Scott O'Dell
Encyclopedia
Scott O'Dell was an American children's author who wrote 26 novels for young people, along with three novels for adults and four nonfiction books. He was most notable for the children's novel Island of the Blue Dolphins
(1960), which won the 1961
Newbery Medal
and the 1963 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
as well as the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
in 1961. Other award winning books by O'Dell include The King's Fifth
(1966), Black Star, Bright Dawn (1988), The Black Pearl
(1967), and Sing Down the Moon (1970); which were all also Newbery Honor
award books. O'Dell wrote primarily historical fiction. Many of his children's novels are about historical California
and Mexico
.
, to parents May Elizabeth Gabriel and Bennett Mason Scott. He attended multiple colleges, including Occidental College
in 1919, the University of Wisconsin–Madison
in 1920, Stanford University
in 1920-1921, and the University of Rome La Sapienza
in 1925. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Air Force
. Before becoming a full time writer, he was employed as a cameraman and technical director, as a book columnist for the Los Angeles Mirror, and as book review editor for the Los Angeles Daily News
.
In 1934, O'Dell began writing articles as well as fiction and nonfiction books for adults. In the late 1950s, he began writing children’s books. Scott O’Dell received the Hans Christian Andersen Award
for lifetime achievement in 1972. In 1976, he received the University of Southern Mississippi Silver Medallion, and the Regina Medal in 1978.
In 1981, he established the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
, an award for $5,000 that recognizes outstanding works of historical fiction. The winners must be published in English by a U.S. publisher and be set in the New World (North, Central, and South America). In 1986, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books awarded O’Dell this same award.
, Larry Domasin, Ann Daniel, and George Kennedy. In 1978, Saul Swimmer
produced and directed a film version of The Black Pearl with Gilbert Roland and Mario Custodio. The King's Fifth was adapted into the 1982 television anime
series The Mysterious Cities of Gold
, a Japan-France co-production that was aired in several different countries.
Seven Serpents
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Island of the Blue Dolphins is a 1960 American children's novel written by Scott O'Dell. The story of a young girl stranded for years on an island off the California coast, it is based on the true story of Juana Maria, a Nicoleño Indian left alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island in the 19th...
(1960), which won the 1961
1961 in literature
The year 1961 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*First English production of Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui*Michael Halliday publishes his seminal paper on the systemic functional grammar model....
Newbery Medal
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
and the 1963 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
The Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's literature. It is Germany's only state-funded literary award. In the past, authors from many countries...
as well as the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was started in 1958 by Dr. David C. Davis with the assistance of Prof. Lola Pierstorff, Director Instructional Materials Center, Univ. of Wisconsin and Madeline Allen Davis, WHA Wisconsin Public Radio. Awards were presented annually at the Wisconsin Book Conference...
in 1961. Other award winning books by O'Dell include The King's Fifth
The King's Fifth
The King's Fifth is a children's historical novel by Scott O'Dell that was the inspiration for the cartoon TV series The Mysterious Cities of Gold...
(1966), Black Star, Bright Dawn (1988), The Black Pearl
The Black Pearl (Scott O'Dell)
The Black Pearl is a young adult novel by Scott O'Dell first published in 1967 about the coming of age of the son of a pearl dealer living in the Baja peninsula. It was a Newbery Honor book in 1967.-Plot summary:...
(1967), and Sing Down the Moon (1970); which were all also Newbery Honor
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
award books. O'Dell wrote primarily historical fiction. Many of his children's novels are about historical California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Biography
Scott O'Dell was born O'Dell Gabriel Scott, on Terminal Island in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, to parents May Elizabeth Gabriel and Bennett Mason Scott. He attended multiple colleges, including Occidental College
Occidental College
Occidental College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887, Occidental College, or "Oxy" as it is called by students and alumni, is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast...
in 1919, the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
in 1920, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1920-1921, and the University of Rome La Sapienza
University of Rome La Sapienza
The Sapienza University of Rome, officially Sapienza – Università di Roma, formerly known as Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a coeducational, autonomous state university in Rome, Italy...
in 1925. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. Before becoming a full time writer, he was employed as a cameraman and technical director, as a book columnist for the Los Angeles Mirror, and as book review editor for the Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Daily News
The Los Angeles Daily News is the second-largest circulating daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a branch of Colorado-based MediaNews Group....
