Series Overview: "Peter and the Starcatchers Series" by Ridley Pearson & Dave Barry

SUMMARY

A more in depth look at the series, might be some spoilers.

CHARACTER LIKABILITY

PETER

Peter starts our rather selfish but changes rather fast. He soon realizes the others look up to him and it's his job to look after them.

And although he makes mistakes, getting into arguments (not just with Wendy but the Lost Boys) and disobeying his elders, he usually learns from them and suffers the consequences. Such as when he disobeys Fighting Prawn and gets poisoned.

MOLLY

Molly isn't portrayed as a perfect girl, who can do anything a man can do and more. She is brave, but she is also vulnerable (when it comes to her father, she isn't afraid to cry).

She makes mistakes and has to admit to them. They only part where she suffers is in her last appearance as a child in “The Secret of Rundoon”. She continuously disobeys her father and is shocked by his anger at her. This made her look stupid and selfish.

GEORGE

George is quite smart and although he is judgmental at first, eventually he comes to respect Peter. Even before that, he is likable in his desire to help Molly and put his life on the line for her.

CHARACTER GROWTH

PETER

Peter changes from a rather selfish boy (who was thinking of abandoning his friends) in the first book, to a leader who doesn't just feel like he should protect his friends but protect his new friend Molly, and even a stranger (the mermaid he saves).

Although later on, he lacks in development. He knows he is different than Molly and won't grow, but they never really address it. Even when Peter meets Molly all grown up, as well as Ted, we don't learn much about his feelings. We focus more on his fear of Ombra, which is interesting, but I hoped for more.

MOLLY

Molly doesn't develop as much. We see her become brave but we didn't necessarily see a different version of her before. But we do see her being upset about her father and learning to confide in Peter. But that is only in the first book.

From then one she seems to stay the same, disobeying her father and getting away with it. That is, until "The Secret of Rundoon". She messes up twice, first with sneaking on the ship, and then when she follows her father and gets thrown in jail with him. Unfortunately, we never actually see how this might affect her, as after this she is seen as a grown up.

GEORGE

George starts out as looking down on Peter but eventually learns to respect him. He learns about star stuff and eagerly helps, eventually even risking his own life. His bravery is revealed in the third book, where he and the lost boys go off alone and he leads them to steal a ship. That's why his change in personality was such a disappointment when we see him as an adult.

CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS

Peter and Molly's relationship does grow and go through struggles in the first book. He gets mad when she won't confide in him about the star stuff, then later when she wants to go get the star stuff instead of going to save the lost boys. Wendy realizes she is wrong and comes back to help save Peter from the alligator.

There isn't really any discussion between them about how Peter will not grow (although Tink mentions it to Peter). Or how Peter is jealous of George and his relationship with Molly.

Wendy and her Father seem to have strains in their relationships, first when Aster forbids her from leaving the house and the second when he scolds her for sneaking on his ship. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any learning done on Wendy's part.

I do think it would have been interesting if we had scene George learn about how Peter will never age. He might had viewed him differently. Perhaps he was told, but there is never any difference in how he seems to view the boy.

USE OF HUMOR

Throughout the books, we repeatedly get scenes between Captain Hook and Smee that are usually funny. Only a very small portion I found skip-worthy.

Tinkerbell is always being rude, so Peter's re-translating of her is usually quite silly. Other uses of humor are more surprising and less predictable. Such as the interaction between George and Peter when they first meet. Or when we see Magill's wild animals.

PACING

The pacing is one of the strong suits. Although the beginnings are often slow, it's not because of bad writing. It's to build suspense. Some chapters are quite small, and are thrown in to build suspense and foreshadowing.

The pacing is fast because there are always at least two different stories going on at once. Actually, there are usually even more.

AWKWARD EXPOSITION

The scene where Ombra reveals the origin of the universe was kind of cheesy. There was no real reason why Ombra would do so, and although it was interesting to discover that Peter might be half alien, the method of it's delivery was bad.

Also, Ombra was far too vague when it came to his motives. And instead of telling them, we should have seen hints of his motives. Maybe learned about his past.

DEATH OF A LOVED ONE

For the majority of the books, only villains and side characters we barely know die. But when Aster sacrifices himself for Wendy and Peter I found it really moving. It made me wonder if perhaps other characters might die in the future. I wanted more stories.

