Island of the Blue Dolphins

Title: Island of the Blue Dolphins

Author: Scott O'Dell

Plot: Once, Indians lived on an island in the Pacific that looked like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. When they left, one girl was left behind along with her brother. This girl's name was Karana. Karana and her brother lived on the island for a couple of days when one morning Karana found her brother dead. Wild dogs had killed him. Karana was left alone on the island with nothing but an abandoned village and hopes of a ship returning to the island to get her. While she waited, she built her own shelter, made weapons, hunted for food, and fought wild animals. She also made friends with one of the wild dogs, which she named Rontu. Her and Rontu lived on the island happily when one day a ship came to the Island of the Blue Dolphins. The ship hadn't come to take her away but to hunt for food. She knew these people were once enemies of her village people, so she stayed away from them. Unfortunately, a girl that had come with them had followed her footsteps and found where she lived. Luckily, she didn't report Karana but befriended her. They had fun exchanging words for different various items they would point to since they both spoke a different language. Eventually, the girl left the island along with the enemies. When late spring came, Rontu died, and Karana was left all alone on the island once again. While hunting one day, she saw wild dogs and thought that one of them must have been Rontu's son, since he looked just like Rontu. She captured him, domesticated him, and named him Rontu-Aru, which means "Son of Rontu." When two springs had passed, another ship came to the island. Karana knew that these were the people that had come back for because they didn't have the same sails as her enemies. She met them, and although they couldn't understand her, they somehow communicated with her. When it was time to leave, Karana took with her three baskets full of her belongings, Rontu-Aru, and the memories of how she managed to survive for so many years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins.