Founder connections
- George LucasNamed childhood reading interestIn the Academy of Achievement interview, Lucas names Kidnapped among adventure books he liked when young. This is a reading recollection; his edition and complete reading are unknown.Source
Summary
After his father dies, David Balfour seeks help and his inheritance from his uncle Ebenezer. His uncle instead places him in danger, and David is kidnapped onto a ship bound for slavery. With the rebel Alan Breck, he must escape and cross the Scottish landscape while being pursued. Stevenson’s novel joins a struggle over an inheritance to an adventure through the Highlands. The checked Puffin Classics paperback includes an introduction by Alexander McCall Smith.
Why read it Our view
For founders who work with stories or characters, study how a disputed inheritance gives the plot a clear cause and how David’s alliance with Alan Breck shapes the adventure. Kidnapping and pursuit move the characters through danger and changing places. The novel offers a concrete example of linking a personal goal to action and a developing relationship.