Treasure Island
Recommended. Age: 11+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
This is the best pirate story ever written, and it has a moral spine. The doctor and the squire protect Jim and treat him with respect. Characters pray in danger. Greed and rum destroy the mutineers one by one. The one reservation is Long John Silver. He is a charming liar and a killer's captain, and the book lets readers like him. Children need that named.
For parents
Read aloud from 8 for children who handle fights and deaths, independent reading from 11. Common Sense Media says 10 and up. Ask how the pirates try to win Jim over with charm and bribes. Ask whether being likable makes Silver good, and what rum and greed do to the crew.