Synopsis
They've done it!!! The pirate kids have found buried treasure!!! Too bad Rotten Tooth was there to take it away, mumbling something about scallywags . . . But when all the pirates on the Sea Rat come down with a mysterious illness, the kids start to wonder if it could have something to do with their treasure. Could it be cursed?
Children's Literature
Pete and his young pirate student friends, Gary, Inna, Vicky and Aaron, are excited to be sent to dig for buried treasure on a beach, and, when they come across a giant treasure chest, they are thrilled. The chest is guarded by giant sand crabs, though, and old pirate tales say that means the treasure is cursed. The mean first mate, Rotten Tooth, makes light of the curse, but when the students lug the chest back to their ship, the Sea Rat, all the pirates get sick to their stomachs. It is up to the pirate students to man the ship and avoid being sucked into a dangerous whirlpool. They must also figure out how to retrieve all the pieces of treasure from the sickly, snoozing pirates in order to reverse the curse. The combination of smart, problem-solving kids and pirate talk—cries of "Avast!" "Arrr," and "Blimey!" —should appeal to young readers, and Britishisms like "skivvies" and "wee sprogs" should not slow them down much. This is part of the "Pirate School" series, number five. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick