Peter Pan/Peter Pan in Scarlet [Hardcover]

 

 

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To start with, yes- I do love the book 'Peter Pan', the beloved classic written by James Barrie. It is well deserved in it's fame, full of bright characters with a tinge of mystery around Peter, leaving the reader with a confused love/hate emotion about him. However, there are definitely no confused feelings here. The reader can most decidedly hate this 'Peter Pan in scarlet.' To give the author credit, her writing style did slightly resemble J.M. Barrie's, but either it was too much, or not enough.
WARNING: May contain spoilers

1. The "villain"...if you can call him that. Surprise, surprise, James Hook is back, despite the fitting and final ending given him by Barrie. Our new author raises him from the dead. If that weren't bad enough, she does it in the worst, and most laughable way possible. It is unbelievable and does not fit in with the world of Neverland at all. The entire time I was reading the story, I knew right when he appeared that it was Jas. Hook, though the writer was obviously trying to conceal that fact. To top it all off, Hook is thinly, may I say VERY thinly, veiled as a demented circus ringleader, with a raggedy scar-crow like outfit, something everyone knows the classy Hook wouldn't be caught DEAD in, so to speak. But to me, the biggest problem with Hook returning from the dead was that his ending in the original 'Peter Pan' was so final, you can clearly see Barrie did not intend for his rising again. So, simply put, could this author really not come up with another villain? She came back with the original characters, but this book is a SEQUEL, not the original, so she was given room to expand if she could. Obviously, she couldn't.
2. Our "hero"...again, if you can call him that. Peter Pan gave me mixed feeling in his original story, which is no doubt what Barrie wanted. Peter Pan is cocky, yet child-like, mysterious, yet simple. Here, we see a pathetic remake of our main character. Peter Pan in this story is very unlovable, it makes you WANT him to die. Cruel and proud, I could hardly bear to read the rest of his story. I don't know what Geraldine was trying to accomplish, but here she scraps the true Peter Pan for someone, or something, awful.
3. Marketing. Aside from the incredibly horrible story, the buyer is required to pay a high price in bookstores, compared to other paper-backs. Every time I have seen it, it was $13.99. The book is not very thick, and the cover not too impressive. What it comes across as, is someone grabbing the cash cow from the famous names of Peter Pan and J. M. Barrie. For your information, yes. I do know about the Children's Hospital and etc. But this book is NOT worth the price slapped on it. I would gladly welcome a sequel to Peter Pan, but this is not it.

Geraldine McCaughrean has created a fantastic sequal for all of us who believe in NeverLand! In this wonderful follow-up to Peter Pan, we are taken back to Neverland, where there is great adventure waiting Peter and his crew of familiar and unfamiliar cast. However, Neverland is a bit darker and more dangerous than what Peter first experienced, and the challanges he faces is much more than what he expects! From one adventure to another, readers of all sorts will completely cherish this wonderful book that picks up in rythem and beat from the initial story about the young boy who never wanted to grow up. I can simply say that the world at large has waited for THIS book written by THIS author. Ms. McCaughrean has done an amazing job in creating a sequeal that is as much a continuation as it is a new adventure. Peter Pan in Scarlet is a must read for every person who reads. Take flight and let your imagination soar . . . and fly with Peter Pan!

For this return to Neverland
They had to pick the best
And Geraldine McCaughrean
Proved better than the rest

To fill the mighty Barrie shoes
She had to dig down deep
And so she found the old Lost Boys
And plagued them in their sleep

Wendy Darling, John and Nibs
Tootles, the Twins and Curly
Even Slightly soon confessed
Their dreams were whirly-twirly

It seems the world was then at war
This threw things out of whack
If things weren't right in Neverland
Then they had to go back

They had to find some fairy dust
And change the way they dressed
Then on to thinking happy thoughts
Let magic do the rest

They saw the place had changed a bit
And soon found Peter Pan
Now dressed in autumn's ruddy hues
And still not yet a man

Soon he leads them on a quest
To find a pirate's loot
Along the way he changes spots
And dons a snazzy suit

There's much excitement on the way
They meet a ragged man
Who seems to know a lot of things
And worships Peter Pan

The treasure that they're searching for
Fulfills their fondest dreams
And then with skilful authoring
She undoes all the seams

Injecting humor in the tale
That Barrie never would
This one's a treat for young and old
And really pretty good

So if your youngster says to you
"I'm off to Neverland"
Make him take off his sparkly glove
And put this in his hand


Rated: 4.5 stars


Amanda Richards

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5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too
PETER PAN IN SCARLET by Geraldine McCaughrean should be read by every fan of J.M. Barrie's PETER PAN. Read more

Published on Aug 2 2008 by TeensReadToo

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