Number One: Treasure Island

Treasure Island by Robert Lewis Stevenson is truly a wonderful book.  When I read this book, I was only eleven years old, but even then it seemed absolutely amazing to me.  Now, eight years later, it is every bit as good as it was then.  Before writing this review, I decided to refresh my memory on some of this story, and in doing so I once again found myself lost in wonder of this excellent story.  Like most classic books, this one truly can be read at any age and still thoroughly enjoyed.
The biggest thing which stuck out to me in this book was Jim Hawkins progression from the obedient, but relatively uninteresting, young boy to the confident and assertive young man he becomes by the end of the book. He goes from a mere passenger on board the ship to the hero who saved the ship in the end of the book.  There is an amazing progression from a boy seeking adventure to the man who, instead, cares about saving his friends and keeping his personal honor above all else.  In the end, he was unquestionably willing to sacrifice whatever was necessary to save his friends.  In the end, he truly was a hero.
Not a page in this book was wasted.  There was absolutely no drag in the story in any place, and there was enough adventure to keep even an eleven year old boy excited.  Few books can equal this in excitement, and at the same time it manages to convey an excellent message.  In Treasure Island Stevenson really did manage to pull of a Great Book which I would highly recommended absolutely everyone reading.  I hope that I can find the time to read it again soon.

Hoping that you will enjoy this book as much as I did,
Jodath