REPEATING THEMES?

In every book, Peter leaves the Island and there is side story on it. It always involves either the lost boys or the Mollusk tribe. Sometimes both. One of my complaints is that Mr. Grin is used quite a lot. He is often lured and used to trap the enemies. It just gets a little predictable.

A SIDE STORY UNEQUAL TO THE MAIN ONE

One of my complaints is that the side stories don't always seem very important. If fact, it wasn't until the third book when the Scorpions arrived that I generally felt it was an important story. I knew in the second book that the lost boys would not be harmed, and that Peter would save them. So I was always eager to get back to the main plot.

AN ORIGINAL IDEA

Neverland gets an origin story with the crashing of the ship “Neverland” as well as a birth from star stuff. Not to mention the importance of the mermaids, who time and time again remain an ally to Peter and his friends.

Indians become the Mollusk tribe while star stuff gets it's own story. Not from any pixies, but from another planet, it seems. The only part where this suffers is when Ombra tries to tell more than we need to know.

CONCLUSION

The pacing is so fast that I never felt bored, and was always eager to read. The suspense was always there, drawing out my interest in every book. And the story is surprisingly original for one based off a classic. As for the main characters they are all likable for the most part; fleshed out with strengths and weaknesses.

Peter does develop slightly, but Molly not as much. And the relationship between them is interesting and believable.

My criticisms are mostly subjective, such as my distaste for the vague origin story of Ombra and the lack of Hook as anything to be taken seriously (or any development). Although objectively, the side story is never equal to the main one, until the third book. Overall, I would rate the series as a whole four stars.

Book Review: "Peter and the Sword of Mercy" by Ridley Pearson & Dave Barry

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

It's been twenty three years since Peter has seen Molly. But when events lead Molly's daughter to come to Peter for help, he agrees to return to London. Turns out Ombra may have returned but Peter has to deal with the fact that his best friend has grown up as well as his own fears.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Peter doesn't see Molly until the climax of the book but he is aware that his friend has grown up and married. A large theme of the book is Peter's own fears of Ombra, which have increased since they last met.

Wendy is brave and smart. She is likable, but I would have to say, not much different then her mother. (Perhaps she is less aggressive? Molly came off that way often with George in the last two books.) She shows tremendous trust in Peter at the climax which I found interesting.

Ted has grown up and is now a professor. Wendy goes to him for help and he later returns to assist her and Peter.

Molly learns about James' suspicions but blows him off. Eventually she worries about him and investigates. She is important to the story because of her relationship and the knowledge she passes to her daughter, Wendy.

James has grown up and is now a member of Scotland Yard. He serves as a starting point for the story but doesn't return until the climax.

Tinker Bell is important, creating a much needed distraction for her friends.

Uncle Neville is a wealthy and slightly crazy inventor. None of his inventions work but that doesn't stop him from trying. He loves attempting flying machines and is important to the plot as two of his inventions are used.

O'Neal is one of a group of men who claimed to have been lost at sea. He provides the side story of what is happening on Neverland.

Leonard Aster is older now and his health is failing him. But he still proves invaluable to the plot, as he tells Wendy with information and risks his life.

Captain Hook is still up to his old tricks. Although he is important to the plot, he still ends up threatening to kill Peter. Again.

Fighting Prawn is important to the story because he reveals suspicions about O'neal and his men. He also comes up with a plan to send Wendy home.

PACING

The story starts out slower, like all of the others. We get separate stories that slowly unfold. Peter's on the Island, Molly's in London as well as some of our villain's story.

HUMOR

There is the usual use of humor regarding Captain Hook and Smee that made me smile. And a scene where Peter gets a scientific explanation of the telephone made me laugh.

Just like the previous books, the humor is sprinkled throughout so as to no destroy the gravity of the matters at hand. There is also the matter of Magill's bear and how it lives in the city now.

PETER'S FAILURE-SPOILERS

When the group learns of a stone at a museum, they go to retrieve it. Ombra shows up and attacks and they get separated. Peter ends up losing the stone because of his overpowering fear of Ombra. Not only that but he flees and forgets about Tinker Bell, he allowed him to escape.

