Pirates & Privateers: Robert Louis Stevenson's Books

Billy Bones, a sea captain who sings of dead men’s chests, resides at the inn Jim Hawkins and his mother run. One night, a stranger comes looking for Billy Bones and gives him a message – the black spot! The captain dies suddenly, and in searching his chest for the money owed them, Jim and his mother discover a treasure map. With the help of Dr. Livesey and Mr. Trelawney, Jim sets off to find the treasure. Unbeknownst to these three brave souls, the cook Trelawney hires isn’t to be trusted. He’s none other than Long John Silver, and he and his fellow pirates want the treasure too. Danger abounds for Jim and his friends, especially once they discover the truth about their shipmates. Who will win the struggle for the buried pirate booty? Will Jim ever see his mother and home again?

While in junior high school, my parents gave me a copy of Treasure Island for Christmas. Unlike my sisters, who were very selective in what they read or who rarely read at all, I loved to read, but Stevenson’s book proved a challenge I couldn’t win. Years later, as a school librarian, I met other children like my sisters who were reluctant readers. They introduced me to graphic novels, illustrated classics akin to comic books.

Stone Arch’s tale is just such a tale, a graphic retelling of the classic pirate story, Treasure Island. The brooding darkness that illuminates the illustrations sets the mood. The facial characteristics of the characters exude trust or danger. The dialogue and captions slowly spin their web until the reader is caught in a snare from which there is no escape. Also included at the end of the book are a glossary, background information about sailing ships, discussion questions, and writing prompts.

Had my parents given me this hardback version of Stevenson’s famous book, I would have read it over and over again. It is a pirate adventure to savor, especially on those dark, stormy nights when the fire sparks and crackles in the hearth and the house creaks as thunder crashes and wind wails. Have you the courage to venture inside the pages of Treasure Island?