Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O'Dell
This is the only book that I read for the Shelf Discovery Challenge that was a reread and I saved it for last because I remembered loving it when I was little. I was not disappointed reading it again! I'm kind of in love with it, and really what's not to love? You have a young girl alone on an island that is shaped like a dolphin fighting wild dogs while taming birds and otter and then you get to the author's note and find out it was based on a true story!!! How did I not remember that?
It was a quick read but I loved every second. It was strange to read the one part I remembered the most and how it was barely even a part of the story:
On the sixth day, when the storm had ended, I went to the place where the canoes had been hidden, and let myself down over the cliff. This part of the shore was sheltered from the wind and I found the canoes just as they had been left. The dried food was still good, but the water was stale, so I went back to the spring and filled a fresh basket.
The part that stuck with me was about the water. Reading this in elementary was the moment that I found out water didn't last forever, it became stale. This was such a shock to me that the image of the canoe with water baskets in it has stuck with me and it is what I think about anytime stale water comes up. I'm ashamed to say that the image in my head did change over the years and without my realizing what happened I switched out the baskets for plastic water jugs...come on Jess there's no plastic on the Island of the Blue Dolphins!
Basically read this book. It's like Snow White meets Hatchet, without prince charming or the creepy dead pilot in the plane that crashed in the water. Okay so clearly you know what part of Hatchet has been burned into my skull, and I couldn't stop thinking about Snow White and the animals that constantly follow her around. I'm not making this sound right, just read it.
*I read this book as part of the Shelf Discovery Challenge.
**Source: I bought this book with my own sweet loot.
4 comments:
I read this book when I was a kid and remember loving it as well. It's been a very, very long time since I read it though...
I'm amazed by how much this book stayed with you! I don't remember much about it. Would like to re-read!
i owned this book as a kid but i never read it! i've had guilt about it for years...should i read it??? :)
I LOVE this book. I think I have at least 4 copies in my classroom. Sadly none of my kids can read it this year, but last year I was always pushing it on them! The even sadder part, I read this in 3rd grade no problem, and I know that none of my 3rd graders could comprehend this book (and several of them should be in 4th grade). So this folks, is why you read to your kids:)
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