This was an interesting aspect because Peter has never had any real problems regarding fear. If anything, he was too brave, it led to him being reckless.

ALL GROWN UP

Peter hesitates when Wendy finally arrives and asks for help. He is obviously thinking that after twenty three years, his friends no longer care about him. They have their own lives.

I wanted this to be addressed, but after his initial reaction, it's forgotten. I suppose he forgave them and let his anger go, but if so, it's merely because he was too busy trying to stop Ombra. Not because of any growth on his part.

THE LOST BOYS

We get to see Tubby Ted, James, and even Thomas, all grown up. Although I wish we had seen Prentiss. And we really didn't get to see much of Thomas at all. I appreciated seeing them again, but I wished we could have focused more on Peter's feelings about them. The one downside of having so much action in a book is there is little focus on relationships.

IN DENIAL

When George finds out that Molly has seen James, he learns all about the rumors of Ombra. Unfortunately, he reacts rather angrily. He wants nothing to do with his past. I would understand it if he was simply worried for his wife, but he came across as an idiot. And even when he admits to being wrong, it's far too late and he proves himself ineffectual.

It's as if since he became an adult, he had to be stupid so the kids could save him. I didn't really care for that. Especially since all of his development seems to have gone down the drain.

CLIMAX-VAGUE SPOILERS

With the help of Molly's locket, they find Ombra's victims and his goal. We also find Molly and learn of a sacrifice that she was planning to make, along with George. They end up facing Ombra but with some help manage to stop him and get the star stuff. Everything comes to a head as they use a train to take it away only to be chased. Ombra isn't so much as defeated as he has vanished.

AFTERMATH

Peter returns to the Island, along with Hook and his crew. They confront O'neal and his boss who had planned to take the left over star stuff (from the original portion in the first book, that created the mermaids). It's mentioned that they will make sure to hide the star stuff and seal it up. I had to wonder, why didn't they do that long before? That is one of my only gripes.

CONCLUSION

Peter struggles with his own fears, which helps add some depth to his character (although I wish other matters had been addressed). And multiple stories help build up suspense that culminates in the return of Ombra.

My only criticisms are that George seems to have completely reversed his behavior and certain issues regarding Peter are never fully fleshed out. But they are minor criticisms that I hope will be gradually be rectified. I give “Peter and the Sword of Mercy” four stars.

Book Review: "Peter and the Secret of Rundoon" by Ridley Pearson & Dave Barry

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Because of an old enemy Peter ends up far from home, in Ombra's hands. All the while Molly and George try to uncover the truth about Peter's past. And Leonard Aster sets off to rescue Peter.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Peter doesn't necessarily change, but he does learn about his past. Which is rather important for him. He learns about his parents, his last name, and about his own abilities.

Molly is just as brave as before, but she also comes off as rather naive. Twice she disobeys her father and both times this results in trouble.

George remains with Molly through most of the book. He shows bravery and boldness, especially when they separate and he attempts a dangerous task. Even Peter admits being impressed with him.

Leonard Aster attempts to rescue Peter but is portrayed as rather incompetent. He messes up twice in the book and it isn't quite believable. Why wouldn't he notice two men following them in the middle of a huge desert? It's not like they were in a crowd.

King Zarboff III is an evil King who rules a desert kingdom and gets his slaves from Peter's old orphanage. He has a huge snake who eats anyone who gets him angry.

Professor Glotz is man who works for King Zarboff. He has little sympathy for those who he hurts.

Tinker bell plays an important role. She helps George and Molly find Peter as well as providing a distraction so Peter can free some enslaved boys. While it's Amm the porpoise who tells them what happened to Peter, Tink tells them that Peter was injured. She also refills Molly's locket with starstuff.

Shining Pearl is a part of a side story involving Smee and the other pirates. She is a sympathetic heroine and the humor used throughout her story is amusing.

PACING

The pacing is good, if it starts a bit slow. The story is set up, with the return of Ombra and his heading to Rundoon. Then the Scorpion Tribe planning to take over Neverland. From then we go to Molly. So three separate stories are starting. But the slow start is to build suspense and from then one the pace is back to it's usual speed.

TWO STORIES

There are two stories, one off the island and one on it, just like last time. But this time, I think the situation is more dire and certainly less humorous than the previous side story. A warrior tribe called the Scorpions plan to invade the island and enslave it's populace.

