Reviewed by Christina Tsichlis for TeensReadToo.com

PETER PAN IN SCARLET by Geraldine McCaughrean should be read by every fan of J.M. Barrie's PETER PAN.

The reader will return to the age at which they first read the original and re-experience the wonder of seeing the world through the eyes of Peter Pan and his gang of comrades in adventure. It is the first approved sequel to the original tale, and the author manages to capture the style and excitement of Mr. Barrie's classic. It is remarkable in every sense of the word and, like the original, proceeds go to the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital and not to Barrie's estate.

Set in the 1920s, nightmares are slipping out of Neverland and into the real world to find Wendy and the original Lost Boys, who are now respectable adults with children of their own. They revert to children in a magical way and the adventure begins.

Neverland is no longer a land of eternal summer. It is currently Autumn, something that has not happened before. When Wendy and the Lost Boys make it back to Neverland, they meet Peter, who is alone but still the essence of Boy. After fighting through the denial of Peter, who loves Neverland in reds and golds as much as he does in shades of green, it is up to them to save it.

They face their worst fears, remember who they once were, and deal with the sadness of loss and the joy of love with a youthful exuberance that J.M. Barrie would be proud of. His creations are treated with the utmost respect and tenderness by an author who is truly in love with her story. ( )

What fun it was to listen to this book! The author has captured the tone & spirit of the original Peter Pan, and tells a very entertaining story of her own! ( )

Probably should of let the Peter Pan story as it is. ( )

This writer won a competition to write a sequel to the famous story of Peter Pan. This book takes readers flying back to Neverland in an adventure filled with tension, danger, and swashbuckling derring-do!

In 2004, the Great Ormond Street Hospital (holders of the rights to Peter Pan held an open-call for authors to submit a sample chapter and synopsis for a proposed sequel to Peter Pan, to be published in honor of the centennial of the story in 2006. Geraldine McCaughrean's Peter Pan in Scarlet became the authorized sequel to J.M. Barrie's classic Peter Pan. Picking up the story some years later (but seemingly ignoring the epilogue of the original), all the Darling children have become full-grown grown-ups now. However, they all discover that they have been having dreams of Neverland; dreams so real that they are bringing objects back with them from their dreaming (pistols, cutlasses, etc). Wendy decides that there must be something wrong in Neverland and they all decide to travel back to try to help Peter with whatever is ailing Neverland.

In order to return to Neverland, however, the Darling's must discover how to become children again. They borrow their children's clothing and pretend to be children again, which does the job. Upon arriving in Neverland, they discover that Peter is moodier than usual, and living alone in the Wendy House, which has become a tree house in the branches of the Nevertree, which hasn't been cut in years and has grown through the roof of the underground hideout. They decide that a quest is in order to brighten everyone's spirits and they set off in search of a dragon. While in search of a dragon, they discover that the Lagoon is littered with the skeletons of mermaids, and they find the skeleton of The Crocodile as well. Wendy also meets Ravello, a circusmaster, and his animals. While they are standing on the shores of the Lagoon, the Jolly Roger beaches itself in front of them, and Peter decides to rename it the Jolly Peter. He also discovers a chest in Hook's old rooms, which contains his second-best coat and a treasure map. Peter dons the coat and decides to search for the missing treasure.

What follows is at once a fun, romping adventure to parts previously unknown in Neverland and at the same time a story that seems to loose its way occasionaly. The final confrontation at the end of the story is very vague, to the point where I thought that my book was missing pages; I thought I had missed something in the reading. It becomes more a test of wills than anything else, and this struck me as being a little off for Peter Pan, who was never one to think things through as he was to simply do whatever came to mind, as any child would.

However, by the end of the book, I was completely wrapped up in the conclusion. I don't want to spoil any of it, but the ending left me feeling so buoyed, the frenetic jumping through the final confrontation was meaningless to me. I felt the story ended perfectly and that everyone got the happily-ever-after that they needed.

