Welcome to Treasure Island

Welcome to Treasure Island where adventure awaits at every turn! This Reading Plan is designed to bring this book to life in an immersive way. We’ve provided the entire book in PDF, along with individual chapter downloads, a discussion guide, downloadable audio read alouds for each chapter, craft tutorials, recipes from the book, and fun videos to help you experience all the thrills.

Written by Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island came after the “Golden Age” of piracy between 1750 and 1830, a time when the “Jolly Roger” hung from the masks of commandeered tall ships, “Davy Jones Locker” was a reference to death, and “Execution Dock” was notable for hanging convicted mutineers in London.

If it weren’t for Stevenson, we wouldn’t have the famous pirate lore involving parrots on shoulders, wooden legs, the black dot, or even the famous movie series Pirates of the Caribbean. Writing this book for his own son, Stevenson romanticized the pirate life for not only his own time, but for generations to come.

Here is the table of contents where you can access each chapter in Treasure Island. On each page, you’ll find a PDF download and audio recording of each chapter, as well as an activity inspired by the story, and guided videos to accompany you through the book.

Chapter 4: The Sea-Chest

After the death of Billy Bones with little time to spare, Jim and his mother go to a nearby hamlet looking for help but to no avail. They return to search the sea chest to see what’s inside. They find a variety of items from the captain’s voyages, including a map. A knock at the door by one of the returning pirates reminds them of how little time they have left until others come. Fleeing, the Inn they hide while footsteps approach.

Chapter 5: The Last of the Blind Man

The pirates descend upon the Admiral Benbow Inn, ransacking the place in search of Captain Flint’s treasure map. When a group of riders approach, firing a warning shot in the air, the pirates flee. The pirates leave behind Pew the blind beggar, and it doesn’t end well for him. Finally, help has come, and Jim reveals the map to authorities But he doesn’t hand it over just yet. He wants to take it to Dr. Livesey, not only a doctor, but a magistrate.

Chapter 6: The Captain’s Papers

Jim Hawkins takes the contents of the captain’s oilskin packet to Dr. Livesey who is dining and spending the evening with Squire Trelawney. Excited by the discovery of a treasure map, the squire offers to commission a ship and crew to go and find it. He recruits Jim as cabin-boy, Dr. Livesey, the ship’s doctor, and himself as admiral. They are to meet at the Bristol dock in 10 days and not speak a word of it to anyone.

Chapter 7: I Go to Bristol

Young Jim Hawkins remains at the Hall awaiting word of the ship from Squire Trelawney, while poring over the map until he’s thoroughly acquainted with the island. When the squire finally sends word, Jim says goodbye to his mother and heads for Bristol to board the Hispaniola. In his letter, the squire tells them about recruiting Long John Silver, the ship’s cook, an experience crew member, and a sea-faring man with one leg.

Chapter 8: At the Sign of the “Spy-glass”

Jim Hawkins is sent by Squire Trelawney to deliver a note to Long John Silver at the “Spy-glass” tavern where he the peg-legged pirate is proprietor. Jim wonders if Long John Silver could be the infamous “sea-faring man with one leg” that Billy Bones warned him about, but Jim doubts whether someone so affable and charming could be such a feared buccaneer. The crew is expected to set sail at 4 o’clock tomorrow.

Chapter 9: Powder and Arms

Jim Hawkins arrives at the Hispanolia and joins Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawney in a meeting with Captain Smollett. He doesn’t like the crew and claims they know more about the purpose of this voyage than he does. The squire becomes angry with him, but Dr. Livesey offers to hear the man out. The captain not only describes the treasure map but also the exact location of the island, and asks them to take precautions before sailing.

Chapter 10: The Voyage

The crew finally sets sail on the Hispaniola for Treasure Island, and young Jim Hawkins continues to be charmed by Long John Silver. “Barbecue,” as the crew calls him, gets around the ship with one leg just as easily as the others. On the final day of their outward voyage, Jim climbs into an apple barrel for a treat and overhears Long John Silver saying something that puts the entire ship’s crew in danger.

Chapter 11: What I Heard in the Apple Barrel

Jim Hawkins, who is hiding in an apple barrel on the Hispanolia, overhears a secret conversation between Long John Silver and some crew members. He learns that Silver, who Jim had previously trusted, is actually planning a mutiny with a group of pirates to seize control of the ship and steal the treasure for themselves. Silver recounts his history as a pirate and manipulates the men by promising wealth and power if they follow him.

Chapter 12: Council of War

Jim Hawkins tells Dr. Livesey, Squire Trelawney, and Captain Smollett about Long John Silver’s plan for mutiny. Surprised but determined, they quickly devise a strategy to defend themselves against the pirates. Captain Smollett lays out the plan to respond and the crew members they can trust. Feeling desperate and hopeless, Jim realizes the odds are stacked against them with just six grown men and one boy against the 19 mutineers.

