After finding buried treasure guarded by giant sand crabs, the crew of the Sea Rat comes down with a mysterious illness, leading the pirate students to believe that the treasure is cursed.
Hoping to be taken seriously by Rotten Tooth, who is supposed to be training them to be pirates, nine-year-old Pete leads his friends in an attempt to beat the grown-ups in finding the treasure buried on Snake Island and stealing it from the giant snake that guards it.
When, after finding buried treasure guarded by giant sand crabs, the crew of The Sea Rat comes down with a mysterious illness, the pirate students suspect that the treasure is cursed.
Sixteen-year-old Catherine struggles to hold onto her close relationship with her adopted Mexican American brother Henry after a family tragedy brings Catherine's prejudiced older brother back into their lives, with aims to send Henry away from the family's San Francisco home.
A boring homework assignment involving knot tying proves invaluable when the student pirates help Captain Stinky Beard foil an attack by a rival pirate ship.