.
In 1934, O'Dell began writing articles as well as fiction and nonfiction books for adults. In the late 1950s, he began writing children’s books. Scott O’Dell received the Hans Christian Andersen Award
Hans Christian Andersen Award
The Hans Christian Andersen Award, sometimes known as the "Nobel Prize for children's literature", is an international award given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People in recognition of a "lasting contribution to children's literature"...
for lifetime achievement in 1972. In 1976, he received the University of Southern Mississippi Silver Medallion, and the Regina Medal in 1978.
In 1981, he established the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction is an American award established in 1982 to encourage authors to focus on historical fiction. The award was created by Scott O’Dell, author of Island of the Blue Dolphins and 25 other children's books, in hopes of increasing young readers' interest in...
, an award for $5,000 that recognizes outstanding works of historical fiction. The winners must be published in English by a U.S. publisher and be set in the New World (North, Central, and South America). In 1986, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books awarded O’Dell this same award.
Film adaptations
There have been several film adaptations of O'Dell's work. Island of the Blue Dolphins has been translated into a number of languages and was made into a movie in 1964, starring Celia KayeCelia Kaye
Celia Kaye is an American former actress who appeared in a recurring role as Marnie Massey, daughter of the character Christine Massey played by Loretta Young, on the comedy-drama series, The New Loretta Young Show. The program aired for twenty-six weeks on CBS from 1962 to 1963...
, Larry Domasin, Ann Daniel, and George Kennedy. In 1978, Saul Swimmer
Saul Swimmer
Saul Swimmer was an American documentary film director and producer best known for the movie The Concert for Bangladesh , the George Harrison-led Madison Square Garden show that was one of the first all-star benefits in rock music...
produced and directed a film version of The Black Pearl with Gilbert Roland and Mario Custodio. The King's Fifth was adapted into the 1982 television anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series The Mysterious Cities of Gold
The Mysterious Cities of Gold
abbreviated MCoG, is a Japanese-French animated series co-produced by DiC Entertainment and Studio Pierrot. The series premiered in Japan on NHK on May 1, 1982 and ran weekly for 39 episodes until its conclusion on February 5, 1983...
, a Japan-France co-production that was aired in several different countries.
Series
Karana- Island of the Blue DolphinsIsland of the Blue DolphinsIsland of the Blue Dolphins is a 1960 American children's novel written by Scott O'Dell. The story of a young girl stranded for years on an island off the California coast, it is based on the true story of Juana Maria, a Nicoleño Indian left alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island in the 19th...
, Houghton Mifflin 1/1960, ISBN 0-605-21314-3 - ZiaZia (novel)Zia is the sequel to the award-winning Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. It was published in 1976, sixteen years after the publication of the first novel.-Plot:...
, Houghton Mifflin 3/1976, ISBN 0-395-24393-0
Seven Serpents
- The Captive, Houghton MifflinHoughton MifflinHoughton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
1/1979, ISBN 0-395-27811-6 - Feathered Serpent, Houghton Mifflin 10/1981, ISBN 0-395-30851-6
- The Amethyst Ring, Houghton Mifflin 4/1983, ISBN 0-395-33886-5
- omnibus Seven Serpents Trilogy, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky 3/2009, ISBN 1-4022-1836-1
Novels
- Woman of Spain (a Story of Old California), Houghton Mifflin 1934
- Hill of the Hawk (Novel of Early California), Houghton Mifflin 1/1947
- latest edition: Kessinger PublishingKessinger PublishingKessinger Publishing is a publisher that offers for reprint rare, out of print and out of copyright books originally issued by other publishers. They are located in Whitefish, Montana.The original dates of publication of the titles are usually prior to ca...
