General fiction

Island of the Blue Dolphins

by Scott O'Dell

194 pages · First published 1960

Karana lives on an island off the California coast until conflict with Aleut sea-otter hunters helps set in motion the evacuation of her people. She remains behind when her younger brother is left on the island, and after his death she must survive alone for years among wild dogs, storms, scarce resources, and profound isolation. Building shelter, making weapons, gathering food, and gradually forming new relationships with animals transform survival into a life rather than merely a wait for rescue. Scott O’Dell’s Newbery-winning novel, inspired by the historical Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island, is a spare story of endurance, loneliness, and adaptation.