I am stinking hot here, but I’m going to try to concentrate on writing about Peter and the Starcatchers, the book that I read while on vacation.
Peter and the Starcatchers is about Peter Pan and how he becomes Peter Pan. The story was written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. I’m sure you’ve heard of Dave Barry (yes, that one that used to work for the Daily Local News) before. Ridley Pearson is apparently a writer of thriller novels, and is also in Dave’s band.
Anyway, the story begins with Peter and some orphans (to become known as The Lost Boys) are shipped out on the boat, The Never Land, to become slaves of an evil king. Some things happen, including the switching of certain important cargo between boats, and Peter falls in with this girl named Molly, who is apparently an apprentice Starcatcher.
Not to give a whole lot away, and I suspect that if you read it you’ll guess as much on your own, but the “Starcatching” has to do with where all the weird powers and creatures in the story come from.
The best part about this book is that you learn the history of Peter Pan that you might not have known before - Why Peter never grows old, the deal with Captain Hook’s hook and the crocodile that hunts him, and how the lost boys managed to pull off peace with the indians in the first place. Among other things. For example, I could now tell you the name of the big crocodile, but then I might ruin some of the story for you.
I was somewhat disappointed in the origins of Tinkerbell. I had a definite candidate in mind, and that just didn’t happen. There are a couple of things left unexplained. For instance, why Hook continues to harass Peter after the big treasure has been taken from the island remains a mystery to me.
The book was well written, and I think Mr. Pearson did a good job incorporating some of his triller-writing skill into the novel, as did his co-author of the witty humor. Of course, this is a book that is intended for children, and I would say it’s aimed at a younger crowd even than Harry Potter. So it’s quite a quick read even at 450+ pages.
Anyway, Peter and the Starcatchers gets a thumbs-up as a nice and suspenceful introduction to the characters of Peter Pan.
