11 h 15 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 11 h 15 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A coral island promises freedom, but three shipwrecked boys must learn how to stay alive—and protect their fragile home.
Ralph Rover goes to sea looking for adventure. A storm leaves him stranded on a Pacific island with Jack Martin and Peterkin Gay. Together, they find food, build shelter, and make tools. The reef and surrounding water invite discovery, but survival depends on what they can learn and do together.
Jack brings practical skill and steady judgment; Peterkin brings jokes and bold plans. Their companionship gives island life its warmth, yet visitors draw them into conflicts they do not fully understand. In R. M. Ballantyne’s The Coral Island, courage and Christian faith guide the heroes, while portrayals of Pacific peoples reflect Victorian colonial beliefs and racial stereotypes.
What you’ll discover
- Survival through shared effort Follow the boys as they combine their skills to find food, build shelter, and make tools.
- Three friends under pressure Meet Ralph, Jack, and Peterkin, whose different strengths help them face danger together.
- A reef to explore Share the pull of discovery as the companions investigate their island and its surrounding water.
- Danger beyond the shore Encounters with nearby islanders bring conflicts that test the boys’ hopes of protecting their life.
- A Victorian moral world Explore a story shaped by Christian faith, firm moral judgments, and colonial views of Pacific peoples.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy castaway adventures, the pleasure of seeing things made from nothing, bright nature detail and jokes between friends.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A restless boy sails for the South Seas
- Jack's reading turns a wreck into a home
- Danger and invention shape the first months
- Walking the island uncovers puzzles and a grave
- A cave, a boat and a storm test the boys
- Canoes, a rescued girl and a pirate flag
- Escape, a lonely voyage and a return to danger
- Friendship and know-how carry the castaways
- Faith, nature and the age's view of islanders
- A boy's voice, a jolly tone and sudden storms
Who’s who
- Ralph RoverA thoughtful fifteen-year-old born at sea who tells the story and longs to see the wonders of the South Seas.
- Jack MartinThe eldest and strongest of the three, a clever reader and calm leader who builds tools and takes the lead in danger.
- Peterkin GayThe youngest boy, quick, funny and mischievous, who jokes his way through every trouble and hunts the island's pigs.
- AvateaA gentle young Samoan woman held on Tararo's island, who hopes to marry the Christian chief she loves.
- TararoA powerful island chief whose party the boys rescue, and who later holds the fate of Avatea and the boys in his hands.
- Bloody BillA huge, silent pirate who befriends Ralph and wants to leave the schooner and its cruel captain.
- The Pirate CaptainThe fierce master of the black-flagged schooner, who tells Ralph he is a sandalwood trader and rules his crew by fear.
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- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
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- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean
by R. M. Ballantyne · 1857
Three shipwrecked boys build a boat, a bower and a home on a Pacific island ringed by coral.
Medium level10–20 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
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In short
What would you do if a storm threw you onto a Pacific island with a broken penknife, a sharp axe and two friends? In The Coral Island, three boys face shipwreck with almost nothing.
The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean at a glance
- Reading time
- About 6 h 20 min5 h fast, 7 h 30 min slow
- Length
- 90,100 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1857by R. M. Ballantyne
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A restless boy sails for the South Seas
Ralph Rover is born at sea in a howling storm, the son and grandson of sea captains. He starts wandering almost at once, and as a baby he tumbles off the doorstep into a puddle full of ducks. His shipmates later nickname him Rover, and the name sticks.
Sailors fill his head with tales of the Coral Islands, where summer lasts nearly all year and the trees are heavy with fruit. At fifteen Ralph argues his father into letting him go. His mother gives him a small Bible and asks him to read a chapter every day.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1857
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Ballantyne, R. M. The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-coral-island-a-tale-of-the-pacific-ocean.
Ballantyne, R. M. (2026). The coral island: A tale of the Pacific Ocean. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-coral-island-a-tale-of-the-pacific-ocean (Original work published 1857)
Ballantyne, R. M. The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-coral-island-a-tale-of-the-pacific-ocean.
@book{ballantyne2026coral,
author = {Ballantyne, R. M.},
title = {The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-coral-island-a-tale-of-the-pacific-ocean},
note = {First published 1857}
}
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What is The Coral Island about?
It follows three shipwrecked boys, Ralph, Jack and Peterkin, who survive on a Pacific island by making fire, tools and a boat. Later they meet islanders, pirates and a woman in danger, and they travel to other islands.
Who are Jack, Ralph and Peterkin?
Ralph Rover, fifteen, tells the story. Jack Martin, eighteen, is the clever and steady leader. Peterkin Gay is the youngest, funny and mischievous. The three meet aboard the ship Arrow and become close friends during the voyage.
Is The Coral Island a true story?
No, it is a novel written by R. M. Ballantyne in the nineteenth century. It draws on real facts about coral, plants and island life, and it presents the story as if Ralph is recalling his own boyhood.
The author
R. M. Ballantyne
1825–1894 · Scottish children's adventure novelist
R. M. Ballantyne (1825–1894) was a Scottish writer of fiction for young readers. He was born in Edinburgh and worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company in Canada from 1841 to 1847. He wrote The Coral Island (1857) and Blown to Bits (1889). He died in Rome.
More by R. M. Ballantyne
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