There is a timeless element to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure novel Treasure Island despite being published in 1883. This original pirate story set the tone for many high sea adventures with its liberal use of drunken mutineers, secret maps, buried treasure, and the infamous black spot.

While the action isn't always descript, Stevenson didn't hold back. There are plenty of deaths in this swashbuckling story with swords, knives, and muskets. Told through the eyes of young Jim Hawkins, young readers will have no trouble identifying with the principal protagonist (although Stevenson abruptly changes the narrator for a couple of chapters, mid-story).

Another favorite is the one-legged pirate Long John Silver. He is a complex character and smart adversary. He is also the mold from which almost every other pirate is cast, complete with a parrot, the song "Dead Man's Chest," and treasure maps adorned with an "X."

A few era-accepted racial terms may put some people off, and younger kids might struggle with some of the dialogue because of its diction, but these 1800 elements also lend a sense of historical relevance. We cannot hide from the past. All in all, I'm with my daughter in giving it a solid four stars as an important literary classic.