Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson

Peter and the Starcatchers #1

I am a sucker for Peter Pan stories, especially ones that provide a more interesting and compelling female character than Wendy!

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Synopsis

Peter was the leader of the orphan boys because he was the oldest – or so he claimed. And because he could spit the farthest. Not that it did him much good, shipped off aboard a leaky old bilge bucket to be the servant of a tyrant king. But Peter and his mates aren’t the only ones on the Never Land…

Why is a trunk holding “the greatest treasure on earth” aboard the stinking, worm-ridden ship? Does it contain gold, jewels – or something far more mysterious and dangerous? And what is Molly, the beautiful daughter of a rich diplomat, hiding from Peter?

Turn back the clock on J.M. Barrie’s classic Peter Pan in this impossible-to-put-down tale of skullduggery and treachery, raging storms and bone-crushing battles, mermaids and talking porpoises.

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Review

Peter and the Starcatchers is another book that I listened to after looking at it sitting on my shelf for 6 years, since I brought it home from Ireland back in 2009. Why? I have no idea – I love Peter Pan stories. So, in looking for books that would be decent to listen to while driving for work, I figured this would probably be a good bet.

Read by Jim Dale (whose voice I fell asleep to for years as he also read all 7 Harry Potter books), Peter and the Starcatchers is a prequel to the classic, Peter Pan. It tells the story of Peter, an orphan, who is shipwrecked on an island and in search of a box of “starstuff.” But before the ship he was on, the Never Land, splintered on the reef surrounding the island, Peter befriended the mysterious and alluring Molly, protector of the magical starstuff, who tells him of the great power the material wields – it can change animals into otherworldly creatures and give humans special abilities, most notably that of flight.

But Peter and Molly and Peter’s orphan mates are not the only ones shipwrecked on the island. The miserable first mate and his brute of a lackey are after the starstuff as well, but their intentions are more sinister. A pirate ship, captained by the terrible Black Stache, follows the Never Land to the island and are in search of the treasure as well.

Peter and the Starcatchers is a fast paced, highly enjoyable, and entertaining tale of mischief and mayhem on the island that those familiar with the original story will quickly pick out as the wonderful Neverland. It is a story about children, but much like J.M. Barrie’s fantastical tale, it is not necessarily a book for children and highly enjoyable by readers (and listeners) of all ages.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

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