Comment

Aug 19, 2019YLPLTEENBOOKBLOG rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
“Peter and the Starcatchers” is a witty yet compelling novel that branches out from the classic tale of Peter Pan and gives it a backstory that slowly pieces together to answer the many questions of ‘how’ that Pan’s story leaves behind. It starts off at the perspective of a young orphan named Peter who, along with four other boys, is boarded onto a rickety ship where he finds himself encountering strange things that can only be explained by the green-eyed Molly who seems to be tangled up in the mess. Along their journey they run into pirates, a terrible and wonderful power hidden on the ship, and an island filled with mermaids, natives, and other strange things. I think it’s a very fitting backstory and I like how even though it uses so many elements of fantasy it still makes sense and is realistic. I also liked the clever writing and how the authors usually manage to interject passing jokes even when situations are serious, although to put in these jokes effectively, some of the characters have kind of static and even stereotypical personalities. This makes the story frequently seem kind of childish and light, which is not a bad thing, but at least for me personally, it’s not an incredibly appealing style. However, it does make the book suitable for enjoyable and comic reading. One thing in particular that I love about this book is its ending, and how it doesn’t force happiness, but rather ends on a bittersweet note even though the modern story of Peter Pan is considered happy. Its end gives a compelling and refreshing perspective to Pan’s normally flat and bright tale. All in all, I rate this 3.5/5 stars. Elena of the Yorba Linda Teen Book Bloggers