Scott O'Dell was born in 1898 in Los Angeles. As a boy he enjoyed playing outdoors. Some of his favorite outside activities were paddling out into the sea on logs, searching for fish in their caves, and prying abalone from their hiding places.
Scott attended Occidental College in 1919, University of Wisconsin in 1920, Stanford University from 1920 to 1921, and the University of Rome in 1925. The only classes he took were classes that could help him in his writing career.
After finishing school, Scott served in the Air Force in Texas during World War II. After the war, Scott wrote newspaper articles for the Los Angeles newspaper. In 1934, he became a writer for adults, and in the late 1950's, he began to write children's books.
Scott won a Newbery Medal for his children's book, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and Newbery Honor recognition for 3 other books.