The Story of the Treasure Seekers facts for kids

The Story of the Treasure Seekers is a fun adventure novel by E. Nesbit. It was first published in 1899. The book is about six children from the Bastable family. Their names are Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and Horace Octavius (H. O.).

The children live with their father, who has lost his money. They try many different ways to help him and make their family rich again. This book is the first in a series. Its sequels are The Wouldbegoods (1901) and The New Treasure Seekers (1904). The full name of the book is The Story of the Treasure Seekers: Being the Adventures of the Bastable Children in Search of a Fortune.

The story is told from one of the children's points of view. The narrator is Oswald, but he tries to keep it a secret at first. He says, "It is one of us that tells this story – but I shall not tell you which: only at the very end perhaps I will. While the story is going on you may be trying to guess, only I bet you don't." However, Oswald often praises himself. This makes it pretty clear who the narrator is long before he tells you!

How the Book Was Published

The stories about the Bastable children first appeared in different magazines. These magazines published parts of The Story of the Treasure Seekers between 1894 and October 1899. Some of these magazines were Nister's Holiday Annual, the Illustrated London News, and The Pall Mall Magazine.

When all the stories were put together into one book in 1899, their order was changed. Some parts of the stories were also rewritten to make them better for the book.

How This Book Inspired Others

The Story of the Treasure Seekers was E. Nesbit's first novel for children. This book and her later novels had a big impact on other children's books written in English. Famous authors like Arthur Ransome and C. S. Lewis were inspired by her.

C. S. Lewis even mentioned the Bastable children in his book The Magician's Nephew. He said that some of the events in his book happened at the same time as the adventures of the Treasure Seekers. An American writer named Edward Eager was also influenced by Nesbit's books. He mentioned the Bastable children in his "Half Magic" series.

Nesbit's books influenced other writers in a few key ways. Her stories often feature groups of brothers and sisters. These children usually come from families where one parent is missing or separated. They often have to entertain themselves while on holiday. Through magic or exciting pretend play, the children face dangers. They overcome these challenges with bravery and determination. Another important part of her stories is showing how children really act. They have arguments and make mistakes, just like real kids.

J. K. Rowling, who wrote the Harry Potter series, said that Nesbit was one of her favorite authors. She also said that The Story of the Treasure Seekers was her favorite of Nesbit's books.

A British writer named Michael Moorcock later used the name Oswald Bastable for a character in his own books. This character was the hero and narrator of his "A Nomad of the Time Streams" trilogy. These books, published from 1971 to 1981, helped create the genre called steampunk.

TV Shows and Movies

The Story of the Treasure Seekers has been made into a TV series three times. These TV shows came out in 1953, 1961, and 1982. It was also made into a TV movie in 1996, called The Treasure Seekers.

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  Puffin Classics edition

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  Illustration by Gordon Browne

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  Illustration by Lewis Baumer

Also at Project Gutenberg: