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

In honor of Pirate week (which includes 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)

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On Deck: Pirate Week

Tighten your eye patches and polish your wooden legs--next week we be setting sail for Pirate Week. As we’re sure you know, Sept 19 is Talk Like a Pirate Day, so we will be featuring swashbuckling tales of adventure throughout the week.

But just which pirate tales will they be? You’ll have to tune in next week. Follow us on our Facebook or twitter pages if you want to be kept in the know. And to offer your humble suggestions. We are open to parlay...

Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept 19)

Today is the day when we celebrate the dialect that we all have heaaarrrrrrty feelings about--Talk Like a Pirate Day!  This international event has celebrations all over the earth (though, strangely, all on land…).  Check out their website to find a pirate party or make one of your own known.

How to Commemorate:  Talk like a Pirate!

If you need help learning the accent and vocabulary, we suggest using Mango, a language learning platform that is available through many public libraries around the US.  If you can’t find it at your library (but seriously, call them first, okay?), you can try the first lesson of any language for free by downloading the Mango app. (Check your app store.)  Mango also has a pirate info page about the course that shows some of the fun.

Watch pirate movies, ye scurvy scum!

• Goonies (1985)
• Pirates of the Carribbean (as many as you can)
• Captain Blood (1935)
• Against All Flags (1952)
• Peter Pan (2003 is one of our favorites)
• Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

Read pirate books, ye unholy ballywag!

• Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
• A General History of the Pyrates, by Daniel Dafoe
• Pirates!, by Celia Rees
• On Stranger Tides, by Tim Powers
• Piratica, by Tanith Lee

Search for titles you like at

Amazon         Barnes & Noble        Public Libraries

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