I was surprised by McCaughrean's storytelling. She didn't shy away from making appropriate occurrences in the story that helped it move along, whether or not those occurrences could be seen as "child friendly" (for instance, the holes that are being wripped into Neverland are a result of the Great War, which is also the reason for the fact that Michael Darling is missing from this story). She took the story as Barrie presented and moved it forward in such a way, that while the writing didn't always match, the story felt like it was a natural progression from what came before. Overall, an enjoyable read and worthy sequel to the story of the boy who won't grow up. ( )

I Really enjoyed this book.
It has a delightful feel. The story is great and it "feels" like pure Peter Pan. A wonderful trip back to childhood for characters and readers. ( )

I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this, after all, how could anyone compare to the wonderful J M Barrie? However, McCaughrean really pulled out all the stops and did a marvelous job with this sequel. She found a nifty way of getting the original characters back to Neverland and introduces some wonderful new faces too. The story still has some dark moments, but much less violence than the original, and some marvelous twists as well - like the changes that befall Tootle! All in all, this was a very pleasant surprise and one that I enjoyed immensely. ( )

NOTE: SPOILER TO FOLLOW
Personally, I was excited about this book. I'm a fan of the original, so when finally an authorized sequel came out, I waited eagerly on the edge of my seat. It seems sitting in that position so long, was needless, as this book wasn't worth it, or worth the expensive price slapped on it, and we all know why they could ask that much for it; the names of JM Barrie and Peter Pan. When the author wrote this book, she was obviously trying much too hard to sound like her predecessor. What happened to the characters? Who is that ridiculous looking circus freak? Oh, wait, don't tell me! Captain Hook! Well we thought he was dead wasn't he? Noooooo, he came back to life! You don't say? Yes, unfortunately, I do. Ruining and mutilating the fitting ending Barrie had give Jas. Hook just wasn't enough however, as we also see a brand new and all together awful Peter Pan. In scarlet, no less. Isn't that a surprise. He puts on Captain Hook's old coat... *whispers* EXCUSE ME!!! Where did our lovable ticking crock throw up oh-so-conveniently Captain Hook, AND, his coat! I'm sorry, but I expected a NEW bad guy. A NEW adventure of Peter Pan. Not somebody's packaged up fan-fiction. ( )

A worthy follow-up to the original ( )

The Lost Boys have been adopted by the Darlings and are now 30 with families of their own when dreams of Neverland start to leak through leaving physical remains like cutlesses, arrows and bubbles. Wendy gathers the boys/men together to find a way to return to Neverland. The boys are unable to find any fairies in Kensington Gardens for fairy dust so Wendy helps them by getting a baby to have it's first laugh and give birth to Fireflyer.

They fly back to Neverland as children after finding out from Fireflyer that they can wear their children's clothes and reverse the aging process. Everyone knows that when you play dress up, you become what you are dressed up as so the adults steal some of their children's clothes. Nibs stays behind as he doesn't want to leave his children, Tootles only has daughters and becomes a girl really missing his moustache and Slightly is a widower with no children. He finds another way by going right to the end of the bed.

Everything has changed in Neverland. It has moved on from eternal summer to autumn and everything is scarlet including Peter Pan's tunic. He seems to have no knowledge of where Tinkerbell is and there are no longer any Lost Boys as he bannished them for breaking the rule and growing up. The mermaids are dead and there is a mysterious travelling man called Ravello who seems to be clothed in unravelling wool.

