bestowed upon them. Unfortunately, the only means of escaping this fate was to flee either by boat or by death.
The day the Aleuts - the white men - arrived, they only came to hunt otters, but something went terribly wrong. A small battle broke out between the Aleuts and the natives, leaving more than 75% of the Indian men were left dead, the chief being one of them, as the Aleuts sailed away with the otter skins. There was not one person of the tribe who did not lose a husband, brother, father, or son.
Sometime later, a ship returns with white men on it, and bring these natives to another land. However, through a turn of events, Karana and Ramo are the only ones left on the island - l their family and relatives gone. Their first instinct was to collect food and build a shelter from the wild dogs that inhabit the island. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes after only three days on the island - Karana awoke that morning to find Ramo gone. Throughout the eighteen years Karana spends on the island, she learns how to build her own "house" and becomes friends with and observes many of the animals on the island.
I really enjoyed O'Dell's writing because this book is based on a true story, and O'Dell had to fictionalize most parts and make it sound believable, which he carried out remarkably. The true parts of this story are that there really was a girl stranded on an island, left behind to voluntarily stay with her brother who did not make it to the ship on time. He did die at the teeth of the wild dogs and she was left to forage for herself for eighteen years. She was "rescued," you could say, by two white men who came upon the island by ship. She willingly returned with the white men back to the white men's land, but when she tried to explain her story, no one could understand her language. Not even any of the natives around could understand her dialect, leaving her story to be much of a blank. She was never reunited with her family because she did not know what island the ship traveled to.
Book Review: Island Adventures
Summary: 5 Stars
How would you survive on an island that haunts you of bad memories by yourself? This is exactly what a young girl; Karana has to do in the book Island of the Blue Dolphins. This is a phenomenal book with lots of adventures and stories of how a young girl survives on an island by herself for about 18 years. It is written by Scott O'Dell, who has written many other books about Indian girls like this. His books have also received the Newberry Medal and Honor Awards like this one. Some of these books are The Black Pearl and Sing Down the Moon.
One day a ship comes to the Island of Blue Dolphins to hunt otter. When the captain of the ship and the chief of the tribe on the island get into a disagreement, a fight breaks out and the chief ends up dead. A ship comes to the island to bring the tribe to the new chief on the other island. Karana and her brother are left behind on the island and that night her brother is killed by wild dogs. To survive Karana has to make her own weapons to hunt and to kill her enemies, the wild dogs. She manages to injure the leader of the pack, but decides to heal him and befriends him. When another ship comes to hunt otter, Karana meets a girl on it and they become friends. When the girl has to leave a massive earthquake comes and almost kills Karana and destroys everything she has. Will Karana ever get off the island?
The plot of the story was exciting because lots of unexpected, adventurous things seemed to happen at the Island of the Blue Dolphins. I could clearly see each adventure and imagine it. In the beginning, the chief's son notices a ship on the horizon. No one knew who or what it was. When a ship comes to take the tribe away, Karana, the chief's daughter, notices her brother is still on the island. She ends up marooned on the island with her brother. After many years of being on the island alone, another ship comes. On that ship is a Russian girl that watches Karana from the bushes everyday. Near the end, a giant earthquake corrupts the island. Scott O'Dell was so descriptive I could hear the sound of the rocks crumbling of the cliffs.
The characters in this story were very exciting because they were brave, smart, nature loving, and caring. When Karana is on the island alone, she makes weapons even though there are stories that women would die if they made weapons. Karana also made a canoe even though she didn't know how. She just remembered how her father made them. When she was fishing, she found an injured, baby sea otter. She took it in and gave it a home, fed it, and healed it. Karana also has to deal with wild dogs that killed her brother. She manages to injure the leader, but takes him in. He eventually never leaves her and becomes her pet and her best friend.
I fully enjoyed reading this book. I couldn't put it down with all its breath-taking events. The book shows how Karana has to deal with the ever-changing seasons. She has to learn to be resourceful and responsible to survive. With all its adventure, courage, and hope that she will see her tribe again it has become one of my favorite books. It kept me on my heals wanting to know what would happen next. I'd recommend this book to young adults, adults, or anyone who likes adventure. This book shows you that courage and hope can get you through even the toughest times.
Book Review: The Best Island
Summary: 5 Stars
The Island of the Blue Dolphins is the story of a Karana, a brave girl. It was written by Scott O'Dell. The publisher was Dell Yearling: copyright 1960. It has won several awards. A couple are the Newbery award, and the ALA Booklist. There are many other books, like The Black Pearl, Captive, and Carlota. This book is an awesome book. It is filled with 184 pages of perfection!
