Island of the Blue Dolphins by: Scott O'Dell (multicultural)

This short chapter book tells the story of a Native American woman who escaped a rescue ship in order to join her abandoned brother. O'Dell's story is based off "The Lone Woman of San Nicholas", an Indian woman who was evacuated with her tribe from their island when European immigrants colonized America.
The woman, Karana escapes the ship to return to her forgotten younger brother. Tragically, the brother dies  and Karana is left alone on the island. She is forced to survive on the remote Pacific island for eighteen years.

I would recommend this book for students to read individually or I would read aloud excerpts and compare with excerpts from the Robin Crusoe (very similar stories). I would have students construct a Venn-diagram comparing the two stories and the perspectives of each main character (boy vs. girl perspective?)
Also, in social studies, this book could be used to introduce students to Pacific Indian tribes. Working in small groups, I would assign students to each create a poster about a specific tribe from this geographic region. Information on the poster may include the Indian's indigenous environment, food sources, clothing, food sources, clothing, history, and homes.