Ahoy, Mateys! It's Talk Like a Pirate Day!

It's everybody's favorite weird celebration: Talk Like a Pirate Day!  Pirate books are regularly in demand with our young readers, so I am always on the look for pirate books that offer something new and fun. Why not extend the fun of Talk Like a Pirate Day with some treasures?

King Jack and the Dragon was one of my favorite reads in 2011, so I was happy to discover its sequel,  Captain Jack and the Pirates. These highly imaginative boys have conquered the dragons and are now ready to face pirates! Stormy seas and vengeful pirates are just some of the adventures that the boys face.

Capstone Press's You Choose are huge hits with reluctant and ravenous readers alike; these "choose-your-own-adventure books started off as historical tales, but have branched out to mythology and fairy tales. Through The Golden Age of Pirates: An Interactive History Adventure, the reader can read/play as a pirate, a navy sailor, or a ship's crewmember.

When a treasure map leads to a library, what's a pirate (and librarian) to do? Luckily, Library Lou convinces Big Pirate Pete (and readers) that he is in the right place to find the best kind of treasures! No Pirates Allowed! Said Library Lou is a fun tale about the joys of reading (without being too trite or boring).

Looking for a fun and funny series with high adventure? You need to read the Starcatchers series! This prequel to Peter Pan introduces us to Molly, a young Starcatcher who becomes friends with Peter as they attempt to prevent pirates from stealing a trunk of magical stardust.

Pirates may love the letter Rrrrrr, but eventually, they get tired of it and set out to seize the other letters of the alphabet, as they do in Shiver Me Letters.

Who Was Blackbeard?, part of the ever-popular Who Was? series, informs readers about Edward Teach, the British sailor who pirated ships in the Caribbean as well as the American East Coast, including Virginia and North Carolina.

Did you know that women were pirates? If you've never heard of Grace O'Malley, Anne Bonny, or Cheng I Sao, check out Women Pirates: Eight Stories of Adventure to learn about these unconventional women.

 Not in the mood for pirate stories, but want to learn about the latest and greatest books ordered (or added) to our collection? Check out Wowbrary! We've recently ordered many amazing titles for children, teens, and adults, so be sure to check out back issues as well.

Jennifer Schultz, Youth Services Librarian, Fauquier County Public Library