Chapter 13: How My Shore Adventure Began

The crew of the Hispanolia has become restless and unruly after finally reaching Treasure Island. Jim Hawkins and the ship’s leadership can sense the impending mutiny, and in order to stave-off the rebellion, Captain Smollett invites the entire crew to go ashore. At the last second, Jim Hawkins decides to join the crew on the island but immediately regrets the decision as Long John Silver calls after him.

Chapter 14: The First Blow

Jim Hawkins reaches the island before the pirates and explores the rugged terrain on his own. Hearing a voice, he peers through an opening to witness a conversation between Long John Silver and a sailor named Tom. Suddenly, there’s a long, drawn-out scream in the distance, which Silver confesses is the death of Alan. Tom refuses to be a part of the mutineers and turns to get away, but Long John commits an unthinkable act.

Chapter 15: The Man of the Island

Jim Hawkins is evading the pirates on the island when he spots a mysterious figure hiding in the woods. It turns out to be Ben Gunn who was marooned on the island three years prior. Jim shares the entire story of the voyage and their current predicament. Ben reveals that he found the treasure and will make them rich if they take him back to civilization. Jim agrees, but at the sound of canon-fire, they both go running toward the ship.

Chapter 16: Narrative Continued by the Doctor: How the Ship Was Abandoned

While Jim Hawkins is somewhere on shore, Dr. Livesey continues the narration as he climbs aboard a jolly-boat to go to the island. He finds a stockade and decides it’s the best place for the loyalists to defend themselves. He returns to the schooner where the cabin crew loads up a boat with supplies that include food and muskets.

Chapter 17: Narrative Continued by the Doctor: The Jolly-boat’s Last Trip

Dr. Livesey, Squire Trelawney, Tom Redruth, and Captain Smollett escape the Hispanolia by taking a jolly-boat ashore. Exposed to an attack by the mutineers, the squire takes aim at a pirate who is preparing to shoot at them, and the commotion practically sinks the jolly-boat, causing the cabin crew to lose nearly half its provisions.

Chapter 18: Narrative Continued by the Doctor: End of the First Day’s Fighting

Dr. Livesey and the others reach the stockade, but the pirates quickly attack, and the loyalists are forced to exchange gunfire, killing one of the mutineers, along with Tom Redruth. Holed up under a hail of gunfire, they make an attempt to retrieve their supplies from the water, but it’s too late — the pirates are seen running off with their food.

Chapter 19: Narrative Resumed by Jim Hawkins: The Garrison in the Stockade

Jim Hawkins returns to narrating the story, accompanied by Ben Gunn who makes him promise to get him off the island. After Ben returns to his hideout, Jim joins the loyalists in the stockade where they take turns keeping watch and carrying out the duties of survival. Captain Smollett counts the Hispanolia as lost until a visitor arrives with a flag of truce.

Chapter 20: Silver’s Embassy

Long John Silver comes to the stockade with a flag of truce, offering to exchange the loyalists’ treasure map for safe passage off the island. But Captain Smollett won’t hear of it. He defies the pirate-captain by threatening to put a bullet in his back the next time he sees him. The only outcome, he declares, is to put the mutineers in shackles and take them to stand trial in England. Infuriated, Long John Silver threatens to attack them.

Chapter 21: The Attack

Captain Smollett orders the loyalists back to their posts to prepare for the impending attack. After a time, the battle begins as shots ring out from the woods, and the faithful party returns fire. The pirates soon breach the stockade, and the loyalists resort to fighting with cutlasses but are successful at fending them off. When all is said and done, Joyce is dead, several are wounded, and the pirate party of 19 has been reduced by half.

Chapter 22: How My Sea Adventure Began

In the wake of the pirate’s attack, after tending to the wounds of the survivors. Dr. Livesey packs up his belongings and departs the stockade to find Ben Gunn. Determined not to sit idly by, Jim Hawkins sneaks out of the block-house to search for a small boat that Ben Gunn has hidden near the white rock. While the buccaneers are carousing on the shore, he slips the small boat into the water and starts to paddle out to the Hispanolia.

Chapter 23: The Ebb-tide Runs

Jim Hawkins sets out in the coracle for the Hispanolia which is anchored off the island. When he reaches the schooner’s side, he pulls out a knife and cuts the rope to the anchor, and the ship goes drifting out to sea. Jim peers through the cabin’s window where two pirates are fighting to the death, but they interrupt their tussle to see what’s causing the ship to move. Jim hides in the bottom of the coracle in fear of being discovered.

