In 1701, orphanage runaway Emma Sharpe changed the direction of her life when she stowed away aboard the New Adventure. A year later, she's rated an able seaman and is an important part of the crew. Just how important becomes clear during her next voyage to the West Indies when the crew recovers an abandoned pirate treasure. As tempers fray and unusual arguments become more frequent, Emma starts to believe there might really be a curse on the gold they took. With the help of cabin boy Jack Randall, Emma dares to confront the growing threat of violence amongst the formerly close-knit crew. Will they save everyone in time? Can they save themselves?

THE DAY THE PIRATES WENT MAD takes place at the turn of the 18th century and the Golden Age of Piracy is just around the corner. Follow the adventures of eleven-year-old Emma Sharpe as she learns to sail the sea, bonds with her shipmates, and then must save them all from a cursed pirate treasure before it's too late!

[Warning: Some readers may find the descriptions of discovered deceased pirates disturbing.]

======
THE DAY THE PIRATES WENT MAD is an entertaining 'cozy' historical fiction that also conveys a 'boatload' of learning about the life and times of those sailing the seas 300 years ago, during the Age of Sail.

Though intended for ages 10-12, older readers can also enjoy this story and it is suitable for sharing with younger readers when supported by an adult. You know your kids best!

======
BONUS: Check out our teaching resources linked to scenes and events from the story. Gain insight and help deepen understanding of life at the turn of the 18th century through our activities and discussion prompts around recipes, vocabulary, navigation, math, literature, ships, places, medicine, people, events, technology, and more.

======
Author's Note: Inspired by R.L. Stevenson's novel "Treasure Island" and Y.E. Allison's poem "Derelict", I originally intended Emma's adventure to be a short story for my daughter, peppered with nuggets of knowledge about real life during the Age of Sail and the Golden Age of Piracy in particular. The tale soon ballooned into something more as I found myself diving down one research rabbit hole after another. Now, I hope THE DAY THE PIRATES WENT MAD will help inspire readers to do some research of their own and uncover the real stories of our shared history.

• We started tracking this book on March 31, 2022.
• This book was $0.00 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 7 times in the past 1,116 days.
• The current price of this book is $2.99 last checked 2 days ago.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is FREE.
• The lowest price to date was FREE last reached on April 1, 2025.
• This book has been FREE 3 times since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $2.99 last reached on April 5, 2025.
• This book has been $2.99 4 times since we started tracking it.
• This book is currently at its highest price since we started tracking it.

• Children's eBooksLiterature & FictionHistorical FictionExploration & Discoveries

• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 206 Pages