Product Description

The first-ever authorized sequel to J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan!

In August 2004 the Special Trustees of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, who hold the copyright in Peter Pan, launched a worldwide search for a writer to create a sequel to J. M. Barrie's timeless masterpiece. Renowned and multi award-winning English author Geraldine McCaughrean won the honor to write this official sequel, Peter Pan in Scarlet. Illustrated by Scott M. Fischer and set in the 1930s, Peter Pan in Scarlet takes readers flying back to Neverland in an adventure filled with tension, danger, and swashbuckling derring-do!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #489146 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The product of a contest commissioned by trustees at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, owner of the copyright to J.M. Barrie's original Peter Pan, this authorized sequel largely succeeds in entertaining fans of the classic. Curry offers an easy, comfortable pace and somewhat subdued tone for this outing, seemingly taking great care to introduce listeners to new characters (Fireflyer, a male fairy) and reacquaint them with old ones (Wendy and John Darling, Peter). As the central plot unfolds—a return by the League of Pan to Neverland, and their treasure-hunting adventures there with Peter—Curry particularly delights in giving voice to Ravello, a tattered lion tamer and dramatically obsequious fellow who offers to assist the crew and who has a hilarious, hard-to-place foreign accent. Slightly darker and a bit harder to follow than its predecessor (also new on audio; see notes), McCaughrean's follow-up, sparked here by Curry's solid performance—is sure to prove irresistible for many. All ages. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 5 Up–In this sequel to J. M. Barrie's Peter and Wendy (first published in 1911), the grown-up Lost Boys suffer from bad dreams leaking out of Neverland that result in cutlasses, pistols, pirate eye-patches, and other things appearing under their pillows. After a living crocodile shows up in the Gentleman's Club of the former Lost Boys, Wendy realizes that something is very wrong and that they must return to Neverland. In order to become young again, they wear their own children's clothes and obtain fairy dust for flying, and set off to heal it. However, when they reunite with Peter Pan, they forget their original mission and become caught up in the wild joys of his imaginative adventures. After they find Captain Hook's abandoned boat with a map to hidden treasure, Peter Pan dons Hook's second-best suit of scarlet and takes command of the ship. The League is accompanied by Fireflyer, an impudent, ravenous fairy with an astounding capacity for telling lies, and Ravello, a charming but ominous circus man who seems to be made entirely of snarled bits of yarn. As they travel closer to Neverpeak, where the treasure allegedly is buried, the menaces surrounding their quest escalate to the point where the League members become unsure of one another's true nature and loyalty. McCaughrean captures the excitement of the original story without the overly precious Victorian glorification of childhood. Wendy and the former Lost Boys are developed characters (with a welcome surprise of a gender-change that's believable within the scope of the story). Even Peter Pan, who struggles to remain as brash and carefree as he ever was, is not immune to change and consequences. Pen-and-ink illustrations add to the enjoyment of the story.–Farida S. Dowler, Mercer Island Library, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Geraldine McCaughrean's gorgeously wrought sequel to J.M. Barrie's PETER PAN opens as Wendy and company return to Neverland and find it changed, fading and autumnal. Along with familiar characters, listeners meet fairy Fireflyer, who's desperately proud of being a whopping liar, and the enigmatic (and sinister?) circus master Ravello in his great woolen garment. Tim Curry is understated, subtle but not subdued, and his care highlights McCaughrean's wordsmithing and lets her storytelling shine. Curry clearly relishes Ravello's mysterious tones as well as Peter's jubilant "Cock-a doodle-dooooo!", and he narrates the rest with wonder, joy, or menace as appropriate. Listeners of all ages will find this to be a splendid, timeless adventure. J.M.D. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

To call this dreadful, would be a compliment. Ugh.
To start with, yes- I do love the book 'Peter Pan', the beloved classic written by James Barrie. It is well deserved in it's fame, full of bright characters with a tinge of mystery around Peter, leaving the reader with a confused love/hate emotion about him. However, there are definitely no confused feelings here. The reader can most decidedly hate this 'Peter Pan in scarlet.' To give the author credit, her writing style did slightly resemble J.M. Barrie's, but either it was too much, or not enough.
WARNING: May contain spoilers

