In this rollicking highseas adventure, a band of pirates must learn to read in order to find a buried treasure. Sparks is an 11-year-old cabin boy on the Southern Cross, a pirate ship led by Captain Barracuda. When he and the crew discover a book left by the infamous pirate Phineas Johnson Krane, they must learn to read in order to decipher its contents and go in search of Krane's hidden treasure. A satisfying tale packed with pirates, outlaws, danger and, in the words of its narrator, "no second chances."

This novel focuses on Key West, Florida and finding treasure in the Dry Tortugas. It starts out with a pair of married college professors giving up their fast paced city life to move to the beautiful slow paced town of Key West, Florida. While fixing some of their plumbing in the kitchen of their newly purchased shanty, they dig up an old metal box that contains directions to some Spanish buried treasure located out in the Dry Tortugas. At Sloppy Joes Bar, two culprits overhear them chat about the treasure. Through many ploys, the culprits try to steal the treasure from them. This is an exciting, fast paced adventure novel....

On Butterfly Island, sailer Stout Sam and his deckhand Pip must rescue their treasure-sniffing pig from nasty pirate Barracuda Bill.

Indexes kept up to date with supplements.