The classic story, told in the first person by Jim Hawkins, whose mother kept the Admiral Benbow Inn, and who shared in the adventures from start to finish. An old sea dog comes to this peaceful inn one day, apparently intending to finish his life there. He hires Jim to keep a watch out for other sailors, but despite all precautions, he is hunted out and served with the black spot that means death. Jim and his mother barely escape death when Blind Pew, Black Dog, and other pirates descend on the inn in search of the sea dog’s papers. Jim snatches up a packet of papers to square the sailor’s debt, when they were forced to retreat from the inn. The packet contains a map showing the location of the pirate Flint’s buried treasure, which Jim, Doctor Livesey, and Squire Trelawney determine to find. Fitting out a ship, they hire hands and set out on their adventure.
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“Like the best of children’s literature, then and now, Treasure Island looks to lure its young readers into the adult world, not to cosset them from it. For all the violence, Jim learns to be brave and resourceful, to stand up to bullies, to keep his word, to help his impoverished mother, to deal with loss and betrayal. He learns not to trust strangers and even to be merciful.”
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New York Times