Treasure Island

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
With the money he made from Treasure Island, Stevenson lived large and in charge as he wrote more classic works of fiction—including what's arguably his most famous novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Instead of pirates, this book features a mild-mannered scientist who harbors a murderous goon inside him. It plays around with similar themes as Treasure Island, like the nature of appearances and good and evil, so you might add it to your syllabus and make a Stevenson unit out of reading these books together.

Kidnapped
Stevenson loves to write stories about impressionable youths who have adventures on ships. He's not weird, he's just writing for a particular audience who just happens to be impressionable kids themselves. Since his adventure story in the Caribbean was so successful, Stevenson decided to write another adventure story called Kidnapped that takes place in his native Scotland—which is apparently just as violent as pirates on the high seas.