It was a lovely sequel and like JM Barrie's origianl all the proceeds from the books sale go to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. There were some lovely little touches and lots of original characters showed up along the way. Charming and it left room for another book to follow some day in the future. ( )

Great! You Peter Pan lovers will love this book! ( )

The lost boys who were adopted by the Darling family have grow-up with families of their own. Wendy and the boys dream of Neverland. Fearing their is trouble they capture a fairy put on their children's clothes and return to the land of eternal childhood. Neverland and Peter have changed. As the story unfolds the reader discovers why Peter is growing up and who is responsible for the slow death of Neverland. ( )

"Summary: In the 1930s, all is not well. Nightmares are leaking out of Neverland. Fearing for Peter Pan's life, Wendy and the Lost Boys go back to Neverland -- with the help of the fairy Fireflyer -- only to discover their worst nightmares coming true! Peter Pan and his friends eventually restore Neverland to rights."
The second half of the book lost steam for me, not sure why. This book is kinda sad and depressing. Michael died in the war, Peter is mean and annoying for most of the book. This is really about the lost boys, John and Wendy. And Hook.
Read by Tim Curry, he is so amazing to listen to. ( )

I really enjoyed being back in Neverland with Pan, Wendy and the others, but the book itself I was a little disappointed with L It had such potential too! The author really has a wonderful way of capturing the quirkiness and magicalness of Neverland (such as with her descriptions: "a compass in Neverland has as many points as a frightened hedgehog"), but I think she focussed too much on trying too hard to get it right maybe. Her use of unusual and imaginative descriptions really did add to the wonder of Neverland, and she seemed to capture the essence of the characters by remaining true to their nuances, individual mannerisms and phrases; but somehow the novel just didn't whip me up.

It felt quite rigid in structure to me, every chapter felt like it had a purpose to unfold something new and move the story on. This is all very well, but I would have preferred it if she had spent a couple of chapters without any drama or anything new so that I could get to know the characters thoughts and feelings and get more swept up into their experiences and personal journey. It would have been nice if she had explored them a little more so that I had more of an attachment in what was actually happening to them in the story.

I also found that I had predicted what was going to happen from very early on, this is something I really enjoy doing, but it is nice to be surprised sometimes. JK Rowling really manages to make the unexpected happen; whereas Peter Pan in Scarlet just unfolded as I imagined it would. Credit it to her, there was a surprise in there for me that I hadn't worked out, but by then it was too late

I still think it's very much worth reading, it's great to be back in the world, and as I mentioned, the quirkiness of some of her descriptions are wonderful. Her ideas on 'what happened next' after the end of the last book are very interesting. For me though, it is just an average childrens book. I think I may re-read the original to see what it's like! (want to buy it in hardcover so that it matches this one on my book shelf ). ( )

I think that both the gorgeous covers of this book capture the spirit, the essence, the whatever-you-want-to-call-it, of the real Peter Pan. And let me tell you, so does the book! I can understand why McCaughrean ('Muh-cork-run') won the contest, because, seriously, Barrie might as well have written this!

O, what's that? You didn't know about the contest? Well, allow yours truly to fill you in.

In 2004, the Special Trustees of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital (those who Barrie gave the rights of Peter Pan to) decided that it was time Peter Pan had a sequel. So they organized a massive search among lots of authors to see who would receive the honor. As the book itself states, McCaughrean won the job with just a plot outline and a sample chapter. And here, as described on her own website, is the plotline:

"Something is wrong in Neverland. Dreams are leaking out - strangely real dreams,of pirates and mermaids, of warpaint and crocodiles. For Wendy and the Lost Boys it is a clear signal - Peter Pan needs their help, and so it is time to do the unthinkable and fly to Neverland again. But back in Neverland, everything has changed - and the dangers they find there are far beyond their dreams...."

The only thing that I found a bit irksome was the lack of Tink! Yea! I know! She had moved on somehow (I forget how) and in her place, in this book, was a little faerie named FireFlyer. Mind you, he was a spunky, funny little thing, totally enjoyable to read about, but he just wasn't Tink. Also, he was a little blue imp (as he's described and as he can be seen on the back of the U.S. book, near Peter's feet). Faeries are supposed to be pretty! Really now!

But let me tell you, the whole book is so clever! The things McCaughrean comes up with must have been pulled straight out of Barrie's mind, as must be all of the characters, etc... They are 100% true to Peter Pan and Wendy (which, as far as I can tell, is the same thing as Peter Pan, just printed under a different title).
Their personalities are fantastic!! Peter is that perfect blend of irritating and downright loveable. You're torn between wanting to smack him and wanting to hug him.

