Scott O’Dell won the Newbery Medal for Island of the Blue Dolphins in 1961. In 1976 the Children’s Literature Association named his book one of the 10 best American children’s books of the past 200 years. I’m ashamed that I haven’t read it yet, though I plan to soon.

O’Dell was inspired by the real-life story of a 12-year-old Native American girl, Karana who during the evacuation of an island off the coast of California, jumped ship to stay with her brother who was left behind. He died soon afterwards, and Karana fended for herself on the island for 18 years. O’Dell tells the story of how Karana forages on land and in the ocean, clothes herself, secures shelter, and finds strength and serenity living alone on the island. (The book is recommended for 9 to 12-year-olds.)

There are several good activity and teaching guides sites on the internet like Explore the Island of the Blue Dolphins from SCORE (Schools of California Online Resources for Education), Eduscapes.com’s unit on the book, and one from Teachers@Random from Random House publishers.

(Click here for more YA novel reviews.)

Blue Food Ideas
Karana mostly ate abalone and other foods from the sea. But you can enjoy two other traditional Native American foods, blue corn and blue berries. Blue corn was grown by native peoples in the southwest such as the Hopi and Navajo. Native Americans used the blueberries and its leaves and roots for medicinal purposes. The fruit was used as a fabric dye and combined with meat into a nutritious dried jerky.

Blue Corn Cakes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
From Kokopelli’s Cook Book by James and Carol Kunkle

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup all-purpose or enriched white flour
2. 1 cup stone-ground blue cornmeal
3. 3 tsp baking powder
4. 1/4 tsp salt
5. 1/2 cup sugar
6. 1 tsp vanilla
7. 3 eggs, well beaten
8. 1-1/2 cups milk, room temperature
9. 4 Tbsp melted butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift together the first five ingredients. Set aside.
3. Mix together the vanilla, eggs, milk and butter.
4. Combine the dry ingredients with the liquid ingredients.
5. Grease and lightly flour a 9×12 baking dish.
6. Pour the batter into dish and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Immediately upon removing the cake from the oven, pierce the top surface with a fork.
7. Spoon the Wild Blueberry Sauce (below) over the top. Serve warm or cold with ice cream or top with a dollop of whipped cream.

Wild Blueberry Sauce
From Kokopelli’s Cook Book by James and Carol Kunkle

ngredients:

1. 2 cups (1 pint) wild blueberries (or huckleberries)
2. 1 cup water
3. 1/2 cup sugar
4. 1/4 tsp salt
5. 2 Tbsp cornstarch
6. 4 Tbsp water
7. 1 Tbsp butter

Instructions:

1. Combine the berries, water, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes. While simmering, mash the berries slightly with a potato masher.
2. Mix the cornstarch into water.
3. With the blueberries still simmering, slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture.
4. Continue to stir for at least two minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in butter.

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