Zia

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses racism, physical abuse, sexual abuse, child abuse, graphic violence, and death. 

O’Dell’s two-book series, which includes Island of the Blue Dolphins and Zia, explores the lives of young Indigenous people in early 19th-century California. Island of the Blue Dolphins remains O’Dell’s most popular and successful book for young readers and is based on a true story. The novel follows a young Nicoleño girl named Karana, who lives alone for 18 years on her native home of San Nicolas Island, the outermost of the Channel Islands off the California coast. 

Karana’s story is based on the life of Juana Maria, a Nicoleño woman. Historical records offer little information about Nicoleño history and culture, as their population declined significantly following European colonization, partly due to the relocation efforts of Spanish Missions. The Nicoleño people were decimated in a massacre by Russian Alaskan fur traders who arrived on San Nicolas Island to hunt sea otters and seals. Years later, survivors were relocated to the Santa Barbara Mission in California. Juana Maria, the last surviving member of the tribe, was left behind in a storm. She spent 18 years alone on the island from 1835 until her ultimate removal in 1853.