Scott O'Dell Summary

Scott O'Dell penned his first children's book when he was in his early sixties. That book, Island of the Blue Dolphins, was an instant success, winning the prestigious Newbery Medal and launching a ne... Read more

Scott O'Dell is one of the best-known writers of historical fiction for children from eight to ten through adolescence. His contributions to literature for children would be significant if he had writ... Read more

Critical Essay by Richard Bradford ["Child of Fire"] brims with violence as well as cruelty, usually involving animals. It also focuses so narrowly on a few minor and unfortunate aspect... Read more

Critical Essay by Margaret A. Dorsey O'Dell's [The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day] is a fairly interesting, occasionally exciting historical novel that centers on the intrigue involved ... Read more

Critical Essay by Virginia Haviland [In The 290, Scott O'Dell displays] his distinctive gifts for distilling significance from historical matter and for dealing with the sea. Jim Lynne, at six... Read more

Critical Essay by Mary M. Burns [The Battle of San Pascal] is the climax of [Carlota,] an economically told story which, in its delineation of a strong-minded, independent heroine, recalls the author... Read more

Critical Essay by Kirkus Reviews Early on [in Kathleen, Please Come Home] Kathleen, just 15, becomes engaged to a young wetback who warns her against the drugs friend Sybil is so free with. But Ramon... Read more

Critical Essay by Daniel Flores Duran O'Dell attempts a realistic portrayal of the Chicano culture in this fast-paced adventure story [Child of Fire]. He weaves together a fascinating tapestry... Read more

Critical Essay by Jack Forman A Mayan Indian legend tells of the god Kukulcan, who, grieving over a misdeed, left earth promising to return centuries later in the body of a young man who has come fro... Read more

Critical Essay by Jean Fritz Writers may choose their subjects, but good writers have less to say about their themes, which are apt to rise, bidden or unbidden, from the raw material of their deepest... Read more

Critical Essay by Georgess Mchargue The one thing a novel about the Aztec is bound to have is exotica. What with tombs lined with gold, hearts torn palpitating from sacrificial victims, feather banne... Read more

Critical Essay by Margaret Parente Readers looking for pure escapism will find an ample portion of it in this novel about a young girl growing into adulthood [The Spanish Smile]. Award-winning noveli... Read more

Critical Essay by Paul Heins In completing the trilogy which began with The Captive and The Feathered Serpent,… [in The Amethyst Ring] the author has carried to a logical conclusion the advent... Read more

Critical Essay by Paul Heins Plot and character are deftly interlinked in the story [The Dark Canoe] told by Nathan Clegg, sixteen, who had sailed with his brothers Jeremy and Caleb from Nantucket to... Read more

Critical Essay by Betty Baker If Bright Morning gave her story to an anthropologist, she would tell it the way Scott O'Dell does in ["Sing Down the Moon"]. In simple statements, ... Read more