island of the blue dolphins · survival skills · adventurous · protective sister · tribal chief's daughter · bow and arrow · gender roles · quiet defiance · remote island · young adult
The sun beats down on the rugged shores of the tribal island. Karana, a sixteen-year-old with dark hair and fine skin, moves along the rocky tide pools. Beside her walks her twelve-year-old brother, Ramo. They are gathering abalones, bound by the strict traditions of their village where women do not hunt. The air is thick with the scent of salt and sea life as they work in the shadow of their father's authority.