Scott O'Dell (May 23, 1898 – October 15, 1989) was an American writer of 26 novels for young people, along with three novels for adults and four nonfiction books. He wrote historical fiction, primarily, including several children's novels about historical
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
and
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
Regina Medal
The Regina Medal is a literary award conferred annually by the U.S.-based Catholic Library Association. It recognizes one living person for "continued, distinguished contribution to children's literature without regard to the nature of the contri ...
in 1978.
O'Dell's best known work is the historical novel '' Island of the Blue Dolphins'' (1960), which won the 1961
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...
and the 1963
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
The (German Youth Literature Award) 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 and young adult literature. It is Germany's only ...
in its German translation. It was also named to the
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was an American literary award conferred on several books annually by the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education annually from 1958 to 1979. Award-winning books were deemed to "belong on the same shelf" ...
list. He was one of the annual Newbery runners-up for three other books: '' The King's Fifth'' (1966), '' The Black Pearl'' (1967), and ''Sing Down the Moon'' (1970).
Biography
Scott O'Dell was born O'Dell Gabriel Scott, but after his name was incorrectly published on a book as "Scott O'Dell", he decided to keep the name. He was born on
Terminal Island
Terminal Island, historically known as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington and San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles, and the city of Long B ...
in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, to parents May Elizabeth Gabriel and Bennett Mason Scott. He attended multiple colleges, including Occidental College in 1919, the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
Sapienza University of Rome
The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...
in 1925. During World War II, he served in the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
. Before becoming a full-time writer, he was employed as a cameraman and technical director, as a book columnist for the ''
Los Angeles Mirror
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', and as book review editor for the '' Los Angeles Daily News''. He was married two times. His wives were Jane Dorsa Rattenbury, and Elizabeth Hall.
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. His first children's book was ''Island of the Blue Dolphins''.
In 1984, he established the
Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction is an annual American children's book award that recognizes historical fiction. It was established in 1982 by Scott O'Dell, author of ''Island of the Blue Dolphins'' and 25 other children's books, in ho ...
, an award of $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
''The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books'' is an academic journal established in 1945 by Frances E. Henne (Graduate Library School, University of Chicago).Wedgeworth, Robert. ''World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services''. Ch ...
'' awarded O'Dell this same award.
Scott O'Dell died of prostate cancer on October 15, 1989 at the age of 91.
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 Kaye
Celia Kaye (born Celia Kay Burkholder; February 24, 1942) is an American actress. She is most famous for her starring role in the 1964 film adaptation of ''Island of the Blue Dolphins'' which won her a Golden Globe award.
Early life
Kaye is o ...
, Larry Domasin, Ann Daniel, and George Kennedy. In 1978,
anime
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
television series ''
The Mysterious Cities of Gold
''The Mysterious Cities of Gold'', originally released in Japan as and released in France as ''Les Mystérieuses Cités d'Or'', is an animated series which was co-produced by DiC Audiovisuel and Studio Pierrot.
Set in 1532, the series fo ...
,'' a Japan-France co-production that was aired in several different countries.
Selected works
Nonfiction
*''Representative Photoplays Analyzed'', Palmer Institute of Authorship 1/1924
*''Country of the Sun (Southern California, an Informal Guide)'', Thomas Y. Crowell Co. 1/1957
Children's book series
;Karana
#'' Island of the Blue Dolphins'', Houghton Mifflin 1/1960,
#'' Zia'', Houghton Mifflin 3/1976,
;Seven Serpents
#''The Captive'',
Houghton Mifflin
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
*''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 Publishing
Kessinger Publishing LLC is an American print-on-demand publishing company located in Whitefish, Montana, that specializes in rare, out-of-print books. According to Kelly Gallagher, vice president of publishing services at a bibliographic inform ...
9/2010,
*''The Sea is Red'', Henry Holt and Company 1958
*''Journey to Jericho'', Houghton Mifflin 8/1964,
*'' The King's Fifth'', Houghton Mifflin 9/1966,
*'' The Black Pearl'', Houghton Mifflin 1/1967,
*''Dark Canoe'', illustrated by Milton Johnson, Houghton Mifflin 1/1968
** latest edition: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky 9/2008,
*'' Sing Down the Moon'', Houghton Mifflin 9/1970,
*''Treasure of Topo-El-Bampo'', Houghton Mifflin 2/1972,
*''Cruise of the Arctic Star'', Houghton Mifflin 3/1973,
*''The Child of Fire'', Houghton Mifflin 9/1974,
*''The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day'', Houghton Mifflin 9/1975,
*''The 290'', Houghton Mifflin 10/1976,
*''Carlota'', Houghton Mifflin 10/1977,
*''Kathleen Please Come Home'', Houghton Mifflin 5/1978,
*''Daughter of Don Saturnino'',
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
3/1979,
*''Sarah Bishop (They Took Away Her Home and Her Family)'', Houghton Mifflin 1/1980
** latest edition: San Val 10/1999,
*''The Spanish Smile'', Houghton Mifflin 10/1982,
*''Castle in the Sea'', Houghton Mifflin 10/1983,
*''Alexandra'', Houghton Mifflin 4/1984,
*''The Road to Damietta'', Houghton Mifflin 10/1985,
*''Streams to River, River to the Sea (a Novel of Sacagawea)'', Houghton Mifflin 4/1986,
*''The Serpent Never Sleeps (a Novel of Jamestown and
Pocahontas
Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
)'', Houghton Mifflin 9/1987,
*''Black Star, Bright Dawn'', Houghton Mifflin 1/1988
** latest edition: Graphia 3/2008,
*'' My Name Is Not Angelica'', Houghton Mifflin 10/1989,
*''Thunder Rolling in the Mountains'', with Elizabeth Hall, Houghton Mifflin 4/1992,
*''Venus Among the Fishes'', with Elizabeth Hall, Houghton Mifflin 4/1995,
References
;Other sources
* Commire, Anne (ed.) (1990). ''Something About the Author'' Vol. 60. Gale Research Inc.: Detroit.
University of Oregon Libraries
Knight Library is the main facility of the University of Oregon's (UO) library system. It is located on the university's campus in Eugene, Oregon, United States. The library design is emblematic of the architecture of the university's older buildi ...