- Who is it for?
- Ages 10–14
- How long is it?
- 31 min
- What does it include?
- Synced read-along and a quiz
- What does it cost?
- Premium access in Emma's Library
About this audiobook
During the American Civil War, five northern prisoners escape Richmond in a balloon, only to crash-land on a remote Pacific island they name Lincoln Island. Led by engineer Cyrus Smith, the castaways use shared knowledge and labor to build a settlement, mastering pottery, metallurgy, agriculture, and communication. Throughout their struggles against beasts, pirates, illness, and nature, an unseen protector supplies medicine, tools, and timely intervention. He is eventually revealed as the aging Captain Nemo, living his final days aboard the Nautilus in a cavern beneath the island. Nemo, scarred by imperial violence and by his own war against it, has chosen to aid the colonists from hiding. After his death and underwater burial aboard the Nautilus, the island's volcano destroys both the colony and the vessel the settlers were building. The survivors cling to one last bare rock with almost no food or water until the yacht Duncan arrives. Nemo had secretly left a message on Tabor Island directing it to them. They return to America with his jewels, found a new settlement together, and recreate the best of Lincoln Island without pretending they conquered nature.
Why it's worth a listen
Experience an epic tale of survival where human ingenuity transforms a wild, uncharted island into a thriving sanctuary. Marvel at the mysterious, invisible hand that repeatedly saves the castaways from certain doom when their own science fails. Discover the shocking identity of their secret benefactor as the island's deepest secrets are finally brought to light.
What listeners will learn
Subjects: literature, storytelling, historical imagination.
- character
- setting
- conflict
- choice
- consequence
- theme
- retelling
- mysterious
- island
- classic
Questions for after listening
- Retell the central conflict in order.
- Name one important choice and what happened because of it.
- How did the setting or tradition shape the story?
A question to keep
Does the pursuit of scientific progress and mastery over nature ultimately isolate humanity, or can it forge a deeper, redemptive community?
Chapters
- Out of the Tempest
- The School of the Wilderness
- The Silent Watcher
- The Black Flag and the Iron Fish
- The Secret of the Nautilus
- A Question to Keep
Editorial review
Quality reviewed · 98/100 on . Certificate EL-68BB-C5CB is bound to the exact narrated script.
The review checks factual care, audience fit, teaching quality, structure, tone and source honesty. Read the editorial standards.
Published 2026-07-13 · Updated
