Tiptoe into your kitchen and look beyond nature's design. Yes, there topping the cabinet. Of course, you say, it's only a countertop. But, do not stop there. Look into the countertop. Look right there, boys and girls, right under your fingertips, cold and hard in its swirls, chips, and crystals. Do you see them? Once you open your eyes, surely you will see the faces. Why, in the right-hand corner alone there is Queenie Ester, and the Child Pirate. And look there, just a little lower and see the Child-faced Cat, and Susan the Orphan. They are trapped there in time. They can never come out, but always they are changing, evolving. Each of them can be discovered, and then with merely a swish of a rag, each evolves into something else. But they are always, always present, for they are each part of a tale from the granite countertop. They have whispered their tales into my imagination, and now I shall share them with you. In this book we find the story of Briney McDoogal, abandoned as a baby by his mother and thrust upon his father, the brave pirate Captain Thomas McDoogal, and his crew of Gypsy Laddie pirates. Do not feel sorry for Briney. He lives a remarkable life, salty with danger and peppered with real pirate adventures as he sails from Scotland to the sandy shores of Jamaica and uncovers mysterious clues for a hidden treasure. But alas, as you shall soon read, all is not well for Briney. He must beware, for someone is watching his every move. Join Briney McDoogal, the Child Pirate, as he and a schooner full of other captivating characters blend imagination with history for a truly a wild adventure on the high seas.
