Philip G. Paccione

It's the last day of school and 14 year-old Grace (aka "Twinkle Toes") has been dreaming of the ultimate summer vacation with her best friends, Sporty Shorty and Jordan. But when Twinkle Toes' Dad gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to direct a Broadway musical, Twinkle Toes is swept from her small-pond suburban life and thrown in the hustle and bustle of New York City for the summer. As Twinkle Toes learns the ins-and-outs of the Big Apple and Broadway, she impresses the show's choreographer and is invited to be a part of the show's cast alongside the teenage starlet, Olivia Conners. But when Twinkle Toes gets a taste of the Broadway limelight, the chance for stardom overwhelms Twinkle Toes and the show is ruined! To make things right, Twinkle Toes must use all her creativity, smarts, and dancing skills to help her new friends and save the show!

Once every so often, perhaps not often enough, we hear a story that captures our imagination, transports us to another place and time, and causes each of us to stop for a brief moment to reflect on ourselves, and the world we live in. 'The Pirates of Central Park,' a contemporary adaptation of the early Twentieth Century short story, 'The Pirate of the Round Pond' by Lord Dunsany, is such a story. Told through the eyes of three New York City kids whose thirst for power and adventure lead them to pursue a career as modern day pirates in the City's famous Central Park, the story poignantly contemplates the age old lesson of right versus wrong, and teach us all, young and old, that there is a high price to pay for seeking personal triumph in the malicious sinking of other people's hopes, dreams - and ships!