Best known for his historical children’s books, Scott O’Dell (1898-1989) received the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1972 for his contributions to children’s literature. The Island of the Blue Dolphins, based on the true nineteenth century story of a girl left alone on an island for 18 years, won the Newbery Medal in 1961. He was also a Newbery runner-up for three other books: The King’s Fifth, The Black Pearl, and Sing Down the Moon.