7th Grade Book Reviews

Click here for an excerpt and my review of it

       In Peter and the Starcatchers, which precedes J.M Barrie’s novel Peter Pan, authors Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson introduce a new storyline to explain how Peter, a normal orphan kid becomes the famous Peter Pan.  Peter is an orphan who, along with his friend Molly, protects a mysterious and an important secret from evil people who will stop at nothing to get it.  It all starts when Peter and his fellow orphans are sent off to become slaves to the cruel King Zarboff of Rundoon. They are sent aboard a ship, known as the Never Land, to Rundoon where Peter meets a girl called Molly Aster.   Familiar villains from Peter Pan, such as Captain Hook (known as Black Stache in this book), and new villains such as the mysterious first-mate Slank are some of the villains in the book who want their hands on the greatest secret of the earth.  But what exactly is this secret?   You have to read this imaginative and adventurous book to find out what it is, but it has the ability to bestow supernatural powers to normal people.  Eventually, all the characters in the book get stranded on an island, and the plot thickens as Peter, Black Stache, and Slank all battle for the secret. Whoever possesses the secret will have the ability to do a lot of good or harm to the world. 

            I found this book interesting, imaginative and adventurous.  I was impressed by how the authors, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, used the secret to explain how Peter acquired his magical skills and traits. The book shows how good eventually conquers evil.   For example, Peter and his friends manage to keep the secret away from the villains and save the world.  The book is a good combination of fantasy and science fiction, which kindles your imagination.  It is fast-paced and deals with many good traits such as kindness, friendship, trust and valor.  It is great for children of all ages, as many children know who Peter Pan is, but they do not know how he was once a normal kid who then became Peter Pan.