When O'Dell wrote Island of the Blue Dolphins, he was not necessarily writing for young people. He had previously written for adults, and he chose to write about Karana at least in part because of his interest in American history and because her historical life appealed to him. His sometimes spare and direct style found itself a young audience for whom the details of Karana's survival was particularly inviting.
Much has been made out of his making a girl the focus of his tale of survival, although he had the compelling reason that the real-life figure had been female. One might generate a good discussion out of the issue of Karana's gender by emphasizing people's reaction to the focus on a girl, rather than why O'Dell did it. Another, more fruitful, course for a discussion.....
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