Polly and the Pirates

Sweet young Polly Pringle languishes in a boring and rigid finishing school for "ladies of quality," all the while dreaming of swashbuckling adventure and romance like the kind found in tales of Meg Malloy, the pirate queen. To Polly's shock, she is abducted by a swarthy band of "Aar, me hearties" buccaneers and informed that her allegedly dead mother was none other than Meg Malloy, and that Polly herself has been tapped to be the new captain of her mother's crew of brigands, a salty bunch who have been inactive for 13 years. The pirates would have stayed out of sight if it weren't for the loss of the map to the pirate queen's fabulous treasure, and the lads need Polly to lead them while they attempt to stay one step ahead of the pirate king, a scourge of the seas who will stop at nothing to gain the booty for himself. Polly rises to the occasion in a saga rife with sharks, sea battles, clashing swords and blazing muskets. The art by Naifeh (Courtney Crumrin ) touches on some manga elements, while retaining its own clean, appealing style. All these elements converge to make this charming, fresh yet classic tale a winner from start to finish. (July)