Pirate School series, by Brian James
Aye, mateys! Are you ready for some swashbuckling pirate adventures? Don’t be a scallywag, me bucko. Arr! Pete, Inna, Gary, and Vicky and Aaron (the twins) are training to be pirates abroad the ship Sea Rat. No matter what comes their way, they prove that they have the mettle to handle it.
Book 1: The Curse of Snake Island
Captain Stinky Beard puts first mate, Rotten Tooth, in charge of the pirates-in-training. After weeks of swabbing decks, Pete convinces the group that they must prove their bravery so Rotten Tooth will teach them real pirate skills. As the Sea Rat sails for Snake Island, the pirate kids sneak into the captain’s quarter and copy the island’s treasure map. After landing on the island, the kids get permission to sleep on the beach. They plan to slip away and follow the map to the treasure. If they discover the chest before the others, they’ll be true pirates. Little do they know that danger awaits them where “X-marks-the-spot.”
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Book 2: Ahoy, Ghost Ship Ahead!
During a storm at sea, Rotten Tooth orders the pirate kids up the mast to the crow’s nest. When their shift ends, their skivvies drip with water, but their hearts glow with pride. They just accomplished their first real pirate job. The next morning, Pete wakes up before sunrise. Using the spy glass, he looks out his porthole and sees a fully-rigged ghost ship. He rouses his mates in time for Gary and Vicky to see it too. The ship disappears with the sun. The pirate kids learn that ghost ships always appear when ships are in danger. The next night, Pete and the others sleep on deck. When the ghost ship pulls alongside, the brave pirates-in-training walk the plank and board the ghost ship in hopes of saving the Sea Rat and its crew.
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Book 3: Attack on the High Seas!
One morning before pirate school lessons, Rotten Tooth tells his students that the Sea Rat is being pursued by the pirate ship Filthy Sails. They’re ready to start swashbuckling in defense of their ship. Unfortunately, their teacher has other things in mind. He shows them how to tie three knots, and, then, he sets them to practicing the knots until they can tie them perfectly. All five pirates-in-training go to bed with very sore fingers. The next morning, the crew of the Filthy Sails attacks. Rotten Tooth orders the children to stay below decks. Cannons boom! Hand-to-hand combat rages on board the Sea Rat! The five sneaky sea dogs climb on deck at the back of the ship in time to see all their shipmates lashed to the masts. Can the pirate kids save the day?
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Book 4: Port of Spies
The pirate kids look forward to stopping at King’s Island for a day of browsing and shopping. Unfortunately, as they make harbor, Rotten Tooth hands them a long list of supplies and informs them that the newest recruits always do the shopping. He, also, tells them to keep their eyes and ears open because landlubbers are suspicious of pirates. As they buy supplies, they collect such a long list of suspicious activity that they’re convinced that the whole town is filled with spies. Back on-board ship, strange things begin to happen. The oatmeal barrel is found open, and oatmeal crumbs appear on Gary’s bunk. When Gary’s pillow and blanket disappear. the kids start looking for a stowaway spy.
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Book 5: Treasure Trouble
Pete and the other pirate kids are excited about exploring for buried treasure, but they find themselves doing Rotten Tooth’s dirty work- rowing the boat to the island and digging holes. Then Gary and Vickie fall into one of the holes and find a treasure chest. When Captain Stinky Beard lets the pirate kids choose something from the chest, Rotten Tooth takes their share for “safe-keeping.” The next morning, the kids wake up to an empty deck and empty riggings. All the other pirates are sick in their bunks. The pirate kids must solve the mystery of the cursed treasure and cure the crew of “sea sleep” before the Sea Rat disappears into the Serpent’s Whirlpool.
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Book 6: Camp Buccaneer
Pete, Gary, Inna, Vicky, and Aaron are on their way to Camp Buccaneer to compete in the annual contest to crown the most piratey pirate. Of course, Rotten Tooth hasn’t prepared them for any swashbuckling, rope climbing, and treasure-hunting competitions. Nevertheless, the pirate kids are willing to give it their best try. They soon realize that their lack of skills isn’t their only problem. They have to contend with the cheating from Two-Eyed Joe and Robert the Kid and keep their eyes open for the White Skeleton Monkey whose bite turns its victims into skeletons. Is there any way the pirate kids can turn the tide on the cheaters, escape the deadly bite, and win the contest?
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Book 7: Yo-Ho-Ho!
Three days before Christmas, Gary tosses a bottle overboard in hopes that his Christmas wish list will reach Santa in time. Some of the pirate kids don’t know anything about Santa and Christmas. Rotten Tooth overhears their lively discussion, gets mad, and declares that this “Santa stuff is a bunch of muck.” The pirate kids don’t pay much attention to his tirade. They secretly change the course map so the ship sails toward the North Pole. The weather gets colder, the snow starts falling, and the water gets icier. The pirate kids busy themselves making presents, hanging decorations, and baking sea slug cookies as a special treat for the crew. Then, the Sea Rat gets stuck.
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Book 8: Shiver Me, Shipwreck
When the Sea Rat meets up with the Bone Rattler, a pirate ship captained by Dagger Dan, the pirate kids sail with the Rattler’s crew for a week of treasure hunting. Aaron and Vicky sailed on the Bone Rattler before they began their pirate training. The other pirate kids are shocked at the terrible condition of the ship. The crew plays all day while the ship falls apart around them, and Captain Dagger Dan doesn’t do anything about it. Then, they find themselves stuck on the rocks in the dangerous Shipwreck Pass. As the Rattler’s hold fills up with water, the pirate kids devise a plan to save the day.
