Torrie and the Pirate Queen — K.V. Johansen

Retired pirates embark on a magical adventure.

Are you ready for a rollicking, humorous adventure story packed with action and high-seas mayhem? Meet the irrepressible Torrie, a magical being known as an Old Thing who has lived in the Wild Forest for hundreds of years.

One day, while surveying the docks of a fishing village, Torrie witnesses a scuffle aboard a pirate ship. He intervenes and convinces the newly minted captain to take him aboard. The captain, a young girl named Anna, is anxious to set sail to rescue her father, held for some months by the Pirate Queen, Nevilla.

But Anna is not a pirate, nor is her father. Before his death, Anna's pirate grandfather told Anna, and no one else, where a valuable treasure was hidden. Anna plans to use the treasure to negotiate her father's release. With the help of Torrie, Anna and her aged crew of retired pirates embark on a wild and colorful sea journey.

On their way to search for the treasure, the crew pulls aboard a young castaway. He turns out to be Nevilla's son, Prince Frederick. He explains the hard times that have visited the now barren and infertile Granite Isles, where he lives. It turns out Anna's grandfather's treasure may unlock the curse that has beset the Isles for years.

Torrie and the Pirate Queen is a captivating story that combines action with irreverent humor -- an irresistible style sure to hook young readers.