1. The "villain"...if you can call him that. Surprise, surprise, James Hook is back, despite the fitting and final ending given him by Barrie. Our new author raises him from the dead. If that weren't bad enough, she does it in the worst, and most laughable way possible. It is unbelievable and does not fit in with the world of Neverland at all. The entire time I was reading the story, I knew right when he appeared that it was Jas. Hook, though the writer was obviously trying to conceal that fact. To top it all off, Hook is thinly, may I say VERY thinly, veiled as a demented circus ringleader, with a raggedy scar-crow like outfit, something everyone knows the classy Hook wouldn't be caught DEAD in, so to speak. But to me, the biggest problem with Hook returning from the dead was that his ending in the original 'Peter Pan' was so final, you can clearly see Barrie did not intend for his rising again. So, simply put, could this author really not come up with another villain? She came back with the original characters, but this book is a SEQUEL, not the original, so she was given room to expand if she could. Obviously, she couldn't.
2. Our "hero"...again, if you can call him that. Peter Pan gave me mixed feeling in his original story, which is no doubt what Barrie wanted. Peter Pan is cocky, yet child-like, mysterious, yet simple. Here, we see a pathetic remake of our main character. Peter Pan in this story is very unlovable, it makes you WANT him to die. Cruel and proud, I could hardly bear to read the rest of his story. I don't know what Geraldine was trying to accomplish, but here she scraps the true Peter Pan for someone, or something, awful.
3. Marketing. Aside from the incredibly horrible story, the buyer is required to pay a high price in bookstores, compared to other paper-backs. Every time I have seen it, it was $13.99. The book is not very thick, and the cover not too impressive. What it comes across as, is someone grabbing the cash cow from the famous names of Peter Pan and J. M. Barrie. For your information, yes. I do know about the Children's Hospital and etc. But this book is NOT worth the price slapped on it. I would gladly welcome a sequel to Peter Pan, but this is not it.

Returning to Neverland
For this return to Neverland
They had to pick the best
And Geraldine McCaughrean
Proved better than the rest

To fill the mighty Barrie shoes
She had to dig down deep
And so she found the old Lost Boys
And plagued them in their sleep

Wendy Darling, John and Nibs
Tootles, the Twins and Curly
Even Slightly soon confessed
Their dreams were whirly-twirly

It seems the world was then at war
This threw things out of whack
If things weren't right in Neverland
Then they had to go back

They had to find some fairy dust
And change the way they dressed
Then on to thinking happy thoughts
Let magic do the rest

They saw the place had changed a bit
And soon found Peter Pan
Now dressed in autumn's ruddy hues
And still not yet a man

Soon he leads them on a quest
To find a pirate's loot
Along the way he changes spots
And dons a snazzy suit

There's much excitement on the way
They meet a ragged man
Who seems to know a lot of things
And worships Peter Pan

The treasure that they're searching for
Fulfills their fondest dreams
And then with skilful authoring
She undoes all the seams

Injecting humor in the tale
That Barrie never would
This one's a treat for young and old
And really pretty good

So if your youngster says to you
"I'm off to Neverland"
Make him take off his sparkly glove
And put this in his hand


Rated: 4.5 stars


Amanda Richards

To Neverland on a Great Adventure! Fly, Peter Fly!
Geraldine McCaughrean has created a fantastic sequal for all of us who believe in NeverLand! In this wonderful follow-up to Peter Pan, we are taken back to Neverland, where there is great adventure waiting Peter and his crew of familiar and unfamiliar cast. However, Neverland is a bit darker and more dangerous than what Peter first experienced, and the challanges he faces is much more than what he expects! From one adventure to another, readers of all sorts will completely cherish this wonderful book that picks up in rythem and beat from the initial story about the young boy who never wanted to grow up. I can simply say that the world at large has waited for THIS book written by THIS author. Ms. McCaughrean has done an amazing job in creating a sequeal that is as much a continuation as it is a new adventure. Peter Pan in Scarlet is a must read for every person who reads. Take flight and let your imagination soar . . . and fly with Peter Pan!