Peter Pan

By Jenni James

Peter Pan needs help, and he’s convinced the effervescent Wendy Darling is just the girl to champion his cause. Ever since the mischievous fairy Tinker Bell began recruiting—more like, snatching—boys from London’s orphanages to take them to a magical place called Neverland, things have gotten out of hand. Captain Hook has only become more violent and the boys more lost as their memories of life before Neverland begin to fade. Peter’s only hope is to get the boys back to England and hep bring balance to Neverland before Hook’s dangerous escapades kill them all.

Wendy is not quite certain why such a handsome young man would need her—especially a lad who clearly has a touch of madness in him. What boy learns to fly? But whatever the reason, home life has become too much for her now that her parents are hoping she marries an acquaintance she can barely abide. There is something about Peter Pan that intrigues her greatly, and then there is this magical world he talks about, this Neverland…

First of all, I was perturbed when I discovered that this was a two-parter (or more, not sure as of yet). This deals with the first time Peter meets Wendy and takes her to Neverland. Interestingly, Peter is older, about 18, and he is trying to save the lost boys by bringing them home to London, which they are starting to forget. The fairies are not benevolent, the pirates are evil and definitely try to kill the boys, Peter especially. Peter immediately falls for Wendy, and Wendy, a properly raised high-born girl, cannot help but be intrigued by this disheveled young man who flies and steals kisses from her with grins. I’ve read a fair few retellings of Peter Pan and haven’t really found one that I’d recommend, though I tend to lean toward the ones that portray Hook as the ‘good guy’ and Peter as the antagonist. This was fun to read and I’ll probably end up reading the sequel when I’m bored one day. It’s not going to be a feverish attempt to get it as soon as it comes out though.

I give it a 3 out of 5