PETER'S RECKLESSNESS-SPOILERS

Peter disobeys Fighting Prawn's orders and goes out to sea, scouting for the Scorpions. Because of this he gets injured and poisoned. Peter has been reckless in the past, and he usually paid for it. Like when he got James in trouble. It's nice to see this time that the consequences are ones he personally suffers.

A USELESS FATHER?

In the last book, after Leonard is furious at Molly and forbids her from leaving the house, she manages it anyway. She actually ends up helping, although she does cause some trouble as well. The reason this didn't make Leonard look like an idiot was the fact that is was Molly's mistake that caused him to be in danger. She forgot to tell him about Ombra gaining knowledge by touching a shadow.

In this case though, Leonard seems rather incompetent and there isn't much of an excuse that can be made for him. Molly notes two men following her father on their camels. But for some unknown reason, Leonard, who is a seasoned star catcher, doesn't. It just made him look stupid, and I didn't like it.

MOLLY'S RECKLESSNESS

Molly doesn't want to be treated like a child. After all, she has been through lots of danger and helped the star catchers already. But you can't blame Leonard for not wanting to put his daughter in danger.

But Molly disobeys and sneaks onto the ship her father is on. She is surprised when Leonard is furious at her. The reaction was warranted. He clearly forbid her from coming and she willfully disobeyed. I was kind of surprised at her shock. Yes, she got away with disobeying once before, but that was because she knew it his her own fault he was in danger.

DISGRUNTLED LOST BOYS

In the beginning we learn that the Lost boys are getting sick of living on the island. Peter notes they are growing up, unlike him. This sets up a reveal at the end of the story.

HOOK'S ROLE-VAGUE SPOILERS

For most of the story, Hook is just in the background. He was taken prisoner by Ombra too. I kept waiting for his role, knowing he had to play one. Barry and Pearson never leave puzzle pieces without a place in their stories.

Eventually, Hook does get one. He is crucial to the escape of Leonard. He also helps steer the ship. Because of this, he is crucial to the plot. But I wanted him to evolve into an ally, even if it was only for a short time. And it never felt like that.

He immediately went back to being an enemy (and not a very smart one). It kind of annoyed me, but I guess it was necessary to the plot, as the star stuff drops all over the island like rain, seeping into it.

THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE

I have this preference, completely subjective.

I don't like when stories attempt to explain the origin of the universe with their McGuffin of choice. It always comes off as cheesy and trying too hard. I don't need to know the origin of the universe.

And in a scene of exposition clearly meant for the reader (Ombra has no real reason to reveal his motivation to Leonard) Ombra reveals deep secrets of the universe.

But bypassing star stuff accidentally creating the universe, (which bothers me, but probably won't bother others) it's the vagueness of the explanation of Ombra's motivation that annoys me.

Ombra thinks humanity gets in the way of him being evil, because before their existence, it was easier...to be evil? He doesn't say what he is, just that he is not human and has been alive long before humanity. He calls himself a force of darkness (which is as unoriginal as it gerts) and his enemies the forces of light. Are they aliens? Demons? Angels? Anything? I don't know because it's not important enough to know.

The thing is, if that's not relevant, then neither should the origin of existence be relevant. Barry and Pearson gave into the temptation of constantly having to make the stakes more extreme then previously. It's not just saving someone, or some city, or some country. Or even some planet. It's all of existence ever. Ha! Top that.

But I didn't need such extreme stakes, I was just fine with not understanding star stuff and happy with just learning about Peter.

THE LAST PIECE OF NEVERLAND'S ORIGIN STORY-SPOILERS

At the end of the story we see how star stuff seeped into the whole Island and ended up changing the water. So as long as you drink the water, you won't age. I thought it was interesting, meaning that whoever decides to live with Peter will no longer age as well. Also, it means whenever you decide you want to grow up, it's an option open. For everyone but not Peter.

CLIMAX

Peter defeats Ombra, returns to the Island and helps free the Mollusks, with help from Shining Pearl. Hook ends up where he started and we learn more about Neverland.

CONCLUSION

Barry and Pearson create an exciting finish to their trilogy just as fast paced as their others. We learn more about Peter's history as well as the origins of star stuff (although it's quite vague).

