Treasure Island
This article originally appeared in SLJ’s Extra Helping. Sign up now!
Robin Levin, Fort Washakie School/Community Library, WY -- School Library Journal, 5/30/2008
Treasure Island(unabr.). 6 CDs. 7:09 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2007. ISBN 978-0-7393-5083-6. $55.
Gr 4 Up–Among the litany of popular pirate fare, Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale remains one of the best. This version, beautifully narrated by Alfred Molina, was a 2008 Odyssey Award Honor selection for excellence in audio production. Young Jim’s introduction to a “gentleman of fortune’s” world is captivating, energetic, and suspenseful. Long John Silver, the ruthless pirate who charms the crew, launches a mutiny in pursuit of hidden treasure, with Jim caught between the mutineers and the ship’s sponsors. Molina’s balanced intonation and subtle characterizations enhance Stevenson’s text. Dramatic pacing keeps listeners on the edge of their gunwales. Pirates who stereotypically growl through their grog, here are rendered to induce a realistic fear of being drawn and quartered on the poop deck. Perhaps the finest sea adventure ever written, this audiobook is sure to be a hit with young buccaneers. And don’t miss the afterword on the final CD, a well-written biography of Stevenson and his literary contributions.
