First published 1882
Jim Hawkins stumbles upon a treasure map when a mysterious old pirate dies at his family's inn. The map shows the location of buried pirate gold on a distant island. Jim joins Captain Smollett, Dr. Livesey, and Squire Trelawney on a dangerous voyage to claim the treasure. Their ship's cook, Long John Silver, seems friendly at first with his wooden leg and parrot. But Silver leads a crew of murderous pirates who plan to steal the treasure for themselves. Jim finds himself caught between two sides in a deadly fight for gold. The boy must decide who to trust as he faces pirates like the terrifying Blind Pew and the unpredictable Ben Gunn. Silver becomes both mentor and enemy to Jim, teaching him hard truths about loyalty and betrayal. The adventure forces Jim to grow up fast as he learns that people are neither completely good nor completely evil.
Genres: fiction, classic-literature, adventure, coming-of-age, young-adult
Vibes: adventurous, coming-of-age, morally-complex, suspenseful, thrilling
Tropes: bildungsroman, found-family, good-vs-evil-blurred, mentor-and-enemy
Setting: Treasure Island, Inn
Period: 19th-century
254 pages · Paperback · Barnes & Noble
Content warnings: death, violence