In the tradition of Treasure Island, The Duke's Curse continues this thrilling middle-grade series follows an unlikely young pirate on a high-stakes sea adventure, by New York Times bestselling author Gregory Mone

Young treasure hunter Fish-nicknamed for his swimming abilities-learns that his refusal to fight has a cost when he's torn away from his pirate family. Fish and his friends Nora and Daniel are forced to sail under Countess Marie de Bornholdt, the widely feared and very unusual captain of the Rat Queen, and her latest assistant-Fish's arch nemesis, Scab.

In search of the storied ship with emerald eyes, the Rat Queen's treasure hunters race from the islands of the Caribbean Sea to the canals of Venice and the sunken library of a cursed prince. Yet they're not the only pirates on the trail. After an unusual map leads them to a mysterious island, a climactic final battle blurs the line between friend and foe, forcing Fish and his friends to make a terrible choice.

A swashbuckling tale of mistaken identities, lost maps and treasures, and the bonds of friendship.

Includes black-and-white illustrations