9/2010, ISBN 1-163-37182-4
- latest edition: Kessinger Publishing
- The Sea is Red, Henry Holt and CompanyHenry Holt and CompanyHenry Holt and Company is an American book publishing company. One of the oldest publishers in the United States, it was founded in 1866 by Henry Holt and Frederick Leypoldt...
1958 - Journey to Jericho, Houghton Mifflin 8/1964, ISBN 0-395-19839-1
- The King's FifthThe King's FifthThe King's Fifth is a children's historical novel by Scott O'Dell that was the inspiration for the cartoon TV series The Mysterious Cities of Gold...
, Houghton Mifflin 9/1966, ISBN 0-395-06963-9 - The Black PearlThe Black Pearl- People :* Black Pearl, Italian ringname for Reno Anoa'i, American professional wrestler* The Black Pearl, a nickname for Josephine Baker, American singer and dancer...
, Houghton Mifflin 1/1967, ISBN 0-395-06961-5 - Dark Canoe, illustrated by Milton Johnson, Houghton Mifflin 1/1968
- latest edition: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky 9/2008, ISBN 1-4022-1334-2
- Sing Down the Moon, Houghton Mifflin 9/1970, ISBN 0-395-10919-9
- Treasure of Topo-El-Bampo, Houghton Mifflin 2/1972, ISBN 0-395-12576-2
- Cruise of the Arctic Star, Houghton Mifflin 3/1973, ISBN 0-395-16034-3
- The Child of Fire, Houghton Mifflin 9/1974, ISBN 0-395-19496-6
- Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day, Houghton Mifflin 9/1975, ISBN 0-395-21892-1
- The 290, Houghton Mifflin 10/1976, ISBN 0-395-24737-2
- Carlota, Houghton Mifflin 10/1977, ISBN 0-395-25487-5
- Kathleen Please Come Home, Houghton Mifflin 5/1978, ISBN 0-395-26453-9
- Daughter of Don Saturnino, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
3/1979, ISBN 0-1927-1429-9 - Sarah Bishop (They Took Away Her Home and Her Family), Houghton Mifflin 1/1980
- latest edition: San Val 10/1999, ISBN 0-8085-5778-4
- The Spanish Smile, Houghton Mifflin 10/1982, ISBN 0-395-32867-5
- Castle in the Sea, Houghton Mifflin 10/1983, ISBN 0-395-34831-4
- Alexandra, Houghton Mifflin 4/1984, ISBN 0-395-35571-8
- The Road to Damietta, Houghton Mifflin 10/1985, ISBN 0-395-38923-2
- Streams to River, River to the Sea (a Novel of Sacagawea), Houghton Mifflin 4/1986, ISBN 0-395-40430-0
- Serpent Never Sleeps (a Novel of JamestownJamestown-Saint Kitts and Nevis:*Jamestown, the name of a former town on the edge of Morton Bay on Nevis in the late 17th century-United Kingdom:*Jamestown, Rossshire, Scotland*Jamestown, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland*Jamestown, Fife, Scotland...
and PocahontasPocahontasPocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia...
), Houghton Mifflin 9/1987, ISBN 0-395-44242-5 - Black Star, Bright Dawn, Houghton Mifflin 1/1988
- latest edition: Graphia 3/2008, ISBN 0-547-00515-7
- My Name Is Not Angelica, Houghton Mifflin 10/1989, ISBN 0-395-51061-2
- Thunder Rolling in the Mountains, with Elizabeth Hall, Houghton Mifflin 4/1992, ISBN 0-395-59966-2
- Venus Among the Fishes, with Elizabeth Hall, Houghton Mifflin 4/1995, ISBN 0-395-70561-2
Non Fiction
- Country of the Sun (Southern California, an Informal Guide), Thomas Y. Crowell Co.Thomas Y. Crowell Co.Thomas Y. Crowell Co. was a publishing company founded by Thomas Y. Crowell in 1834 in the United States.-History:The company began publishing books in 1876, and in 1882 T. Irving Crowell joined his father in the business. Jeremiah Osborne Crowell became the sales manager.In 1909, after Thomas Y....
1/1957