George steps up and plays an important role while even Hook is crucial to the plot.

My only objective criticism is that Leonard is made to look the fool while Molly keeps disobeying, but never really understands that she should be learning.

Book Review: "Peter and the Shadow Thieves" by Ridley Pearson & Dave Barry

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When a strange ship with an even stranger passenger arrives at Neverland the occupants demand to know the whereabouts of the star stuff. Wanting to save his daughter, Fighting Prawn reveals that Leonard Aster took it with him to England. Witnessing this stranger's abilities, Peter knows that Molly and her father are danger. So he heads to London, hoping to warn them.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Peter has grown accustomed to living on the Island. But because of his abilities, he often leaves his friends out of his fun. Because of his selfishness, he gets in trouble and must ask the Mollusk tribe to help.

Molly Aster is still a likable heroine for the most part. She is not only brave but smart on more than one occasion. I loved when she figured out about her shadow before she was told. I say for the most part because there were few times where she snaps at George which made her appear slightly obnoxious.

Captain Hook remains on Neverland so isn't apart of Peter's plot. He is however apart of a side plot where he threatens the lost boys.

Leonard Aster leaves Molly and his wife but is in the later portion of the book. He could have come off as incompetent, being that the guards he left behind failed their job. But no one could have foreseen a creature like Ombra.

George Darling is family friend of Molly's. He ends up giving them refuge and eventually becoming an ally. He is actually rather important and crucial to the plot. Peter dislikes him.

Slank (who was revealed to be an important player in the last book) continues to hunt for the star stuff. But he now works for Ombra. He craves revenge against Peter.

Ombra is a strange being that can stretch and bend his form like a a shadow. He is slowly revealed, but not without some suspense.

Nerezza is the captain of the Le Fantome, the ship that Ombra takes to get to Neverland and England. He is rather creepy but plays a backseat to Ombra.

Tinker bell is important to the story, as she saves Peter on two occasions in the story. She also helps find the secret entrance to the Keep (star catchers headquarters).

PACING

We actually start with a story that seems unrelated to the main plot, James getting caught by Hook and Peter having to rescue him (with help from the mollusk tribe). In between these events we learn about Nerezza and Slank. And eventually Ombra. But the pacing does pick up from there and remains steady thanks to various stories being told at the same time.

PETER'S LONDON ADVENTURES-SPOILERS

When Peter arrives in London he gets into an abundance of trouble. First, when he gets tricked by a boy to get food, only to get trapped into slavery. From there he manages an escape only to get himself thrown in jail. The pacing was good here, as it shifts back and forth once again, from him to Molly and even to Tinker Bell.

Although I do have one caveat, I felt like Peter met so many children that were being victimized. After he escaped, I wanted him to go back and help them, somehow. Just before returning to Neverland. I was disappointed when this wasn't fit in. Especially since most other aspects of the story went together like a well put together puzzle.

MOLLY & PETER

Molly and Peter spend about half the book without each other. Although we finally get to hear from Molly by page 91. From then one we get small snippets of her story while she grows suspicious of strangers while the main plot is still about Peter.

Although to be fair we get more then just suspicions. Molly and her mother, Louise learn that the last batch of star stuff was taken by the Others (that's their enemies) before they could get to it. As though they knew in advance, which is impossible.

When the two finally collide we get a dramatic confrontation with Ombra well worthy of the wait.

A COMPLICATION

When Peter arrives to save Molly, someone is kidnapped and the story takes a turn. It reminds me of how the last book went from saving the star stuff to saving the boys. A change in direction really helps the story as well as tests the relationships between characters. In this instance, between Molly and her father, in the last, between Molly and Peter.

TINKER BELL'S ADVENTURE

Tinker bell gets kidnapped and we see her perspective as she is brought to be sold to a collector. It was an interesting little story but I felt it didn't have any real relevance to the rest of the plot. We just needed to see how Tink escaped. The two side characters were interesting, but they were just never heard from again.

ANOTHER STORY

There is a side story back on the island which involves the boys being taken prisoner by Captain Hook. I didn't believe that Hook really planned to hurt them, so I kind of found this portion tedious. But to be fear, it's a small part of the book.

