Searing light flooded her room...The entire back wall of her bedroom had dissolved into an abyss of white light.  A rolling voice echoed in from the void.  “Help me,” it boomed in a thick brogue.  “Help me find my treasure!”

So begins the journey of Jessica Ross, the thirteen-year-old heroine of Christina Bauer’s mystic adventure story The Pirate Queen.  Jess is an American girl living with her father and younger brother in Ireland, the latest in a long string of temporary homes to which her father’s job has taken them.  A stranger in a strange land, and still grieving the death of her mother, Jess clings to good luck charms in the hope they will fend off the frightening specter who haunts Jess in vivid nightmares.  Befriended by a benevolent and mysterious shopkeeper named Selma, Jess soon discovers that her nightmares are actually journeys through time.  Jess is a timewalker, a member of a secret society of people with the ability to visit both the past and the future.  The recurring specter is Grace O’Malley, a real-life pirate queen who lived in the sixteenth century.  The Pirate Queen reaches out to the teenager from beyond the ages, seeking Jess’s help in a quest to find the Pirate Queen’s lost treasure and save the O’Malley Clan.

Reluctant at first, Jess eventually accepts both the quest and her own powers as a timewalker.  Aided by the wise Selma and the wily Jake, Jess’s mischievous younger brother, Jess embarks on fantastic journeys through time and space.  She witnesses the Battle of Clew Bay, a thrilling confrontation at sea between the fleets of the Pirate Queen and rival Clan Mannix; the secret wedding of Grace O’Malley to a brave fellow pirate; and the ultimate harrowing battle between the Pirate Queen and the evil Shadow Cat.  Jess must unravel the mysteries surrounding the ancient Gaelic puzzle box, the Cave of Wonders, and Westport House, the brooding mansion on a bluff built by one of the Pirate Queen’s descendants.  Her adventures lead Jess to discoveries not only about the Pirate Queen, but to a surprising revelation about her own mother, a brave and wonderful woman with secrets of her own.

The Pirate Queen is a clever and thrilling action adventure loaded with mystery and surprise.   Moreover, it is a story of self-discovery and self-acceptance.  The ultimate journey of Jess is the one which happens within herself as she comes to realize her own unique worth and strength.  In the grand tradition of such classics as Alice in Wonderland and The Secret Garden, the story follows a young girl through a fascinating journey of discovery.  Uniquely, the young heroine of The Pirate Queen encounters strong and self-reliant women who show her that every girl is, in fact, her own good luck charm. 

The Pirate Queen makes for a compelling story about finding hidden treasure, both the kind found in secret chambers, and the kind found within ourselves.

About Catherine Pelonero

Catherine Pelonero’s plays have been performed in theatres throughout the U.S. and Canada.  Her first play, Modern Maturity, premiered at Alleyway Theatre in Western New York and won the Emanuel Fried Award for Outstanding New Play.  New York City productions include the one-acts Romantically Incorrect and Family Names, winner of the 1994 Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival and published by Samuel French, Inc.  Recipient of a Western New York Arts Council Fellowship for Drama, Ms. Pelonero’s plays include Still Life in Watercolor and the comedy Joe’s Last Confession.  Her one-act play Pioneers in Paradise premiered in Los Angeles at Theatre West in September of 2004.  Ms. Pelonero is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights.