When Peter and his fellow orphans of St. Norbert's Home for Wayward Boys are put upon a rust bucket ship called the Neverland and sent to be servants of an island king he discovers more than he ever thought he would; a very special girl, a very special trunk and magic beyond his wildest dreams. What you never could have imagined can change your life forever.

I was very surprised by how engaging I found this classic adaptation to be. I have a very vague recollection of reading the original Peter Pan back in elementary school but I'm pretty sure I didn't enjoy it any where near as much as this. Likewise I know I've seen bits and pieces of the Disney movie adaptation, but it was never one of my favorites. Here we are told he back story of Peter Pan, my guess is long before Wendy was even a gleam in her mother's eye. Peter has always struck me as a more self-important type and in this book he really isn't like that at all which probably accounts for why I liked the story so much. Also very intriguing is the story of how Neverland became the magical island it is depicted as, complete with mermaids and friendly (?) savages. I was equally happy with Molly and the idea behind the Starcatchers.

I had always thought that the concept of Peter being forever young was supposed to be the ideal but in this book the idea was rather melancholy. However, it also left hope for change in the future, which has already been explored in the movie Hook and I'm sure other varied sequels I probably don't know about. My only complaint is that although Peter, the kids and most everyone in the story are supposed to be English, the dialect and story all seem very American.

All in all I thought this book was a delightful adventure I'd strongly recommend to children grades 5 and up and, of course, adults who still like to think they're kids. ( )

First in the Starcatchers series.

This is not so much a prequel to J.M. Barrie's original Peter Pan as it is the start of a whole new, loosely related series. Though Barrie fans will recognize some of the characters, they are not true to the original.

Peter, a good-hearted boy in this version, is the leader of a group of orphans being sent to Rundoon to be slaves. They are traveling on a ship called the Never Land, along with Molly, an apprentice Starcatcher, and a mysterious trunk filled with starstuff. Starstuff is magic material from outer space that has the power to create mermaids and fairies. Anyone who touches it also feels an inexplicable happiness and temporarily gains the ability to fly.

When the ship is attacked Black Stache, an evil pirate intent on stealing the starstuff, Peter and Molly join forces to protect the precious cargo. ( )

We begin the book, Peter and his rag-tag band of orphans: James,Thomas, Prentiss, and Tubby Ted. They end up on the Neverland an old ship falling apart with an incompetent captain, who delegates most duties to the first mate, Slank. Also on this ship is Molly Aster, her governess, Mrs.Bumbrake and a mysterious chest that heals and gives happy feelings to those who touch it. This is a wonderful story full of magic, humor and pirates!

SOOOO very delighted that I chose this book for my Partner Book discussion!! I absolutely was captivated by this story, its characters, and they way Barry and Pearson tell the prequel tale to Peter Pan. It is such a page turner and there are so many simultaneous plot lines working there way closer and closer together, it is truly a great piece of literature. I have already picked up the second book in the series to read over the holiday break. I can't wait! 

Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's first foray into kid-lit borrows Peter Pan and creates this story that happened before the events of James Barrie's classic. Here, Peter and some other orphans find themselves aboard the ship Never Land along with some mysterious cargo and a girl named Molly. In hot pursuit is the notorious pirate Black Stache. I read this aloud over many weeks to my kids. They were all ears and Luke (age 7) especially enjoyed it. There's a bit of humor sprinkled throughout and many thrilling adventures. The action is fairly tame although sometimes too intense for Kajsa (age 4). This book was popular enough to spawn three sequels to date. We'll see if there's interest in reading the next. But the next read-aloud book may be something different. ( )