USE OF HUMOR

There were some instances of humor that worked quite well as they were refreshing in an otherwise quite serious story. I loved when Peter went to the post office with his scheme on how to find where the Aster's live. Not only was it hilarious but it was original as well.

There is a rivalry between Peter and George that caused me to smile on many occasions. They often took jabs at each other that were quite clever. And George's reaction to learning the truth about Peter was amusing as well.

JAMES BARRIE'S CAMEO

Jame Barrie himself makes a little appearance, with his St. Bernard, Porthos. He is actually quite important, as he saves Peter from being taken by the same young man who tricked him before. Although it does feel a little random. James learn's Peter's name, implying that's where he got the story idea (which is kind of hard to believe, as he knew nothing about Peter).

TOWER OF LONDON-VAGUE SPOILERS

Molly and Peter go to the tower of London, because Molly remembers her father often went their for business. From here on out, it's a mystery to find out just where her father is. There they meet another star catcher and end up being chased by Ombra. We witness a death of a character that will play an important role later as well as find a clue that George helps with later.

MOLLY AND HER FATHER

There is the real first bit of conflict between Molly and her Leonard, as Molly wants to save someone close to her, while her father believes that the star stuff must come first. This leads to a full blown fight where she is forbidden from leaving.

CLOSE CALL?

Ombra imitates a voice trying to trick Molly. The authors could have easily fallen into the trap of making their character suddenly an idiot so as to move the plot along and put her in danger. But luckily, we merely feel her sadness and Peter gently reminds her it's a trap.

CLIMAX-VAGUE SPOILERSS

Molly, George and Peter try to prevent Leonard from falling into a trap. They end up having to face a pack of wolves, as well as Ombra himself. Molly's mother is revealed and Leonard has to decide what is most important to him.

WINNING ON A WHIM?

Peter has to face Ombra and because he was shot, his wound allows him to focus on something else and not be overwhelmed by his enemy. I thought this was a little vague and kind of convenient. I didn't quite care for it, but it didn't ruin the story for me.

CONCLUSION

A sequel worthy of its predecessor, the story takes slightly slower to get started, but helps with plenty of suspense revolving around Ombra who is obviously our main villain.

From then on its fast paced, zipping back and forth between characters and planting hints at trouble to come.

Molly and Peter resume their friendship, but not without Peter wondering about his place in her world. And both get an ally in George, but not without a begrudging respect between the boys.

I give “Peter and the Shadow Thieves” four stars.

Book Review: "Peter and the Star catchers" by Ridley Pearson & Dave Barry

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Peter is forced, along with his fellow orphans, to board a ship and head for employment for a not-too-nice king in a far away land. On board, he meets Molly, a young girl who seems to know something about the ship's contents. Peter becomes determined to find out more, only to become involved in a dangerous mission.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Peter considers himself the leader of his group. Although he is not that close to them and even considers leaving them if he could. Later, he becomes a real leader, trying to provide food for them and keep them safe.

Molly is the daughter of a Starcatcher and from a wealthy English family. She is can be bold but when it comes her father she can also be quite fragile. She worries about him a lot.

Slank is the acting captain, since the actual captain of the Neverland is an idiot.

Black Stache is the captain of a ship called the Sea Devil. It's obvious he will become captain Hook because of his first mate named Smee.

Captain Leonard Aster, Molly's father, is a brave and kind man who tries to keep his daughter out of harm's way. He does his best to protect the starstuff.

PACING

The pacing is good because it goes back and forth between multiple stories. We get mostly Peter's view and Black stache. But we also get Molly's, some scenes from Leonard Aster's and from Slank and his crew.

THE ORIGINS OF THE STAR STUFF

There is a scene where Molly finally decides to tell Peter the truth. I found some of it fine and some of it cringe worthy.

Mainly the part about gods and goddesses and how these stories came about because of star stuff. And then it evolved into kings and queens who did great things...because of star stuff.

I had no problem believing people had used the substance to gain power and keep it. However the idea that mythology was true because of it seemed rather convoluted. After all, there is no evidence that these people ever existed in these myths.

MERMAIDS

Starstuff seems to have the ability to create intelligent life, but only from other already existing life. Molly already mentioned that star stuff creates centaurs when it comes into contact with horses. I did find that kind of convoluted but it only plays a small part in the story. And to be fair, it is necessary, as it causes fish to sort of evolve into mermaids. And these mermaids play a larger part in the plot.

