Island of the Blue Dolphins is an American book written for children by Scott O'Dell. It came out in 1960 and that same year won the Newbery Medal (a prize given to books for children). It is based on the true story of Juana Maria, the "Lone Woman of San Nicolas", a Native American woman left alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island off the California coast before being rescued in 1853. It has been rewritten in 23 languages and was made into a movie by the same name.