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... cott Odell's early life he had a inspiration inside of him that was not revealed until after he achieved success in his professional life. During his college years he always showed an interest in words. One way he showed that interest was by becoming an editor for some time, then a director. During this time, all of his ideas were stored up in his head, to then begin his writings. He directed his first books towards adults.
In the long run, he found that more of his interest lie in creating childrens writings. Scott ODell wrote his first book for children in 1960. It all began in Los Angeles, California. Scott ODell was born on May 23, 1898, to Bennett Mason, an official of the Union Pacific Railroad, and May Elizabeth Ordeal (web). Because his dad was a railroad man, the family moved around a lot, but never far from Los Angeles. He always lived along the shore and watched the sailing ships go by (About an Author, vol. 60 pg. ) ODell attended many different colleges, including Occidental College in 1919 and University of Wisconsin.
Then in 1920, he went to Stanford University. Finally he transferred to the University of Rome in 1925. ODell ended up moving to New York after college, then back home to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles he worked as a technical director for Paramount, and as a cameraman for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He was a rancher and taught a mail-order course in photo play writing. Then he became a book columnist for the Los Angeles Mirror, and book editor for The Los Angeles Daily News (Something 119).
In 1955, Scott ODell became a full time writer. He was already sixty years old. Only a few other authors can claim such instant success as he had with the Newberry Medal winning Island of The Blue Dolphins, in 1960 (web). But there was so much more that led to his long list of historical fiction. As a result of by living by the waves and watching the sailboats that passed by, he was inspired to create some of the best writings and ideas for his books. He said, That is why, I suppose, the fall of the frontier and the sound of the sea are in my books (pg. 114).
Once, Scott ODell moved into the country where descendants of the first Spanish settlers lived, in California. It was near the Mexican border, also by the ancestral homes of the Diegueno Indians. Scott says, That is why many of the people I have written about are Indians, Spaniards, and Mexicans (Encarta Encyclopedia, 1999). California also became a major source of inspiration in his books.
Scott ODell is one of the best known authors of historical fiction for children and young adults. One other author that is known for writing many books about historical fiction is David L. Russell (web). He had one big problem... he wrote historical fiction for adults. For years he had little success and didnt know why.
It was because he wanted to write for the wrong age group. Adults, they are not as interested in historical fiction as young children are. Having read three of Odell's historical books, many people can say that his historical books are very informational. Whenever any one reads those books they dont realize that they were all based on true stories. For instance, Island of The Blue Dolphins did not seem like a non-fictional book, and yet Scott ODell based Island of The Blue Dolphins on a true story.
He added different events to the books, including thrills, and different characters to the story which inspired millions of people to read it. The islands talked about in the book are based on the California islands, The Channel Island: San Nicola, Santa Cruz, San Miguel, Catalina, Anacapa, Todos Santos and San Martin. The first people to arrive on the Channel Island were the group known as the Chumasm (Something About an Author, pg. 115). ODell was inspired by the real life story about a 12 -year old, Karen, a native American girl from California who survived alone on an island for eighteen years. Scott ODell wrote twenty-five other books that were historical fiction. The book provided many interesting facts about the Chumasm tribe and their expeditions.
For example, Island of the Blue Dolphins talked about the woman of the tribe collecting plants and shellfish for food, how they would have to weave baskets for cooking. ODell told of how the women held a high rank in society and sometimes became chiefs. The men of the tribes also had different things that they had to do, they were fishermen. They would also build sewn plank boats and then seal the boats with tar.
The tribe would use the boats to transfer the fish that they caught. They also build their houses out of sea grass. Another book that has many good details about historical fiction by Scott ODell would be Streams to The River, River to the Sea. There is allot that is to be learned from this book. It was about the Lewis and Clark expedition, (Something About an Author, pg. 120). This book really caught your attention at the beginning of the book by making up a fake battle with the tribe Sacagawea came from, and the white man.
Scott ODell wrote that book from the point view of the young Indian woman, Sacagawea, who was accompanied by her cruel husband. That way it made it a lot more interesting for younger children to read history. Odell's historical fiction becomes almost a gothic romance in the Spanish Smile, (web). In that book he creates different characters, compared to what really happened in the true story. Like Lucinda, shes a young Spanish girl that was normally a stowaway and every one thought that she was a guy so that she could travel with her father. So her father keeps her in a castle along the island of California.
The adventures come when she finds the truth about her dad and then escapes from the Spaniards. Now in that book you can tell that the charters, the adventures, and the plot was a little exaggerated. In Odell's distinguished career, he has won almost every major award possible for a childrens book writer: The Newborn Medal, three Newborn Honor Awards, The William Allen White Award, The Nee Award, The DeGrummond Medal, The Regina Medal of Catholic Library Association, and the German Jugenbuchpreis. In 1981 he was awarded for his historical fiction and founded a new award.
It carries a prize worth $ 5, 000 dollars. This award is to encourage writers to write historical fiction, children to read historical fiction, and publishers to publish historical fiction (www. scott odell. com). History has a very valid collection with what we are now.
Many of Scott Odell's books are set in the past, in fact almost all of them, but the problems that need to be isolated are the problems of today (Something about an author, pg. 118). He thinks that there is a normal backdrop for readers to make their own decisions. Historical fiction has extreme value for children. Theres this saying, Anything of the past is old hat. But no educated person, however, can live a complete life without knowing where they come from (pg. 119).
History has a direct bearing on childrens lives, and what Scott ODell has done with his writings is great. Throughout his last twenty-nine years, he wrote until he died and still had more ideas in his head. Scott ODell passed away on December 15, 1989 of prostate cancer at the age of ninety-one. I leave you with this quote from Scott ODell: Writing for children is more fun than writing for adults and more rewarding. Children have the ability, which most have lost, the knack to be someone else, of living the stories the lives of other people.
Six months after the publications of an adult book, there was a big silence. But children books are the opposite children respond by thousands of letters. It is this response, this concern and act of friendship, that for me makes the task of writing worth the doing (Something Bibliography:
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Research essay sample on Historical Fiction Los Angeles
