About The Author
SCOTT O'DELL (1898-1989).
Scott O'Dell was born on Terminal Island, a part of Los Angeles, California, on May 23, 1898. He claims L.A. was a frontier town then with more horses than automobiles and more jackrabbits than people. The very first sound he could remember was a wildcat scratching on the roof while he lay in bed.
His father was a railroad man, so Scott moved around a lot as a child. Many of the places he lived show up as settings for his stories.
He attended four different colleges and universities. He worked as a motion picture technical director and cameraman before becoming a newspaperman and an author.
Many of O'Dell's books are set in the past, but the issues dealt with are timeless. He felt writing historical fiction for children was very important work because according to him, "No educated person can live a complete life without a knowledge of where we came from." He claims he was didactic- he wanted to teach through his books. He says, "History has a direct bearing on children's lives."
His best known book is the Newbery Medal winner, Island of the Blue Dolphins (1961). While researching the history of California, O'Dell discovered an article about the Lost Woman of San Nicolas. This provided the inspiration for Island of the Blue Dolphins. It takes place on some islands that are much like those he lived on as a kid. He put many of his happy childhood memories in it: the look of the islands, the colors and sounds of the sea, and the wild creatures that lived there. He also wrote the book in anger at the hunters who invaded the mountains where he lived and slaughtered everything that crept or flew. This anger was also directed against himself, who at a young age, committed the same crimes against nature.
O'Dell felt that writing for children was more rewarding than writing for adults. He knew that if children like your book they respond for a long time with thousands of letters. It was this response that made the task of writing worth doing for this author. During his lifetime, Scott O'Dell received more than 2,000 letters a year from his young readers.
When Scott wasn't writing, he liked to read and to work in the sun; gardening, planting trees, and fishing.
O'Dell published over two dozen books for children including: The King's Fifth (1967), The Black Pearl (1968), Sing Down the Moon (1971), Zia (1976), and Black Star, Bright Dawn (1988).
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