Peter And The Shadow Thieves

Peter And The Shadow Thieves: A Penny Dreadful Review

            Starstuff is the source of legends. It is an extremely powerful substance, and it… changes those that it touches. The evil Others will do anything to get their hands on it. The Starcatchers attempt to return it to the ether, where it cannot be used to harm anyone. A young orphan called Peter came into contact with the stuff in a previous novel, and now he doesn’t age and he can fly. He lives happily on a tropical island and throws mangoes at pirates for fun. Then, something comes to the island looking for the starstuff. Something that can control peoples’ minds if it touches their shadows. Something that knows the starstuff is now with Peter’s friend Molly…

            Peter journeys to London to save his friend, testing his powers against a huge, cold city that doesn’t much care if a few people die in its streets. London is more dangerous than poor Peter could have guessed in Peter And The Shadow Thieves, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.

            The only trouble with this book is that there is action taking place on the island Never Land as well as in London, and there’s little overlap in the groups of characters. Captain Hook, who was so formidable in the previous volume, is here diminished to a subplot. It is a little difficult to keep track of the events of the story, but there is still so much to love.

            As with the first book, Peter And The Shadow Thieves is illustrated in the expressive and impressive style of Greg Call. I very much enjoyed turning the page and finding a gorgeous interpretation of events. I also fell in love with his darling depiction of Tinker Bell.

            If you enjoyed Peter And The Starcatchers, you simply must read Peter And The Shadow Thieves. I award it four gears out of five. The canny reader will also pick out the clever cameo of a certain author named James, whose last name rhymes with ‘Perry.’

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Peter And The Starcatchers

Peter And The Starcatchers: A Penny Dreadful Review

            Have you every wondered how Peter Pan got to Neverland? Ever wondered how he met Captain Hook? Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson know. They wrote a book about it and called it Peter And The Starcatchers.

            Peter is an orphan bound for servitude to the evil King Zarboff the Third. Sailing on the same ship as Peter, a ship which is called the Never Land, is ambassador’s daughter Molly Aster, and a mysterious trunk. A terrifying pirate called Black Stache, after his gorgeous facial hair,  has heard of the great treasure in the trunk, and will stop at nothing to obtain it.

This book also features some excellent illustrations by Greg Call. I dearly love an illustrated book. I feel pictures add so much. Here, they are exciting and beautiful. I think Black Stache’s luxurious facial hair grows longer and sleeker with each illustration.

This book is intended for a young adult audience, but it is so clever and magical that anyone can enjoy it. It would also be an excellent choice for reading aloud, so parents could share it with children who might struggle with a tale of this length. There’s a lot of humor and much potential for silly voices.

I highly recommend this new take on an old story. Peter And The Starcatchers is a great book. I rate it at five gears out of five. I shall treasure and reread my copy forever.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather