The Queen of the Pirate Isle

Polly is a bright‑eyed nine‑year‑old whose imagination turns everyday life into theatrical productions. From a beggar child to a stern schoolmistress, she slips into a parade of self‑made characters, each more vivid than the last, delighting and puzzling those around her. When a sudden “hurricane” whisks her, her cousin Hickory, and their Chinese page Wan Lee onto a makeshift desert island, the trio improvise a pirate escapade, crowning Polly as their queen in a whimsical ceremony of blankets, peppermint lozenges and a single candle.

As queen, Polly’s regal duties are charmingly modest—tucking the rough‑and‑tumble pirates into bed and serving them licorice‑sweet water from a tiny bottle. Her earnest seriousness anchors the far‑cooked adventure, while the adults watch, half amused and half bewildered, at the delicate balance between her secret fantasies and the ordinary world she returns to each night.