Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

So whether the name of the island came from the reason that dolphins swim all around it or because it is in the shape of a dolphin lying on its side, Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell is a wonderful story. It is such a great story that it earned itself the John Newberry Medal.

I first encounted this story when I was in 6th grade and it was one of the first books that I remember reading and really enjoying. I thought of the story again in a class and thought that I would pick it up once again from the Curriculum Lab. Even though it was not my own copy, it brought back memories of our old and warn out book that we once had in our classroom.

The story begins with a 12 year old girl, Karana, who lives on the island with her tribe. Some bad people come to her island and end up killing her father and many other tribe members. Later a group of white men trying to save them comes but Karana ends up leaving the boat to go back because her little brother was left. Soon after, her brother dies from a pack of wild dogs and she ends up having to live on the island alone waiting for the ship to come back. Many moons go by and no ship comes. Karana makes friends with many animals on the island and also gets some other visiters throughout the book.

It was really nice to go back and revisit this story and once I started reading it I couldn't believe all the things that I had forgotten about it. It's a great read for kids in upper elementary and a great read aloud story also. It really makes you treasure all of the family and friends that you have.