Adventure Genre (Classic) -- Treasure Island

Treasure Island

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Genre: Adventure (classic)

Publication Date: First published in 1883

Number of Pages: 297 pages

Geographical Setting: Begins in England, but eventually moves to “Skeleton Island”

Time Period:  The mid 1700’s

Plot Summary: Jim Hawkins, the son of an innkeeper, finds a map amidst the belongings of a deceased sailor who owed money for his stay.  Revealing the map to Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawney, they deduce that the map leads to a hidden pirate treasure which they immediately prepare to find.  Upon reaching Skeleton Island, their hired sailors are convinced by the cook, Long John Silver, to mutiny in an attempt to claim the treasure for their own, and  Jim and his friends risk not only losing the treasure to these mutineers, but possibly their lives.

Subject Headings: classic, pirates, sailing, treasure, mutiny, England

Appeal:  Fast Paced, Action Packed, Dialect-Rich

Terms that best describe this book:

·         First person perspective

·          Non-Stop

·          Historical setting

Similar Authors and Works:

Silver: Return to Treasure Island by Andrew Motion (2012) – This book, written more recently and by a different author, is meant to be an adventurous sequel to Treasure Island, involving the children of both Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver.

The Mountain of Gold by J. D. Davies (2012) – This book, while a sequel to Gentleman Captain by the same author, is also a fast-paced, historical-fiction adventure set in the 17^th century and involving a search for rumored African treasure.

Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton (2009) – A fast-paced, plot-driven story (according to Novelist), this book also involves a treasure-hunting, high-seas adventure, though set in the Caribbean.