Peter and the Starcatchers (Peter and the Starcatchers #1) Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Illustrated by Greg Call. 2004. 452 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: The tired old carriage, pulled by two tired old horses, rumbled onto the wharf, its creaky wheels bumpety-bumping on the uneven planks, waking Peter from his restless slumber. The carriage interior, hot and stuffy, smelled of five smallish boys and one largish man, none of whom was keen on bathing. Peter was the leader of the boys, because he was the oldest. Or maybe he wasn't. Peter had no idea how old he really was, so he gave himself whatever age suited him, and it suited him to always be one year older than the oldest of his mates.
Premise/plot: Peter and the Starcatchers is the first in a prequel series to Peter Pan. This first one establishes many of the origin stories associated with Peter Pan, Captain Hook (aka Black Stache in this one), and Never Land (a ship in this one). In addition to Peter and other orphans (soon to be Lost Boys by the conclusion of this one), we have Molly Aster, who is a spunky girl who knows what's what. And what's what is a treasure of stardust (starstuff???) that has great power. It's incredibly dangerous to possess. In very small doses it can heal or transform. In larger doses, it's more lethal. There are pirates after this treasure--but the pirates don't know which of two British ships is carrying the treasure.
My thoughts: This one slowly builds until secrets are revealed connecting this story to Peter Pan. (Not that it was a big secret.) I first read this one nearly twenty years ago. I loved it in 2004. I don't know that I love it just as much all these years later. But I still really enjoy it/like it. I'm not sure that I'm ready to commit to rereading the whole series. (I may. I may not.)
I recommend this one to those that like long fantasy books.
© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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