NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST AND ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH From the New York Times bestselling author of Loving Frank comes a much-anticipated second novel, which tells the improbable love story of Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson and his tempestuous American wife, Fanny. At the age of thirty-five, Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne has left her philandering husband in San Francisco to set sail for Belgium—with her three children and nanny in tow—to study art. It is a chance for this adventurous woman to start over, to make a better life for all of them, and to pursue her own desires. Not long after her arrival, however, tragedy strikes, and Fanny and her children repair to a quiet artists’ colony in France where she can recuperate. Emerging from a deep sorrow, she meets a lively Scot, Robert Louis Stevenson, ten years her junior, who falls instantly in love with the earthy, independent, and opinionated “belle Americaine.” Fanny does not immediately take to the slender young lawyer who longs to devote his life to writing—and who would eventually pen such classics as Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In time, though, she succumbs to Stevenson’s charms, and the two begin a fierce love affair—marked by intense joy and harrowing darkness—that spans the decades and the globe. The shared life of these two strong-willed individuals unfolds into an adventure as impassioned and unpredictable as any of Stevenson’s own unforgettable tales. Praise for Under the Wide and Starry Sky “A richly imagined [novel] of love, laughter, pain and sacrifice . . . Under the Wide and Starry Sky is a dual portrait, with Louis and Fanny sharing the limelight in the best spirit of teamwork—a romantic partnership.”—USA Today “Powerful . . . flawless . . . a perfect example of what a man and a woman will do for love, and what they can accomplish when it’s meant to be.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram “Horan’s prose is gorgeous enough to keep a reader transfixed, even if the story itself weren’t so compelling. I kept re-reading passages just to savor the exquisite wordplay. . . . Few writers are as masterful as she is at blending carefully researched history with the novelist’s art.”—The Dallas Morning News “A classic artistic bildungsroman and a retort to the genre, a novel that shows how love and marriage can simultaneously offer inspiration and encumbrance.”—The New York Times Book Review

With its high-interest adaptations of classic literature and plays, this series inspires reading success and further exploration for all students.These classics are skillfully adapted into concise, softcover books of 80-136 pages. Each retains the integrity and tone of the original book. Interest Level: 5-12 Reading Level: 3-4

Sail the seas to quench your thirst for gold in this tale of piracy, adventure and betrayal. Help students better understand the novel with in-depth comprehension and vocabulary questions. Match the characters introduced in the novel to their descriptions. Draw the map that Jim finds in Billy's chest. Summarize what Jim heard in the apple barrel. Explain who the character of Ben Gunn is, and how he ended up on the island. Using multiple choice, identify the characters who said the provided quotes. Students write their own pirate ditty to be sung while sailing. Identify the character who has the biggest influence on Jim Hawkins, and describe their relationship and how it affects the outcome of the story. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Treasure Island is one of the most perfect examples of an exciting classic adventure tale. Masterfully crafted, this stunning book of piracy on the tropic seas is an unforgettable tale of treachery between good and evil. Developed from an imaginary map that Stevenson and his stepson made while on vacation, Treasure Island is an all-time classic for those who love romance and adventure. Perhaps the reason for the book's allure to children is the famous hero-villain character of Long John Silver, with his unscrupulous buccaneer-rogues on their quest for gold.