An orphan boy on a creaky ship discovers a trunk of magical starstuff, and pirates want it too
Before Peter Pan could fly
Peter is an orphan, the unofficial leader of a group of boys sent away to sea aboard the Never Land, a leaky old ship bound for a distant kingdom where they will be sold as servants. On board he meets Molly Aster, a clever, bossy girl travelling with her governess, who is guarding a mysterious trunk. Another ship is chasing them, captained by a vicious pirate with an enormous moustache, who wants the trunk for himself.
Who will enjoy it
Readers aged about nine to thirteen who like fast, funny adventures with pirates, magic and a fresh twist on a familiar story.
What you will get
A rollicking, funny adventure that imagines how Peter Pan learned to fly, with pirates, mermaids, a giant crocodile and a trunk full of starlight.
Peter and the Starcatchers Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Children’s Books · Peter Pan prequel · Pirates · Magic
Length
451 pages · ≈ 13 h
More about this book
The trunk holds starstuff, a glittering substance that falls from the sky and grants extraordinary powers, including flight. Molly belongs to a family of Starcatchers, a secret society that collects it to keep it out of the wrong hands. When the ships are wrecked near a strange island, Peter, Molly, the orphan boys, the pirates and the island's fierce inhabitants all end up chasing the treasure, along with a very large and very hungry crocodile.
Readers will enjoy spotting the origins of familiar things: how Peter came to fly and never grow up, where the Lost Boys and Tinker Bell came from, and how a certain pirate captain ended up with a hook. Dave Barry's comic timing and Ridley Pearson's plotting suit each other, the chapters are short, and Greg Call's illustrations add atmosphere. There is plenty of peril and pirate menace, but it stays light.
Pure entertainment, perfect for reading aloud, and followed by Peter and the Shadow Thieves. It also inspired a Tony Award-winning play. Adults reading it aloud will enjoy the jokes as much as the children. About 451 pages in the Disney-Hyperion paperback.
Peter Pan
Treasure Island
The Lightning Thief
The Fairy-Tale Detectives
Mary Poppins
Fortunately, the Milk
Where Is Baby’s Belly Button?
Drama
Harriet the Spy
The Eternity Code
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
The Red Pyramid