Kidnapped (Scribner Storybook Classics) - Hardcover

Stevenson, Robert Louis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689865422 ISBN 13: 9780689865428

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2004

Synopsis

Original oil paintings by N. C. Wyeth capture the vitality of Robert Louis Stevenson’s timeless tale of fortune, camaraderie, betrayal, and independence in this stunning picture book edition of Kidnapped.

David Balfour has never had an adventure. He has never spent a night camping in the Scottish Highlands. He has never sailed the high seas. He has never fought in a battle. In fact, David Balfour has never even left home. All he knows is a quiet country life.

All of this changes after the death of his parents. He suddenly learns that he, David Balfour, is a man of wealth and standing, and that he is not destined for a simple life after all. All he needs to do to assume this new station in life is to travel to the town of Cramond, Scotland, to collect his inheritance from his father’s younger brother, an uncle he had not even known existed. But David soon discovers that this is not as simple as it sounds, as he struggles to survive and outwit his treacherous uncle in this classic adventure story.

About this title

About the Author:

Robert Louis Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850. He spent his childhood in Edinburgh, Scotland, but traveled widely in the United States and throughout the South Seas. The author of many novels, including The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Kidnapped, The Black Arrow, and Treasure Island, he died in 1894.

N.C. Wyeth (1882–1945) began his artistic career as a young adult. Born in Needham, Massachusetts, Wyeth traveled the American West extensively and drew what he saw. His prolific career includes three thousand works and more than one hundred book illustrations, including those for a majority of the Scribner Illustrated Classics series.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-7 - The language in this adaptation is truer to the original, and thus, more sophisticated than that of Deborah Kestel's "Great Illustrated Classics" version (Playmore, 1992). After his father's death, David Balfour leaves his simple life in the Scottish Lowlands and sets out to find an uncle whom he has never met. Unaware of the bad blood between his father and uncle, he arrives at Ebeneezer's home, only to find that the cruel man has no intention of granting the lad his rightful inheritance. In fact, he has the boy kidnapped aboard a ship to be sold as a slave in North Carolina. David's tenacious spirit and his friendship with the rebellious Jacobite Alan Breck eventually bring him to safety. Told in 11 brief chapters, this abridgement introduces the basics of the story while maintaining a feel for the Scottish dialect. Some of the old-fashioned words and phrases may be a bit of a stretch for readers, but can be understood in context. Though obviously lacking in some of the details of the original, the narrative is easy to follow. Readers are able to gain insight into the hearts of David and Alan, although Ebeneezer and Captain Hoseason remain rather flat. Wyeth's oils (which appeared in the full-length version) add a sense of realism and capture interesting historical details. Meis's retelling retains the flavor of Stevenson's rollicking tale and might inspire readers to search out the full-length epic. - Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI
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About this edition

• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0689865422
• ISBN 13: 9780689865428
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 64
• Editor: Meis Timothy
• Illustrator: Wyeth N.C.