USE OF HUMOR

There is a good sense of humor used throughout the story. Little things like Molly messing up her porpoise and always saying “My teeth are green” as well as other aspects. The conversations between Black Stache and Mr. Smee are often silly but not overkill because they are few and far in between.

THE DOLPHINS

A dolphin named Amm plays a key role as he sends messages between Molly and her father. The dolphins also save someone who falls overboard.

MOLLY NOT BELIEVED

There is a scene where Molly tries to warn Slank about Captain Stache and is ignored. It could have easily made all of the adults look like idiots but it didn't. It didn't seem like a mere child would have this knowledge and of course, Slank later realizes that she was right.

MOLLY & PETER

Molly and peter's friendship starts off tentative. Molly warns him about trying to escape and he realizes she was right.

Later, she keeps him away from the trunk but gives him food for the boys. Eventually the two argue because Peter wants to know the truth. About the trunk, about the flying rat he saw, and about what she was doing with a dolphin. When she refuses his feelings are hurt because he thought they had formed a friendship. This leads Peter to being angry, determined to find out the truth without her.

Later on, they have another fight. This one about their priorities. Molly thinks the trunk is the most important, while Peter thinks his friends are. Because of this they actually separate.

What's nice about their relationship is that they make mistakes and learn from them, continuing to grow throughout the story.

MOLLY'S ROLE

Molly's main role is revealing the truth about the trunk and its contents. She also sends messages to her father to warn him and does her best to keep the trunk from being found. Another important role she has is when someone goes overboard she takes them to shore.

PETER'S ROLE

Peter becomes Molly's ally and helps protect the trunk when she finally reveals the truth to him. But eventually they work together to do more than that, as Peter's friends get in trouble. He risks his life not just for his friends, but for Molly as well.

THE MOLLUSK TRIBE

Upon landing on an island, we eventually come to learn that it is inhabited by a tribe. This tribe is called the mollusk tribe. It made sense to have an indigenous people instead of throwing in odd copies of Native Americans (which we all remember from the disney movie).

STAR STUFF-SPOILERS

The dust that makes you fly is not in fact Pixie dust, as there are no faeries in the story. Instead we get star stuff, which in itself creates an origin for Neverland, as well as the creation of Mermaids.

I liked how it was an original idea, but didn't take too many liberties with the original story. After all, we don't really know how James Barrie envisioned an origin story for the island, or even if he thought of one. But it was obvious that in a series about Peter Pan, we needed to see his beginning, as well as the islands.

FIGHTING PRAWN

This tribe has a leader who is actually an Englishman, or he was. Now he resides in the island with no desire to leave, as their leader. It turns out he was enslaved and forced to work for the navy, so he considers the English to be the barbarians.

I thought this was kind of silly to blame an entire society for one aspect which many had no control over. Especially since he now resides in a society where they haven't discovered the wheel.

I understood the main purpose, we needed to be able to communicate with the tribes in order to further the story. Without this ability they wouldn't have been able to play any real role.

But he came across just as barbaric as the English when he makes a decision that condemns innocent children to die.

CLIMAX-SPOILERS

Slank kidnaps Molly and threatens to kill her if Peter doesn't hand over the trunk. Peter does as he says but he takes Molly back to his ship. Eventually Molly manages to get off his ship after Peter attempts to save her, but fails. But there is a twist, Molly survives and the trunk is saved from Slank.

AFTERMATH

Revelations about Peter are given, and because of this, he decides to stay on the island, rather then returning. His friends choose to remain with him. Peter is given a gift by Aster that is a familiar sight to all Pan fans.

CONCLUSION

Barry and Pearson create an original origin story for Neverland and Peter Pan while at the same time creating likable characters in Molly and Peter with a relationship that slowly develops. Not to mention a fast paced story.

Their sense of humor is sprinkled throughout, so as not to overwhelm the plot but remind you this is a childrens' story that doesn't take itself too seriously.

My only real critique is portion Molly's star stuff origin story and Fighting Prawn's illogical actions (perhaps if he was given a more detailed backstory, this would have been believable. I give “Peter and the Starcatchers” four stars.