The island of the blue dolphins is an island in the Pacific Ocean shaped like a fish. When the Aleuts come to hunt sea otter, the Indians don't get a fair exchange. There is a fight and many Indians die. Then another ship comes. This ship is different; it is a good ship to take them away from the island to a safe place where the Aleuts can't find them. But Karana's brother is left behind. She decides to jump off the ship and swim back to shore. When she gets there she has problems. The wild dogs kill her brother and she is determined to kill the dogs. She must gather food. She hunts with spears. She makes weapons even if it is against their law; she has to, to save her life. Then when the dogs attack, she kills many, but not the leader. She manages to injure the leader, but she feels too sorry to kill it. She takes care of the leader and keeps him as a pet. She names him Rontu. There is another ship. It is the Aleuts ship again. There is a girl her age on it. They exchange gifts and languages. Once she leaves, Karana isn't lonely anymore. But when Rontu dies she is. She finds another dog just like Rontu. She waits for a long time for a ship.
This book was very descriptive. It put fantastic pictures into my head. There was an island shaped like a fish, with high and low lands. There were beds of kelp around it, dolphins and sea otter around it. Those descriptions put a great picture into my head. When the Aleuts ship came, the book said that at first it looked like a small seashell, then it turned into a gull with folded wings and at last it was a ship. Those words are taking ordinary things and turning them into something great. In Coral Cove, it is just big enough to fit a canoe inside but once you get inside it is huge. It is as dark as night inside. All those things painted a beautiful picture into my head.
The characters were described greatly in this book. The Island of the Blue Dolphins showed good and bad attitudes. Captain Orlov, from the Aleuts ship was very mean and unfair. He didn't give the Indians what they deserved. Karana was a very faithful person. She tried to never disobey her tribe, but when her life depended on it she had to. She was brave to stay on the island for such a long time. Rontu was a very faithful dog. At first he was mean and angry. Then he was Karanas best friend for the long time on the island. He was very loyal and he never ran away.
This book was very descriptive. I was in tears when Karanas ship didn't come for a long time. I was grateful when Rontu didn't leave Karana. This book showed me lots of things. I learned that people do keep promises, even if they are late. I love this book and I would recommend this book to anyone, any age, anytime. I absolutely think that this book deserves *****!
Book Review: You should SLOWLY enjoy it
Summary: 5 Stars
Island of the Blue Dolphins was a classic children book of Scott O'Dell. After 46 years it still read by children around the world. I really liked this book. This is a book you really should slowly enjoy it.
The book was basic about a true story of an Indian girl named Karana lived alone on the island of blue dolphins for eighteen years. This story all start cause the new Chief Kimki left this island tried to find a country beyond the island and make a place for the villagers on the island after the Aleut ship had came and killed the old Chief Chowig. Months after the white ship from the country had come, and took all the people from the village to the ship. When Karana saw her little brother Ramo was left on the island, she jumped off the ship and live with Ramo. But the next morning Ramo killed by the wild dogs, by the rage of brother's death, she sworn to kill the wild dogs one by one. Maybe Karana was too lonely or the love in her heart appeared or something else, she saved the leader of the wild dogs that she almost killed, then became friend with the dog and named him Rontu. She always wished the white ship will came back, but it never came. She even tried to go to that country, but she find out that the island of the Blue Dolphins is her home. In the next eighteen years she became friends with a lot of animals; built new houses; made a dress and some weapons; meet a girl on anther sail ship named Tutok; be friend with Rontu's son Rontu-Aru, after Rontu died. Finally anther white ship had come and told her the white ship before had sunk in a great storm as soon they reach his country, and that's the reason the white man didn't came.
The book was written use the first-person voice, simple words, detail and understandable sentences.
I like the book that it described the feeling and the characteristics of the character very well, but not always tell straightaway, sometimes use the weather, and sometimes use the action, sometime use the dialogue. For example Karana born the houses of the village because she don't want to recall the memories with the people she lived with, tell us she was suddenly grew up became brave. She slept on the rocks tell us that she was still afraid to be alone.
Some people say this book don't have a good story line, boring, but after I read it slow and carefully I find out this book have a really good story line and a massage Mr. O'Dell want to tell us. At the start the Karana want to kill the wild dogs, but when she see Rontu dying maybe is the lonely or the love in her heart or some thing else, she saved Rontu and became friends, then more animals. At the start, she was lonely and fear filled with bitter but at end she was joyful cause she had many friends, many animal friends. She didn't want to kill one more otter, bird, sea elephant, fox and wild dog. What a change, from fear to happy. What made this change? That is what Mr. O'Dell tried to tell us the power of love.
I think this book is for people in any age. If you like action books, island of blue dolphins is not a good choice. But if you like detail stories this is a good book for you.
By Shengjia Zhu