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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
This book was beautiful. The reader gets wrapped up in Karana's world and her quest for survival and self. I loved the island. I especially adored Rontu. I myself have a very large furry shepherd mix I adopted off of a native reservation, with big yellow eyes like Rontu is described as having, and so I definitely projected my own pet onto him. Books like this made me want to run away and live in the wild all by myself as a kid- it reminds me strongly of others like it I read when I was younger, like Naya Nuki or Om Kas Toe.
I could see this being taught in a younger teen (middle school) classroom.
Potential warnings:
-Supporting character death
-Violence/danger
I could see this being taught in a younger teen (middle school) classroom.
Potential warnings:
-Supporting character death
-Violence/danger
It was a nice refresh of this story, read for the first time many moons ago.
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked it but some parts of the book made me think really deep abt it
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I am in Library school now and it's due in part to my third grade teacher introducing me to this freaking classic, girl-centered book. I was so captivated by Karana and her survival skills and ability to adapt to her environment while various dangers are challenging her. I strongly recommend this book for many reasons, but mostly to demonstrate the power of love and resourcefulness.
This was the first book to make me cry as a child. It will always have a place in my heart.
I went through a sort of survivalist-kids-living-alone-and-taking-care-of-themselves phase when I was younger. One of the big differences between this book and all the others I read (The Hatchet, My Side of the Mountain, The Boxcar Children, for example) is that this is the only book I read where it is a single girl surviving on her own. All of the others feature boys or sibling groups. This is also the only one in a tropical setting, and the only one featuring dolphins (although they are not really important to the story). The female protagonist and the setting made it an obvious favorite.
Even as an adult, I enjoyed this book. It had a lot of interesting details and was easy to read. I hope my daughters read it someday.
Even as an adult, I enjoyed this book. It had a lot of interesting details and was easy to read. I hope my daughters read it someday.
I loved the plot, and how she managed to survive for what seems like quite a while. The author’s note at the end intrigued me: O’Dell writes that the novel is based on a real woman who lived on an island off the California coast from 1835 to 1853. She is apparently known as the Lost Woman of San Nicolas and really jumped off the boat despite all efforts to restrain her. I’m definitely curious about the historical aspects, since the whole novel seems to be based on history. I may research it at some point, to see how accurate his claims really are, but her skirt of green cormorant feathers was sent to Rome- it doesn’t say where, unfortunately, because I’d definitely want to check it out.
I found her to be a very sympathetic character- trying to survive on the island while waiting for someone to come back and rescue her. She gets used to being by herself until the Aleuts come back, and she befriends Tutok, realizing she was lonely after they left. A couple ships come after that, and in the end, she decides to leave the island with her dog and 2 birds.
Rating: It gets a 4 out of 5. It’s not the best thing I’ve ever read, but I love the story, and seeing her survive on the island.
I found her to be a very sympathetic character- trying to survive on the island while waiting for someone to come back and rescue her. She gets used to being by herself until the Aleuts come back, and she befriends Tutok, realizing she was lonely after they left. A couple ships come after that, and in the end, she decides to leave the island with her dog and 2 birds.
Rating: It gets a 4 out of 5. It’s not the best thing I’ve ever read, but I love the story, and seeing her survive on the island.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No