It's Pirates & Princesses vs Seamonsters at the Loch Lomond Sea Life Centre in Balloch, from 29-31 May.
Here are 10 great books for fans of tiaras and jolly rodgers.
Peter Pan
JM Barrie
This fairytale of orphans and their eldritch leader, and the terrifying Captain Hook who would make them walk the plank, is probably the best place for those of a piratical tendency to begin.
Feats on the Fjord
Harriet Martineau
One of the earliest appearances of pirates in fiction, in 1841, this collection of tales for children is of less interest for its pirates than for its remarkable author, who was as formidable and fearless as any buccaneer, and a great deal brighter.
The Princess and Curdie
George MacDonald
From the godfather of Scottish fairytales, who was an influence on the likes of CS Lewis and Tolkien, comes the tale of an unlikely friendship between a young miner and a princess, who does not know that the goblins are out to capture her. Still scary after all these years.
Treasure Island
RL Stevenson
There is no more fascinating pirate in fiction than Long John Silver, Robert Louis Stevenson's timeless villain. A tale packed with character and colour, this novel comes from an age when children were not allowed to know the meaning of the word mollycoddled.
Princess Pigsty
Cornelia Funke, illustrated by Kerstin Meyer
There's nothing saccharine about this princess, who defies the king because she hates sitting around doing nothing. Put to work in the kitchens and looking after the pigs, she discovers she absolutely loves getting her hands dirty.
Pirates!
Celia Rees
Nancy, the rich daughter of a merchant, and Minerva, a slave on his plantation run off to become pirates, an unheard of act in such times. It was described by one bookseller as "a colourful masterpiece".
The Princess Diaries
Meg Cabot
The first in a ten-book series that follows Mia from age eight to 18, it is the story of an ordinary New Yorker discovering that contrary to appearances, she is not a nobody but the heir to a kingdom far away. Comedy with a serious edge for those in the process of growing up.
Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean
Justin Somper
Piratical fantasy, this is the first of the series. Set five centuries from now, it starts with the orphaned twins Grace and Connor Tempest being shipwrecked in Shakespearean fashion. Connor is picked up by an ordinary pirate ship, Grace by an Irish vampire pirate, and their paths in life look set to go in very different directions.
Shiver Me Letters: A Pirate ABC
June Sobel
For those pirates who preferred to be read to while sucking their thumb, this imaginative ABC uses an alligator captain of a pirate ship, and his animal crew, to illuminate the secrets of reading, in rhyme.
Pirates Don't Change Diapers
Melinda Long, illustrated by David Shannon
RLS has a lot to answer for. He wouldn't have understood the title, but sadly we do. A rollicking band of pirates need to seek out treasure, but before they can find the map, they have a baby to deal with.
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