After finishing Leviathan and Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (reviews coming, I swear!), I wanted something in a similarly adventuresome vein. I’d been meaning to try the Starcatchers series, so I listened to the first one on audio.
About the Book:
Peter and the Starcatchers is a prequel of sorts to J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Peter and his fellow orphans are put on board a ship called the Never Land as she prepares to sail from London. Their destination? Rundoon, ruled by a barbarous king to whom the orphans are to be given as slaves. On board, Peter meets and befriends Molly, daughter of the new ambassador to Rundoon. There’s a mysterious chest aboard the Never Land, and Peter is as determined to find out what’s inside as Molly is to stop him.
What ensues is a madcap adventure on the high seas involving porpoises, savages, mermaids, flying children, and the dread pirate Black Stache, all locked in a battle for the mysterious trunk.
My Thoughts:
I wasn’t sure what to expect, going into Peter and the Starcatchers, seeing as Dave Barry is one of the authors. Anyone who’s read Barry’s adult books would be justified, I feel, in wondering how his style and humor might translate into an adventure tale aimed at children. I was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps it’s Ridley Pearson’s influence; the end result is exciting, entertaining, and not so ridiculous that you can’t take it seriously.
There are a lot of very clever touches in Peter and the Starcatchers. One of my favorites was the name of Black Stache, clearly a play on the better known dread pirate Black Beard. Barry and Pearson managed to explain each piece of Barrie’s Neverland in terms of their story, so that Peter and the Starcatchers gives as plausible an explanation for the formation of Neverland as one might require. The mermaids, the crocodile, the pirates, the savages, the Lost Boys, Tinkerbell — they’re all there by the novel’s end. Which, seeing as this is a prequel to Peter Pan, I’d expected; I spent much of the novel waiting for each piece of the Neverland puzzle to become clear. I was able to identify most of the elements as soon as they entered the story, long before they’d developed into their final Neverland forms; but then, the book was geared toward a much younger audience than myself. The creativity of Neverland’s origins kept me interested, even if the suspense did not.
My biggest complaint about Peter and the Starcatchers was the endless back and forth. Every group chasing the trunk–and by the end there are quite a few–had and lost the treasure several times each. There are endless moments of surprise and ambush, mini battles and clever tricks, daring escapes and heroic rescues. I could have done with maybe half the antics; it got to be a little much for me. By the end, I felt a bit like I was watching one of those scenes from an old cartoon where the bird is swiped by the cat, is saved by the dog, is stolen by the cat, escapes on its own, inadvertently walks into the cat’s mouth, and so on. All it needed was some frenetic classical music as an underscore!
I think Peter and the Starcatchers is perfect for the age for which it’s written, which is middle readers. It’s exciting and funny and creative, with plenty of action and antics. At some point I may pick up the rest of the series, but I feel no compelling need to do so right away.
The audio version was read by Jim Dale. I was not as impressed by this recording as I have been by some of his others. He excels, of course, at character voices, but there was something rushed about the way he hurried through pauses and chapter breaks. A minor flaw, really; I’d still recommend listening to Peter and the Starcatchers as a good alternative to reading it. I think the recording would work well for children too.
Those are my thoughts. Check out Peter and the Starcatchers on GoodReads or LibraryThing, read other bloggers’ reviews, or listen to an Audible sample!
Your Turn!
What are your favorite books that tie in somehow with another well known story?
I think that my kids have read this, and if they haven’t, they need to! It sounds like a wonderful romp, and even if it is crazy at times, I still think that I would enjoy it!! Great review, Erin!
It’s such a fun series — perfect for kids, I think! The humor and the zaniness are right on.
Gosh … this just seems like an odd pairing of authors! But a neat premise!
That’s what I thought! I was surprised by how well it worked. You can definitely tell where Barry’s goofy humor is poking through, which was kind of fun.
I actually had a reading slump after Leviathan and Behemoth because I enjoyed them so much!
And Dave Barry? I definitely want to know how he translates to middle grade fiction.
I did, too! The only reason I started another audiobook was that I have a long walk a couple of times a week and must have an audiobook with me. I can’t wait til the last book comes out!
Barry actually made the transition really well! I’m not sure how he would have been on his own, but with his goofiness layered over a quick adventure story, the end product was well done.
This series doesn’t seem to be as popular at my library as it used to be. I never have kids ask for it so I had forgotten about it. It sounds like a good adventure tale, though, so I might have to steer a few kids back to it.
I think it’s a little older; I know there are more than a few books in the series already published. I definitely think it’s a good kid series, especially if the kid likes adventure. It’s fast paced and funny, so it’ll most likely hold their attention!