TREASURE ISLAND

One of literature's best-loved adventure stories, Treasure Island's timeless tale of pirates, lost treasure maps, mutiny and derring-do has appealed to generations of readers ever since Robert Louis Stevenson penned it for his stepson in 1881 with the claim, "If this don't fetch the kids, why, they have gone rotten since my day." Children of all ages, not to mention their parents, delight in cabin boy Jim Hawkins and the treasure hunt he undertakes in this rollicking narrative of cliff-hanging adventure. But more than a children's classic, the novel lays claim to being one of the greatest feats of storytelling in the English language, with characters such as the unforgettable Long John Silver becoming part of the cultural consciousness. Stevenson's most famous and enduringly popular work, "Treasure Island" is a coming-of-age story that will captivate both adults and children for as long as stories are told.