The adventures are eccentric, original, wild, titillating... The villian is thoroughly...villianous; I love it!
It's an absolutely perfect book :)

This review is an entry on my blog. ( )

Mixed feelings, general dissatisfaction.

See me ramble:
http://www.bookyooky.com/?p=23 ( )

SUCH beautiful language, oh. Although I detect a pattern in McCaughrean drawing out her endings so that they go on and on.

This book took me way, way too long to listen to, especially given its relatively short size, because I just didn't care enough to go back to it. It was cute, and charming, and captured the essences of Peter and Wendy and Neverland and the others pretty well - not exactly in Barrie's style but certainly true to his spirit. It's just... I figured out what was going on and how the plot was going to unfold within the first few chapters, and once the element of mystery and danger was gone, I had a hard time caring. Listening just for the sake of seeing whether things unfolded as I thought they would (they did) is not enough to keep me, erm, Hooked in. Younger readers might enjoy the adventure more, but it doesn't make a good transition to adult readers of YA novels: the charming (and familiar) setting is not enough to make up for the transparent (and therefore kind of boring) plot. ( )

In the 1930s, all is not well. Nightmares are leaking out of Neverland. Fearing for Peter Pan's life, Wendy and the Lost Boys go back to Neverland with the help of the fairy Fireflyer, only to discover their worst nightmares coming true! How will Peter Pan and his friends restore Neverland to rights? McCaughrean writes in almost perfect imitation of J.M. Barrie's original style, so this really does seem like a sequel, but written for modern sensibilities without negating Barrie's innocence or ideas.

Neverland is in trouble. Wendy and the Old Boys (formerly the Lost Boys) know something is wrong because, as Wendy says, “Dreams are leaking out of Neverland.” They all wake up from nightmares with evidence in their beds – a cutlass, a quiver of arrows, a pirate’s hat, an alarm clock. And so they find a way to return to childhood and to Neverland, where, sure enough, trouble abounds.
McCaughrean won a contest enabling her to write this “authorized” sequel to J.M. Barrie’s classic work. What I didn’t know (and maybe you didn’t either) is that Barrie gave all the rights to Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. This generous gift has been incredibly valuable to the hospital, and it is this institution that held the competition. The timing is interesting, as several other Pan-inspired books have been published of late.
The challenge for the author was to keep the tone and feeling of the original work while making it work for a modern audience. She has caught the wild adventure, the spirit of Peter Pan, the dream-like quality of life in Neverland. The book is longer and a little more complex, and of course it doesn’t sound like J. M Barrie. But Pan lovers will delight in the story and Scott M. Fischer’s silhouette illustrations are in perfect keeping with the old Pan books.
Grades 5 and up (younger for reading aloud). ( )

This book starts with a shock and gets better from there.

I really liked McElderry interpretation of J. M. Barries characters. She was very close and I think hit is spot on with the language of Barrie's time. It sounded very much like Barrie wrote it himself.

One thing, I didn't like, though, was that Tootle became a girl. O.o That was just wrong. ( )

I had super high hopes of this book, as I've been a fan of Geraldine's since I was 8 & was excited that she won the competition to write the sequel to Peter Pan. So... how is it? Well, I gobbled it up in one setting. The writing is classic Geraldine, gorgeous & witty. The characters are feisty, inventive, and magical - especially the new fairy, Fireflyer (Whedon reference?!). The lights are light and the darks are scary dark. And yet... and yet, compared to White Darkness, I felt there was something missing. Maybe the originality? Maybe the sense that, in Neverland, everything will turn out somehow OK. The spiralling internal world of Sym in that book - first person narrative - was just more compelling. Or maybe I feel like there's an ironic edge to McCaughrean's handling of the mores of the older text. But it's a grand read, nonetheless. I hope that it makes her kersquillions of pounds so that she can write more books. ( )