Chapter 24: The Cruise of the Coracle

Awakening in the coracle, Jim Hawkins finds himself being tossed to and fro at the risk of drifting out to sea. He attempts to paddle toward the safest cape but quickly learns there is little he can do to steer the tiny boat, as the current takes it wherever it chooses. But finally, he finds himself closing-in on the Hispanolia which has been cut loose and appears to be abandoned. As he gets closer, he’s able to jump about the schooner.

Chapter 25: I Strike the Jolly Roger

Jim Hawkins climbs aboard the Hispanolia to find two wounded pirates – the coxswain Israel Hands and his victim O’Brien. Seeing the mutineer’s condition, Jim announces himself as the captain of the ship and gets no argument. Israel offers to help Jim sail the ship in exchange for brandy, dressing for his wound, and some food. Jim manages to find all three and sets sail for the North Inlet where he can hide the ship out of view.

Chapter 26: Israel Hands

Jim Hawkins is sailing the Hispanolia toward the North Inlet with the help of the wounded coxswain Israel Hands. The pirate deceitfully asks Jim to fetch a bottle of wine but pockets a long knife while Jim is below deck. Hands attacks him, but a sudden lurch of the ship gives Jim to reload his pistols. Just as he feels he’s won, Israel throws a knife and sticks him to the mast. Jim’s pistols go off and Israel plunges into the water.

Chapter 27: “Pieces of Eight”

After killing Israel Hands in self-defense, Jim Hawkins removes the blade from his shoulder and dumps O’Brien’s body into the water. Leaving the Hispanolia hidden in the North Inlet, he makes his way to the stockade, worried about being picked off by his own party. He finally reaches the block-house and finds the men sleeping soundly. But a sudden cry from Silver’s parrot awakens the mutineers and Jim is taken captive.

Chapter 28: In the Enemy’s Camp

As Jim Hawkins is apprehended in the block-house, he finds the six remaining buccaneers in rough shape from a recent battle. The loyalists, he learns, are still alive. Long John Silver invites Jim to join his side, but Jim boldly declares his opposition and offers to help spare their execution if they spare his life. The other pirates want to kill him, but Long John Silver argues for his safety and confides to Jim that he is switching sides.

Chapter 29: The Black Spot Again

Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver await the results of the pirates’ council to determine their fates. They return to give Long John the black spot on a torn-out page from a Bible with the word “deposed” on back. Silver chastises them for using a Bible and dissuades them from harming him or Jim. The men refuse to let him resign as captain, and the chief accuser among them is made to take the evening watch while the others sleep.

Chapter 30: On Parole

Dr. Livesey arrives unexpectantly at the block-house to check on the health of the pirates. He asks to speak privately with Jim Hawkins but the others protest until Long John Silver convinces them otherwise. While alone, Jim tells Dr. Livesey about moving the Hispanolia to a safe place, and doctor expresses that Jim has saved their lives. Before leaving, the doctor advises Silver to not rush after the treasure and keep Jim close by his side.

Chapter 31: The Treasure-hunt—Flint’s Pointer

At breakfast, Jim Hawkins is surprised at how reckless the pirates are under these circumstances. Long John Silver continues to play both sides, convincing the men he’ll betray the loyalists at just the right moment. After eating, they begin their search for the treasure and come upon the skeletal remains of a sailor whose hands are pointing in an unnatural direction. They ruminate on what happened before continuing their journey.

Chapter 32: The Treasure-hunt—The Voice Among the Trees

Held hostage by the mutineers, Jim Hawkins is led along by Long John Silver in search of Captain Flint’s hidden treasure. With the map as their guide, the pirates tremble at the prospect of encountering ghosts. When they hear the sound of singing, they realize it’s Ben Gunn and continue pressing on. Finally, they reach the hiding spot marked on the map, but when they come to the grove, they find the treasure missing.

Chapter 33: The Fall of a Chieftain

Upon discovering the missing treasure, the pirates quickly side against Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins, threatening to end their lives. Several shots are fired from the trees, and Dr. Livesey, Ben Gunn, and Gray emerge with smoking muskets to lead Jim and Silver to the rest of the loyalists on the Hispanolia. Silver is guilty of the death of seventeen men, but the Squire, much to his dismay, has been instructed not to prosecute him.

Chapter 34: And Last

After the loyalists spend several days loading the Hispanolia with the treasure they found, they decide to leave the three pirates marooned on the island in lieu of taking them back to England to hang. Landing in Spanish America to restock supplies, Long John Silver makes his escape, stealing away with a bag full of coins. Once in Bristol, the crew returns to its regular life, and Jim vows never to go back to the island again.