This book is a true story about a 12 year old girl called Karana who is stranded on an island and has to work out how to survive. Her main enemies on the island are the wild dogs and she lives in fear of the Aleuts (a tribe who arrive on the island to hunt seals).
We loved learning about survival with no tools except those you make from the materials around you and the way that Karana found enough food to eat. The book was sad in some parts but it only went to show you how tough Karana was.
We admired Karana’s hard work, she never gives up. She did become lonely and through her loneliness we noticed that she overcame the fear of her enemies and actually changed. Her relationship with her dog was an important part of the book for us. Her attitude to the animals around her changed too, she starts off seeing them as materials to be used to make clothes or tools and of course to eat. As she becomes older and lonelier she changes and they become her friends. She then has to adapt how she lives.
This book was not an easy read, it took some concentration to read but the story carried us along and the struggle for survival provided plenty of suspense and thrills to keep us turning the pages.