Karana, a young native girl, lived in the valley of Ghalas-at on the Island of the Blue Dolphins until misfortune struck her people. First come the Aleuts and their treacherous, Russian leader who refuses to honor his bargain and ends up killing most of the men in the village. Then comes a ship with white sails, sent by the village chief to collect the rest of the Ghalas-at people and take them to a new home. When Karana's brother disobeys and misses the ship so that he can collect his spear, Karana flings herself into the ocean and swims to the island so she can keep her brother safe until the ship returns for them. The next day he is killed by a pack of wild dogs and Karana is left to wait alone. She waits, season after season, and learns to survive. She builds shelter, makes and learns how to use weapons that were forbidden to the women of her people, gathers food, and protects herself from the pack, growing into a strong young woman through it all.
Impression: I think I read this story as a child as well - the story seemed familiar enough. Whatever my reaction then, I enjoyed it as an adult. One of the things I liked in particular was the voice of the narrator. The story is told from Karana's point of view and it comes off very believably. O'Dell writes in the voice of a young, native girl, strengthening the point of view and drawing the reader further into the story itself. The tale is simple, a fictional biography of a woman who really lived at one time, but its simplicity works because it draws the reader further into Karana's head, and thus further into the story. The point of view, voice, and simple style all become interwoven and strengthen each other, which is what they should do. Thus, Island of the Blue Dolphins becomes a well-crafted, enjoyable read for all ages.
Four youngsters - Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy - are sent into the English countryside during the war to protect them from air raids. In this rambling house, they find an empty room with a wardrobe that leads to the magical land of Narnia. A Witch rules this land and keeps it locked in a winter where neither Christmas nor spring ever come. Betrayed by Edmund and aided by the wondrous lion, Aslan, they contend for the freedom and peace of this beautiful and magical place.
Impression: I remember reading and adoring this book as a child. As an adult, especially one who's gone through literary analyses classes (much to my own detriment, I admit), the experience was much different. This is not to say it wasn't good, but I wasn't as enthralled as I was as a child. Children love the storyteller style Lion is written in, but adults would rather get lost in the story and not be intruded upon by authorial insertions and asides.
Lion will remain one of those timeless, classic stories for children (words I have never expected to use for any book - literary analyses classes tend to make you dislike the words 'timeless, classic'). The story is good versus evil but with children and animals as the heroes, which would highly appeal to the young. It's told in a straightforward, simple manner that's easily understood by children and without the complexity of plot and character usually appreciated by adults. All in all, a wonderful story for children, one to be read by or to them complete with a variation of voices to bring it alive.
Unless otherwise noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by me.
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I will no longer be linking to Amazon and no longer recommending Amazon as a place to purchase books I review. Amazon has repeatedly used bully tactics to reinforce its policies, even if those tactics cause harm to authors or limit customer choices. Amazon usually apologizes for the events after the fact, but that they continue to use the same methods makes those apologies hollow. I will not purchase from or encourage others to purchase from a business that chooses to take from the pockets of authors (who as a whole earn a lot less than general public realizes) and decide what the public should and should not read.
