Customer Reviews

Classic Starts: Treasure Island (Classic Starts Series)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Treasure Island

Retold by Chris Tait Original story by Robert Louis Stevenson

I am ten-years-old and my Teacher, Mrs. McAuley asked us to write a book review on the book we read. This is mine.

This book is just one of the Classic Starts series. These books are easy to read and good for all ages. I highly recommend this book as a good family novel because it's easy to make a mind image of putting yourself in the story. I would like to see this made into a movie.

The story has many different settings, first you start out in Admiral BenBow Inn and then we go on board the Hispanola ship, eventually it all ends up on Treasure Island. At the Inn we meet Jim Hawkins and his mom who rents a room to Billy Bones. Billy Bones turned out to be a pirate with Captain Flint's secret treasure map that Jim Hawkins found.

Jim shares the map with his trusted friends and they all decide to buy a ship, hire a crew, and set sail for the treasure. Chapter Seven describes the crew which includes: The captain (Captain Smollet), the ships doctor (Doctor Livesey), the cook (Long John Silvers), 2nd mate (Officer Trelawney), 1st mate (Arrow), and 19 additional crew members. Can you tell which crew members are evil and which are good, read the book and see. However, it'll be hard to tell whether Long John Silvers is either a friend or a foe.

With so many crew members and only one treasure, a battle is about to spawn. Good sailors, and evil pirates, who will become victorious and receive Flint's treasure,?

Near the end they finally land on Treasure Island. While searching for the treasure suddenly... "Fifteen men on a deadmans chest--- Yo ho ho in a bottle of rum" everyone screams in fear, at the familiar voice... but if Flint's dead and the Island is uninhabited, who can it be?

I am a high school English teacher, and I am a huge fan of the original Treasure Island. That said, I love the Classic Start series as a mother who believes in introducing my children to the classics from a very early age. I began using the series with my daughter when she was five. We have read Black Beauty, The Little Princess, Heidi, and Pollyanna to name a few, so I am very familiar with the content of the series, and I keep coming back for more.

My son just turned six. There is no way that he would be able to sit through nor understand the original, but with this abridged version, he not only becomes familiar with the story, he falls in love with it as well. We began reading Treasure Island last night, and he begged for more and more. Finally, after six chapters I insisted that I needed to read to his older sister. While I did, this little kindegartner slugged through another chapter, struggling over every word to try to get more of the story. I couldn't have been more thrilled; that is the love of reading and the love of good literature with which I am trying to bless my children.

Classic Starts are a fantastic way to begin, in my opinion. I see no difference between a beginning pianist first learning an easy version of a classical piano concerto and a young reader first introduced to an abridged version of a classic that, in it's original form would be above both his context and vocabulary level. I am sure that when my son does encounter the original, and he will--I'll make sure of that--he will not only be more ready, he will be more excited to get the rest of the story, thanks to his familiarity with and fondness for Billy Bones, Jim, and Long John Silver. My thanks, Classic Starts.

my son is 19 years old, in jail and is finally trying to read and is enjoying it! thank you for having the classics starts, it's not heavy reading but it was exciting as he can accomplish reading a book in 2-3 days! it gives him accomplishment!

My son was 6 when we picked this book up. We read together as a family in the evening. I like to introduce him to the classics when I can. Some of them, like Treasure Island or the Three Muskateers are either too long for him to sit through or too graphic.

This is probably for the 9 to 12 year old reading ability.
This is an abridged version of Treasure Island, the main part of the story is still there. Now to someone who may have already read Treasure Island, you may feel the book is missing its heart.

To my 6 year old this book was enthralling. He found the original on my book shelf and moved it into his room for when he gets older.

We have a number of the Classic Starts books, I prefer them to some of the other children aimed classics. There are simple illustrations throughout the book.

You feel like a kid again when you get these small treasures to read. Treasure Island is one of those little books that you have to read. I read it as a child and you don't appreciate them as much then as you do now looking at the book and thinking back to when you first read it. Now I want my kids and someday my grandchildren to read it, too. It's a great gift to start a little ones library with.

This is a great way of introducing the classics to younger children. The origional is much too hard for my lower level students in 4th and 5th grades. It's wonderful to get them interested in classic books and hopefully they will want to read Stevenson's origional.

Abridged, still some words that need translating for young kids. The gist of the story is still there, kids love it.

Unfortunately I didn't realize this is a "child's version" of the story...I thought it was the "real deal." It's a cute book for younger kids.

This is NOT the original book by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Parents, please don't allow your children to be brain-washed. Opt for the original classics.