By Robert Louis Stevenson

This is a book I have known about for as long as I can remember, but I have only just read it for this review. By this, I mean I have known the movie Muppet Treasure Island, I have watched and loved Treasure Planet since it came out, and in 2020, I watched a recording of a National Theatre performance of Treasure Island. But I had never read the book that everything is based on.

“When a mysterious old sailor dies at a local inn, the innkeeper’s son Jim comes across a map in his possessions. Jim sets sail to find the promised buried treasure, but there are pirates hiding among the ship’s crew, including the notorious Long John Silver…”

This book is a seed of an idea by which I mean that there are parts of this book that have laid their roots for many other pirate stories, from straight adaptations to other pirate texts such as the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. That being said, there are definitely parts of this story that I wish were fleshed out.

For this story, I have three thoughts.

Firstly, I would like to talk about Ben Gun, crazy, but it makes sense. After all, this is a man who has had no human interaction for 5 years. Understandably, he would be a little left of normal. Also, the fact that Ben is obsessed with cheese feels logical because that would not be something he could make; cheese is a symbol of modernity. I love the fact that he found the treasure even without the map. With 5 years to search, you are going to find it eventually. And the fact that he moves it feels like a middle finger to anyone who tries to find the treasure. Because if they are looking for it, they have the treasure map from the people who left him there.

Secondly, Jim Hawkins, firstly, why does he not have a desire for adventure? Seriously, the only reason he gets the map is that he is trying to get the money that Billy Bones owes his mother. It feels like the only reason he goes on this trip is to ensure that he and his mother can keep the inn going.

Thirdly, Long John Silver, I find it interesting because he is obviously the villain, and yet he is my favourite character. He feels like he is the most fleshed-out character. Also, rare in a children’s book where the villain escapes consequences; in fact, he gets away with his share of the treasure.

This has been an interesting read, and I hope you will stick with me for the next three adaptations.

Happy reading to all and to all a good night.