Kidnapped vs Treasure Island: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Thriller, History, Fiction
Kidnapped
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KIDNAPPED is an adventure story that has become the model for any thriller of escape and suspense. Set in 1751, the flight of David Balfour and Alan Breck across the Highlands of Scotland is based on real events.…
Treasure Island
“SQUIRE TRELAWNEY, Dr Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17-, and go back to the time when my father kept the 'Admiral Bendow' inn, and”
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Traditionally considered a coming-of-age story, Treasure Island is an adventure tale known for its atmosphere, characters and action, and also as a wry commentary on the ambiguity of morality — as seen in Long John…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Treasure Island has the widest readership — 553957 ratings behind its score.
- Treasure Island reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 17 times.
Scores by source
| Kidnapped | Treasure Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (69187) | 3.9 (553957) |
| Hardcover | 4.5 (1) | 3.8 (928) |
| Google Books | 4.5 (2) | 4.0 (2) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (139) | 4.0 (170) |
| LiveLib | — | 4.4 (15919) |
Reception
| Kidnapped | Treasure Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 69187 | 553957 |
| Editions | 352 | 1988 |
| Citations | 15 | 17 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 34311 | 269573 |
| Reading it now | 4242 | 34537 |
| Written reviews | 3066 | 20696 |
| Wikipedia attention | 6936 | 53914 |
| Pages | 219 | 320 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Kidnapped or Treasure Island?
Treasure Island has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Treasure Island 3.9/5, Kidnapped 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Kidnapped or Treasure Island?
Kidnapped is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Kidnapped (219 pages, ≈ 4 h 03 m); Treasure Island (320 pages, ≈ 5 h 56 m).
Which is harder to read: Kidnapped or Treasure Island?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Kidnapped: Challenging; Treasure Island: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
Kidnapped: 5 film adaptations; Treasure Island: 5 film adaptations.