Weeks into the voyage, Jim has found his sea legs and his place aboard the Hispaniola — and an unlikely friendship with Long John Silver, who teaches him knots and reads the stars with him and fills his days with warmth and easy praise.

On a hot evening looking for one quiet moment alone, Jim climbs inside an empty apple barrel near the mainmast. He's nearly asleep when Silver arrives with Israel Hands and a young sailor named Dick.

What Jim hears from inside the barrel changes everything: Silver is the mastermind of a full mutiny, every man he recruited is Captain Flint's pirate, and the plan is to wait until the honest men find the treasure — then kill every one of them. Nineteen pirates against five honest men.

And Jim, alone in the dark with cramping legs and a hand pressed over his own mouth, now knows every name on both lists.

Treasure Island is the classic pirate adventure retold for boys 8–14. Robert Louis Stevenson's original — retold for modern readers who deserve the real story. New chapters every Wednesday.

For fans of the original Stevenson, Peter Pan, and classic pirate adventure retellings. Perfect for homeschool classics units and reluctant readers ready for the real thing.

📚 Grab your copy of Treasure Island: The Map, Book 1 — available now on Amazon: https://us.amazon.com/stores/Reed-Sterling/author/B0H2ZM86WQ

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00:00:30 — Weeks at sea — Jim has found his footing aboard the Hispaniola
00:03:30 — An unlikely friendship — Silver teaches Jim knots and stars
00:04:45 — Restless for a moment alone, Jim goes topside at sunset
00:05:30 — The empty apple barrel by the mainmast
00:07:00 — Hidden inside, Jim drifts toward sleep — footsteps approach
00:09:00 — Jim wakes to voices — and Silver's tone is all wrong
00:09:45 — The name that freezes his blood: Flint
00:12:15 — The plan revealed — not one of them gets back alive
00:13:15 — Nineteen pirates against five honest men
00:17:45 — Silver dismantles the captain — calm, calculating, ruthless
00:19:00 — The barrel creaks — Jim freezes as Silver falls silent
00:22:30 — "Captain Silver" — the cabin boy was only ever a pawn
00:23:30 — Eight bells — the watch changes, the conspirators scatter
00:25:00 — Alone in the dark with a truth that changes everything
00:26:30 — CH 7 — What Comes Next

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I am the author of serialized fiction books for kids and young adults, including:

- Brickhaven: A Bricks Fan Fiction Adventure

- Colony In Danger: A Fire Ant Adventure

- Eagle's Edge: A Story of Rome, Gaul and the Making of a Soldier

- Treasure Island: A Classic Adaptation

- Iron Rails & Ruin: A Novel of Steam, Sorcery and the Lawless Montana Territory

📚 All five books -- including Brickhaven Book 1 -- are now available on Amazon: https://us.amazon.com/stores/Reed-Sterling/author/B0H2ZM86WQ

📖 Wanna check out all five series for yourself? Get all five Chapter 1s free: https://compass-codex.kit.com/middle-school-reader-group

Thank you for listening! This is Reed Sterling. Remember: Never stop exploring unknown worlds.