Treasure Island

Treasure Island is a gripping pirate story, fast-paced by the standards of its time and full of action. For this reason, it has been a staple of school reading lists, at least until the stultifying hand of political correctness started to remove it from the curriculum. Unlike modern attempts to inculcate children with a love of reading through the use of action-packed and exciting stories (think Harry Potter), Treasure Island has the merit of being written in faultless and elegant English prose. True, a few expressions sound a little stilted to the modern ear--"If you do not put that knife this instant in your pocket..."--but the language is wholly accessible to a competent reader in Year 6 or above, and the occasional archaic formulation adds to the old-world charm of the work. This novel also provides a gentle introduction to the genre of nautical adventure stories set in the age of the sail (e.g. Patrick O'Brien's Jack Aubrey novels, now popularised in the Russell Crowe movie 'Master and Commander', and C.S Forester's Hornblower stories, the subject of a 1951 Gregory Peck movie, and the recent Ioan Gruffud mini-series). Adults who have not read this wonderful book will do themselves a favour by trying it. They will do an even bigger favour for their school-age children by introducing them to it.--Submitted by Alan Anderson.