The Pacific island of San Nicolas is no longer inhabited. It is now a US naval base off the coast of California.
But this was not always so. The people who originally lived there disappeared on the seas in the 1800s. One woman remained and survived on her own for 18 years until she was rescued and taken to America. Since no one could speak her language, little was ever known about.
Scott O'Dell wrote a children's book in the 1960s called Island of the Blue Dolphins(see cover, http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/15040000/15043471.JPG), his fictional account of this woman's fight for survival. I liked it because it reminded me a lot of Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George. Like Miyax, Karana is all alone once her little brother dies.
Karana is very resourceful. She learns to fish, canoe and make her shelter and clothes out of animal parts. A wild dog, a fox, an otter and a bird become her best friends. This is amazing because the wild dogs were her enemies at first.
A couple of times Aleutians come to hunt otter on the island but Karana keeps her distance for the most part. She does make a friend with a girl the second time but it is not enough to get her to leave the island.
Why was I reading Island of the Blue Dolphins? Well, my goal is to familiarize myself with some of the best children's books so I know what to recommend children when I become a teacher. I may even read a few books that are popular to see why they are popular if not well written. I plan to read quite a few Newbery books. I just started The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, the only mystery to win the Newbery Award. After that, I plan to dive in to Lois Lowry's The Giver. Please feel free to send suggestions. I want to read from a range of topics from early readers to about the eighth-grade level.
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