Treasure Island (1883)

As much as some of us around here at Today in Fiction think of The Goonies as their go-to pirate story (you know who you are!), the more literate of us hold up Treasure Island.  This is the literally classic tale of a boy who finds a map and a journal and goes in search of buried pirate booty.  Besides being an adventurous tale with loads of colorful details, the story was one of the earliest ones to provide a sense of complicated morality in children’s literature.  Hello, Long John Silver.  Anyway, this is a book for the ages. Of all ages.  You know.

(And, yes, we say book even though it’s been made into a bajillion movie versions.)

How to Commemorate:

• Read from the book.
• Watch one of the adaptions (We suggest Muppet Treasure Island and Treasure Planet.)
• Look for buried treasure.  (Again, there’s plenty out there!)

Works Cited    

Treasure Island

Amazon         Barnes & Noble        Worldcat

Pirates of Penzance Day

(Sure, maybe The Pirates of Penzance should be celebrated on February 29^th, but that’s hard to come by.)  This delightful musical follows Frederic, a pirate apprentice, who is released from his apprenticeship and promptly falls in love with a general’s daughter. However, their love becomes complicated when Frederic learns that he was born on a leap day and so he owes another 63 years of service to the pirates!  How will he be faithful to his oath and his love?

How to commemorate:

• Sing all the songs! (spotify)

Works Cited    

The Pirates of Penzance

Amazon         Barnes & Noble        Worldcat 

Mikey Walsh discovers a treasure map in his attic in Astoria.

Leading up to International Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day on September 19, we’re featuring stories about pirates to get you in the nautical mood.  For me, pirate movies begin with The Goonies.  On the eve of their eviction from their seaside town, a band of friends goes on a sudden adventure to find hidden pirate treasure and save all of their futures.

Do I really need to say anything more about this!

How to Commemorate:

• Search for hidden treasure (There is still plenty out there!).
• Visit a place that found hidden treasure (like, you know, a museum).
• Invent some gadgets.
• Make a treasure map.
• Quote the movie (especially “Down here, it's our time. It's our time down here!”).

Remember: Goonies never say die!

Works Cited

The Goonies (1985)

Amazon         Barnes & Noble        Worldcat

Tally and Shay’s 16th Birthday (Sept 9)

Tally and Shay became friends shortly before their 16^th birthdays when they were supposed to have mandatory cosmetic surgery to make them Pretty and afterward live in New Pretty Town and have a life of parties and fun and glamour.  Instead, Shay runs away to Smoke, a haven for people who refuse to believe such concepts of beauty.  Tally follows Shay shortly after but with… mixed motives.

How to Commemorate:

• Sneak into a party.
• Hoverboard (Ok…skateboard.)
• Read a fashion magazine.
• Traditional food: SpagBol (spaghetti Bolognese)

Works Cited

Uglies, by Scot Westerfeld.

Amazon         Barnes & Noble        Worldcat

The stock of d’Anconia Copper crashes. (Sept 3, 1973)

Francisco d’Anconia causes a number of fires and cave-ins to his own copper mines, deliberately crushing the wealth of his colleagues including the owners of Taggart Transcontinental.

How to Commemorate:

• Collect pennies.
• Undermine your friends.
• Shrug a lot.

Works Cited

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

Amazon         Barnes & Noble        Worldcat

John Carter Day

To honor the birthday of Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875), let's celebrate his character John Carter--a regular post-Civil-War guy who gets transported to Mars. Like you do.  The books are terrific, but I'm a special fan of the movie.  Basically the plot is: A dad goes to Mars, kicks all kinds of alien ass, brings peace, and outsmarts the preternatural overlords.  My kind of story!

How to Commemorate:
Jump a lot.
Call people "Virginia."
Go to Mars. (Ok, at least look at NASA's plans.)

Princess of Mars series (book)
Amazon.     Barnes & Noble.     Public Libraries.

John Carter (movie)
Amazon.     Barnes & Noble.     Public Libraries.

Stay away from Oxford

At the end of The Eyre Affair, literary detective Thursday Next's time-traveling dad has some words of advice for the future.  "Never buy a blue car or a paddling pool, stay away from oysters and circular saws, and don't be near Oxford in June 2016. Got it?"

What is due to happen in Oxford this month? No idea. But the book was originally published in America in 2002 so it bears some watching. I would also point out to you fictional almanackers that there are Oxfords all over the world. Be on alert.

How to Commemorate:
For the love of God, just stay away from Oxford!