X Marks the Spot: Treasure Island

Cracked Classics #5

by Tony Abbott

Sixth-graders Frankie and Devin find themselves on the treasure hunt of a lifetime when the library zapper gates send them to Treasure Island and they team up with young Jim Hawkins in a race for secretly stashed pirate gold. Original.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Fiction, Classics

144 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

Tony Abbott (born 1952) is an American author of children's books. His most popular work is the book series The Secrets of Droon, which includes over 40 books. He has sold over 12 million copies of his books and they have been translated into several other languages, including Italian, Spanish, Korean, French, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. He has also written the bestseller Firegirl.

Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1952. His father was a university professor and had an extensive library of books which became one of Abbott's first sources of literature. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Connecticut where he went through elementary school and high school.

Abbott attended the University of Connecticut, and after studying both music and psychology, decided to study English and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in English literature. He attended the workshops of Patricia Reilly Giff to further develop his writing after college.

Abbott currently lives in Trumbull, Connecticut, with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. Tony had one brother and two sisters.

Reviews

[Josephine Sorrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5 (1 rating)139 pages1 hour
Description
Two sixth graders magically swept away to Treasure Island

Sixth grade Devin and Frankie are best friends. They get tough assignment in English, but they do not want to read the book. Instead, take the novel to the library and toss it through the magic metal detector. This pulls them into the world of the book, allowing them to experience the novel firsthand. Great idea, right? Well it is most of the time. This time, they find themselves marooned on Treasure Island.

The moment they step into Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic pirate novel, Devin and Frankie find themselves in the midst of the hunt for buried treasure along with Long John Silver and his gang of cutthroats. Will Frankie and Devin get back before walking the plank?

The format reminds me of the wildly popular Magic Treehouse Series. I think Tony Abbott may have the start of the next hit series.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wanted to just step into a book you’re reading and meet the characters you’re reading about? Maybe invite them to lunch, join in their adventures, and experience what they do?

That’s exactly what Devin and Frankie do when their English teacher catches them sleeping in class and they suddenly realize they have TREASURE ISLAND to read by tomorrow!

They head to the library and it’s not long before they meet Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver – the two characters they have to report on in English – but wait! They’re on a ship headed for … Treasure Island.

And they become part of one of the greatest adventure stories of all times and maybe even…but you’ll have to read it for yourself!

Humor, adventure and some of the world’s coolest characters – why would you want more?

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the idea of actually being sucked into a book. This was a funny story about just that. My kids love the treasure island story and when I told them about this they were quick to read it...and reread it.

*I was given this book in exchange for an honest review via NETGALLEY*

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devin and Frankie learn about characters in X Marks the Spot, the fifth Cracked Classics book. Based on Treasure Island, the friends are once again sucked into a book. The Cracked Classics are a clever introduction for middle grade kids to classic books. They are fun and funny and just might inspire your kid to read the real thing. I highly recommend X Marks the Spot and all the other Cracked Classics, too (you don’t need to read them all or in any particular order). They make a great family read-aloud!

[Debesuota · Rating 3 out of 5]

Başroller bu kitapta da farklı bir cinsiyetle karşımıza çıktı. Yazar diğer 4 kitaptaki fanstastikliğin sırrını bu kitapta biraz açmıştı ama çok azıcık. Gelecek ve son kitapta Romeo & Juliet'te ne olacağını merak ettim.
Define Adası klasiğini daha önce okumadım ama pek ilgi çekici gelmedi ve serinin içinde en sönük kitaptı. Ya da artık yazar hep aynı yolu çiziyor diye bana sıkıcı gelmeye başladı. Fena değildi. Long John Silver karakterinin ise sevilmesini pek anlayamadım. Pek sevilesi değildi.

[SaraKat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a version of Treasure Island for readers who want to get the gist of the story without doing any heavy lifting. It's like a summary of the classic with two extra characters added in to narrate and explain things. I'd rather just read the original, but readers who can't quite manage that might enjoy this version.

[C.J. Milbrandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifth in a series about two kids (Frankie & Devin) whose school librarian has a mysterious device that zaps the two of them into classic books, where they have to go through the events of the story in order to get out again. Tony Abbott's ability to simplify and paraphrase the classics makes these a lot of fun. Recommended!

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

This is one of the weaker novels. Maybe I'm not a big Treasure Island or pirates fan? I thought it was just okay.