Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Sweet little Polly has been the goody-goody of Mistress Lovejoy's Preparatory School for Proper Young Ladies. But when she is lifted - literally - out of her staid surroundings, high seas, high jinks, and hilarity ensue as she gets in touch with her inner pirate. Now as "Captain Peg," she and her rough-hewn crew must race dashing pirate prince Claudio to find the gold left by her mysteriously vanished mother, Pirate Queen Meg. Naifeh uses a charming, curvier art with more universal appeal than his gothic woodcuts for Eisner Award nominee Courtney Crumrin. Indeed, Polly's story is as different from Courtney's as possible, set in the whimsical Victorian-style city of St. Helvetia, where houses look like boats and boats look like houses. The plotting is delicious as twists, counter twists, clashing swords, and breathless acrobatics prove that Polly could easily out-Sparrow Captain Jack himself. The ending ties up most of the threads while leaving room for a sequel, expected in 2008. A winning tale highly recommended for ages 12+, including all fans of swashbuckling manga heroines.-M.C (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
