Treasure Island

Name: Treasure Island
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson

Set sail on a thrilling treasure hunt filled with danger, loyalty, and discoveries about courage, trust, and growing up.

9 min8 Chapters

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Kids & Teens

Fiction

Outline

What's it about?

Treasure Island (1883) is a classic adventure novel about young Jim Hawkins, who finds a map to buried pirate treasure and sets sail with a crew that includes the charming but dangerous Long John Silver. Robert Louis Stevenson fills the story with mutiny, loyalty, betrayal, and courage. The book shaped the popular image of pirates, from treasure maps marked with an X to one-legged sailors with parrots.

Key ideas

Young Jim Hawkins finds a map to buried pirate treasure and sets sail with a crew to find it.
The charming Long John Silver shows that a person can be likeable and dangerous at the same time.
The voyage is filled with mutiny, loyalty, betrayal, and courage, testing who can truly be trusted.
Jim's adventure doubles as a story of growing up, built around courage, trust, and loyalty.
The novel shaped the popular image of pirates, from treasure maps marked with an X to one-legged sailors with parrots.

About the author

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer. He is best known for adventure and suspense stories that remain widely read today. His works include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Questions people ask

What is Treasure Island about?

It is a classic adventure novel about Jim Hawkins, who finds a map to buried pirate treasure and sails with a crew that includes Long John Silver. The story is full of mutiny, loyalty, betrayal, and courage.

Who is Treasure Island for?

It is listed for ages 7 to 12 and works well as a classic adventure for young readers. Its themes of courage, trust, and growing up also appeal to adults.