Product Description

Don'teven think of starting this bookunless you're sitting in a comfortable chair and have lots of time. Afast-paced, impossible-to-put-down adventure awaits as the young orphan Peterand his mates are dispatched to an island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. Theyset sail aboard the Never Land, a ship carrying a precious and mysterious trunk inits cargo hold, and the journey quickly becomes fraught with excitement anddanger.

Discoverrichly developed characters in the sweet but sophisticated Molly, the scary butfamiliar Black Stache, and the fearless Peter. Treacherous battles withpirates, foreboding thunderstorms at sea, and evocative writing immerses thereader in a story that slowly and finally reveals the secrets and mysteries ofthe beloved Peter Pan.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15781 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-01
• Released on: 2006-04-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Amazon.com Review
Humorist Dave Barry and suspense writer Ridley Pearson have clearly taken great delight in writing a 400-plus page prequel of sorts to Scottish dramatist J.M. Barrie's beloved Peter Pan stories. The result is a fast-paced and fluffy pirate adventure, complete with talking porpoises, stinky rogues, possible cannibals, a flying crocodile, biting mermaids, and a much-sought-after trunk full of magical glowing green "starstuff." Ever hear of Zeus? Michelangelo? Attila the Hun? According to 14-year-old Molly Aster they all derived their powers from starstuff that occasionally falls to Earth from the heavens. On Earth, it is the Starcatchers' job to rush to the scene and collect the starstuff before it falls into the hands of the Others who use its myriad powers for evil.

On board the ship Never Land, an orange-haired boy named Peter, the leader of a group of orphaned boys being sent off to work as servants in King Zarboff the Third's court, is puzzled by his shipmate Molly's fantastical story of starstuff, but it inextricably binds him to her. Peter vows to help his new, very pretty friend Molly (a Starcatcher's apprentice) keep a mysterious trunk full of the stuff out of the clutches of the pirate Black Stache, a host of other interested parties, and ultimately King Zarboff the Third.

The downright goofy, modern 8-year-old boy humor sometimes clashes with an old-time pirate sensibility, and the rapid-fire dialogue, while well paced, is far from inventive. Still, the high-seas hijinks and desert-island shenanigans will keep readers turning the pages. Greg Call's wonderful black-and-white illustrations are deliciously old-fashioned and add plenty of atmosphere to a silly, swashbuckling story that shows us how Peter Pan came to fly and why he, and his story, will never get old. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9–This prequel to Peter Pan refers as much to the 1953 animated Disney film as to J. M. Barrie's original play and novel. The early chapters introduce the archetypal antagonists: Peter, leader of a group of orphan boys being sent into slavery aboard the Never Land, and Black Stache, a fearsome pirate who commands a villainous crew. New characters include Molly Aster and her father. Molly, at 14, is an apprentice Starcatcher, a secret society formed to keep evildoers from obtaining "starstuff," magic material that falls to earth and conveys happiness, power, increased intelligence, and the ability to fly. Inevitably, the ships wreck off a tropical island and a trunk of starstuff is temporarily lost. Here, readers meet more familiar characters: the mermaids in their lagoon; the indigenous people who live in the jungle (modern versions of Barrie's redskins); and, of course, the crocodile. The authors plait multiple story lines together in short, fast-moving chapters, with the growing friendship between Molly and Peter at the narrative's emotional center. Capitalizing on familiar material, this adventure is carefully crafted to set the stage for Peter's later exploits. This smoothly written page-turner just might send readers back to the original.–Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Barry and Pearson spin the tale of how an orphan of indeterminate age with no last name will become Peter Pan. Onboard the decrepit old ship Never Land, Peter and his friends endeavor to save an old trunk containing a powerful magic substance from a crew of pirates. Jim Dale gives a one-man performance that is truly astonishing. He creates distinct voices for all the characters--pirates, women, British soldiers, and native tribesmen. Adults and children alike will enjoy this rollicking tale of pirates, talking porpoises, flying children, and a giant crocodile. A little distracting is the excessive book-marking--90+ tracks on each CD make it tedious to recapture your place. A.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Peter and the Starcatchers Review
Book Review on Peter and the Starcatchers
Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, is a fictional book.
A young orphan boy, named Peter, gets on a ship, called the Neverland, and meets Mary, a first-class citizen who is a Starcatcher. She says she's on her way to Rundoon, a country ruled by one of the Others. An Other is a person who wants the starstuff so they can use it for evil. Any one who obtains starstuff, good or bad, will be "rewarded" with magical powers, like flying or reading minds. Eventually this obsession with wanting to have more power will turn the possessor evil. Anything can possess starstuff. Creatures like the Loch Ness monster and mermaids were created by starstuff. On the Neverland, a trunk containing the most starstuff to ever fall to earth is being well-guarded by a crew member named Slank. He's one of the Others who work for King Zaborf III, the ruler of Rundoon. The pirates, led by the notorious Black Stache, are fully aware that there is some sort of super important treasure on a ship going to Rundoon, but they believe it is on the Wasp, the other ship that has a trunk, similar to the one on the Neverland. This causes the pirates to attack the Wasp, but find nothing there. They then attack the Neverland. When they attack, Peter and Mary throw the trunk overboard. Peter and Mary fly away to an island, where the come face to face with danger. An Indian tribe tells the new visitors about their disturbing past and about Mr. Grin, their giant pet alligator who devours whoever lands on the island. In order to find out what happens next, you'll have to read the book.
This was not my favorite book, but very good. I think it is suited for those who are ten years old and up.

Great book to encourage reading
My son did not like to read until I got this series. Now he can't put books down!

Sucked us and took us on an adventure!
I shared the series with our kids, (5,7 &9). There were bits that caused all three to sit on my lap but they wouldn't let me stop reading. The whole series is well written and thought through. It engaged the kids from page 1 to very last paragraph. "Keep reading!" That's all I heard for all three books. Bravo, Mr. Barry & Mr. Pearson! It's having books like these published that keeps kids imaginations alive and well. My thanks!