Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Stevenson, R., & Kelley, J. (2004). Treasure Island. West Berlin, N.J.: Townsend Press.

The novel Treasure Island  provides youth with a story of adventure taking place in the 1700s.  The fantastic story begins with a young boy, Jim Hawkins, and his mother in the inn, where a strange man with a sea chest (pirate or captain?) surprises them, frightens them by visiting, making them curious, and dying of a massive stroke.  The boy discovers the man's enemies are looking for something, and there begins his dangerous adventure.  Treasure Island provides a bounty of clues to follow when seeking the gold and introduces characters to Jim such as the hermit, a sailor who had been stranded on the island (Was the treasure there and where was it?)

The island becomes a war zone between pirates, and Jim uses his wits to stay alive and follow the map to the treasure.

This version of Treasure Island has black and white drawings resembling wood block prints or coloring book images.  The image of Mr. Hands with his knife high ready to strike Jim, the image of the parrot, the shadow of the blind man at three in the morning approaching the house, the one-legged sailor (pirate? and other images draw the reader in and are good symbols of the events in the story. Tim has a difficult time knowing who to trust and desperately needs to know to ensure his own survival.

Treasure Island  is a boy's dream of an adventure, and Tim becomes a hero with gold from the treasure to share with his widowed mother. 

Activities:

1. Have students consider the life of a child working in an inn and meeting and serving guests.
    Ask students to compare adult hotel and restaurant workers today to the child workers in the 
    past.  Have students list the sacrifices children made when they worked instead of going to 
    school.
2. Have students research the life of pirates in the 1700s and present the biography of one famous 
    pirate each.
3. Have students draw symbols of the adventures Tim had in the novel: pirate flag, ship, map, sea 
    chest, sword, knife, gun, pirate's faces, and decorate the classroom.

Reflection Questions:

1. How many children in England in the 1700s received an education?
2. Why was Tim in charge of his mother's safety?
3. How did Tim collect information to stay alive?
4. What is a mutiny and why do sailors rebel against their captain?
5. How does Tim change and grow during his adventures?