FernFolio

When Peter notices the sailor’s reaction to an old trunk that is being loaded onto the Never Land, he becomes curious. Why does the sailor seem so happy when he touches the truck through the canvas that has been wrapped around it? Why does he seem reluctant to take his hand away?
Peter and five other young boys are being sent from their orphanage, St Norbert’s Home for Wayward Boys, in England, to Rundoon, where they will become servants to King Zarboff the Third. Peter has heard strange and worrisome stories about the king, and his unhappy luck with servants. People who work for King Zarboff don’t seem to live very long.
On board the ship, Peter spends his days trying to look out for his friends by finding more appetising food than the slop they are fed by Slank, the first officer, and by looking for ways to get himself and the others free from the fate that awaits them in Rundoon.
Peter spends many nights slipping around the ship looking for the trunk and, when he finds it, quickly realises that there is something very peculiar about the battered wooden box. Has it caused Peter to think that rats can fly, or are they actually drifting around in the room next to the trunk?
He befriends Molly Aster, a young girl travelling to Rundoon to meet her ambassador father, who warns him to stay away from the trunk because its contents are very dangerous. Then one night Peter watches as Molly stands at the rail of the ship and talks to some porpoises in the water. It is clear, from her expression, that she has received some very bad news. She tells Peter that pirates are coming to capture the Never Land and seize the trunk, and that, if they are successful, it will change the course of human history for the trunk contains star stuff, the most powerful magical element on Earth.
Pirates, sailors, both good and bad, “savages” with clear views on just how civilised Englishmen are, giant crocodiles, mermaids, secret societies working for the protection of mankind and those seeking world domination, Peter and the Starcatchers has it all. This prequel to Peter Pan, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, is a fast-paced, exciting, and cleverly written adventure that will have you holding your breath and laughing by turns. Thank you to Jacob, who recommended that I should read it!
FernFolio Editor