Island of the Blue Dolphins is a 1960 children's novel by American writer Scott O'Dell, which tells the story of a girl named Karana, who is stranded alone for years on an island off the California coast. It is based on the true story of Juana Maria, a Nicoleño Native American left alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island during the 19th century.
Island of the Blue Dolphins won the Newbery Medal in 1961.[1] It was adapted into a film of the same name in 1964. O'Dell later wrote a sequel, Zia, published in 1976. Island of the Blue Dolphins has been the subject of much literary and pedagogical scholarship related to survival, feminism, the resilience of Indigenous peoples, and beyond.
