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Treasure Island

(1969, Fiction - Adventure, Written by Robert Louis Stevenson, Illustrated by N. C. Wyeth)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 10; suggested age 10.
  • Is it any good?

    5.0
  • Common Sense says

    The granddaddy of kids' adventures -- a classic.

Themes in this book include:   friendship, growing up, honesty, substance abuse

Why We Rated This on for Ages 10 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Gives a picture of the times and of sailing ships.
  • Messages:

    Some casual racism, typical, if mild, for the times in which the book was written and set. Otherwise the messages are all positive, about the value of honesty, hard work, and standing by your word.
  • Role models:

    The heroes are models of rectitude: Jim even spurns an offer to escape what seems like certain death and likely torture because he has given his word. This rectitude is contrasted with the pirates' dishonesty, selfishness, drunkenness, and lack of sense and decency.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Plenty of fighting, with many deaths and injuries, by sword, knife, gun, and being trampled by a horse. A boy kills a man with pistols.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    Not an issue.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Plenty of drinking of rum and other spirits, and quite a bit of drunkenness, which is despised by the heroes, though Jim, underage by today's standards, drinks some alcohol, too. Also, lots of tobacco, smoked in a pipe and chewed.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Treasure Island

Parents need to know that this is a pirate adventure and, as you'd expect, has plenty of violence, though nothing excessive, overly graphic, or gratuitous. But you will never find a better model of a brave and honest hero than Jim Hawkins.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the book's classic status. It has been steadily in print for over 125 years -- why? What has made it last?
  • Can it still appeal to modern kids? What makes a book a classic?
  • Have you read any modern books that you think will still be in print a century from now? What do they have that other books you enjoy do not?

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Our Members Say

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  • What did you think about Treasure Island?
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See all 7 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 10
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational

    Yohoho!

    I loved this. I think it is best for kids aged 10 and up. Not because of reading content (considering how young you can be nowadays for this sort of violence) but for vocabulary and reading level. Why? This book uses old fashioned language and sailing words, plus it is slower to start then more recent books.

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Virginia
    I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    Kids won't want to read it if they don't have to

    I read this as an assignment for English, believe you/me I wouldn't have read this on my own. But I'm glad I did, this book is basically the foundation for all the pirate-hunting-for-treasure scenarios you see so much in TV, movies, books, etc. It drags during the "My Sea Adventure" section enormously, and the language is all pirate-y, surprisingly no swear words. I recommend it.

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Virginia
    I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    Kids won't want to read it if they don't have to

    I read this as an assignment for English, believe you/me I wouldn't have read this on my own. But I'm glad I did, this book is basically the foundation for all the pirate-hunting-for-treasure scenarios you see so much in TV, movies, books, etc. It drags during the "My Sea Adventure" section enormously, and the language is all pirate-y, surprisingly no swear words. I recommend it.

  4. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Massachusetts
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0

    Great book

    Gripping adventure. Excellent character development.

  5. Kid Reviewer Age 10
    Lives in New Jersey
    I rate this title on for age 5 and give it 5.0

    really good

    Really good classic book

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