Scott o’dell

May 23rd, 1898 – October 15th ,1989

Scott O’Dell

Born in Los Angeles, California•Moved around often within the state of California because his father worked for Union Pacific Railroad

•Polytechnic High School in San Pedro, California

•Attended numerous Universities even though he never obtained a degree

• Stanford University• The University of Wisconsin –

Madison • The University of Rome

• Bostrom, 2003• http://www.thinkquest.o

rg/en/

Rather than dedicate his time toward earning a degree, O’Dell "only took classes that interested him and classes he thought would benefit his writing.”

Bostrom, 2003, p.134

More than just an award winning author…

Employment History

Background•Member of the Air Force during WWII•Worked in Motion Picture Industry•Wrote for magazines/newspapers•Laborer on a citrus ranch•Editor for the Los Angeles News

• Bostrom, 2003

• Silvey, 2002, 332 http://www.thinkquest.org/en/

Interesting Facts• O’Dell’s writing began as he became

“angry seeing the hunting of animals near his home

• Cullinan & Person, 2001, p. 599

• O’Dell’s first novel never made it to print. He burned it after he read it over several times.

• Bostrom, 2003, p. 133

• O’Dell taught a course in photography writing

• Manned the first Technicolor camera

• Bostrom, 2003, p. 34

• Before finishing Thunder Rolling, O’Dell past away. His wife ended up finishing the novel for him.

• Bostrom, 2003, p. 135 There is a Scott O’Dell Award for historical

fiction (1982)

• Bostrom, 2003, p. 135

It was never O’Dell’s intention to write for children or young adults

• Cullinan & Person, 2001, p. 599

There is a Scott O’Dell Award for historical fiction (1982)

• http://www.scottodell.com/Pages/Biography.aspx

Personal Accomplishments •Author of a John Newberry Award winning book

• Several other Newberry Honor titles

•Hans Christian Anderson Award• “O’Dell said that this award meant more to him in his career as a writer

than any other he received.”

•Regina Medial (1978)•FOCAL Award (1981)•And many more…

http://www.scottodell.com/Pages/Biography.aspx

However… O’Dell is most notable for his contributions to children

and young adult literature

The Black Pearl •Published in 1967 by Houghton Mifflin in 1976•John Newberry Honor Book (1978)•Based on a California Legend•Released as a Motion Picture Film in 1978


O’Dell, S. (1976). The black pearl. Boston, MA : Houghton Mifflin.

While the discovery of a mysterious black pearl provides hope for Ramon and his family, it proves to be more peril than not. After waking a demonic creature, Ramon uncovers a more adventurous and dangerous path than he ever expected.

Island of the Blue Dolphins

• O’Dell’s book was initially denied because the publisher thought the protagonist should be a boy and the setting should be more modern. •Later published by Houghton Mifflin in 1960•Based on a real events•Aside from introducing the world to a fabulous author, Island of the Blue Dolphins has won some prestigious award

• Bostrom, 2003


•John Newberry Award (1961)•Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1961)•Children’s Literature Association: “10 Best American Children’s Books of the Past 200 Years (1976)•School Library Journal , Books That Shaped The Century (2000)•And More…

Island of the Blue Dolphin Awards

O'Dell, S. (1960). Island of the blue dolphins. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

After being abandoned by her tribe, Karana experiences the death of her brother Ramo, hatred for the wild dogs that took his life, hunger, friendship and love for the place she calls home. The reader hears receives a first-person perspective on what it takes to survive in the wild alone and the difficult decisions one faces in life.

Sing Down the Moon•Published in by Houghton Mifflin in 1970•Newberry Honor Title (1971)•Booklist Contemporary Classics for Young Adults (1984)

http://www.scottodell.com/Pages/Biography.aspx

O'Dell, S. (1976; 1970). Sing down the moon. New York : Dell Pub. Co.:

Told from the perspective of a young Navajo girl, Bright Morning tells the story of her tribe that was ripped away from their livelihood and forced into slavery. After escaping capture with her best friend, she comes to find out that her life will never be the same.

•Scott O'Dell Biography

•Scott O'Dell's Website

•Goodreads

•The Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County's Catalog and Biography Databases

Visit the following sites for additional information on Scott O’Dell and his

works:

References Bomstrom, K. L. (2003). Winning authors: Profiles of the

newberry medalists. Wesport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. Drew, B. A., & NetLibrary, I. (1997). The 100 most

popular young adult authors (Rev 1 ed.). Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited.

Gale Cenage Learning. (2012). Gale biography in context. Retrieved October 8, 2012, from http://research.cincinnatilibrary.org:2143/ic/bic1/?userGroupName=cinc37305

Oracle. (2012). Scott O'dell biography. Retrieved October 7, 2012, from http://www.thinkquest.org/en/

References Cont…Scott O'dell. (1995). In A. Silvey (Ed.), Children's books

and their creators (pp. 496-497). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scott O'dell. (2001). In B. Cullinan, & D. Person (Eds.), The continuum encyclopedia of children's literature (pp. 599-600). New York: Continuum.

Scott O'dell. (2002). In A. Silvey (Ed.), The essential guide to children's books and their creators (pp. 332-333). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Skyforce Technologies.Scott O'dell. Retrieved October 8, 2012, from http://www.scottodell.com/Pages/Biography.aspx

Education

Scott o’dell