stories perpetuate the idea that all Native tribes were assimilated into white society in the United States, while ignoring all moral and legal issues related to the colonization of Native Americans. Island of the Blue Dolphins plays into this harmful idea as all the members of Karana’s tribe are either brutally killed or taken away by missionaries, thus disappearing from the narrative entirely. Yet, an alternative reading of the text centered around cultural repatriation and land rights can still serve as a metaphor for tribal resilience. Pedagogical analysis Sara L. Schwebel, chair of the Carolina Children’s Literature consortium and English professor, states that Island of the Blue Dolphins should be better integrated into school curriculum alongside relevant contemporary scholarship. Further, she contends that children can grapple with critical issues such as colonialism, disempowerment, and resilience in school settings. Children may also be more capable of dealing with death in books than adults perceive them to be, and exposure to Island of the Blue Dolphins or texts with similar depictions of death can be helpful for children to begin processing the concept of death at an early age. See also Il’mena References External links 1960 American novels American children's novels American novels adapted into films Books about Native Americans Children's historical novels Channel Islands of California Chumash people Historical novels History of Ventura County, California Houghton Mifflin books Newbery Medal–winning works Novels about survival skills Novels set in California Novels set in the 19th century Novels set on islands First-person narrative novels