Peter and the Secret of Rundoon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

First edition
Author	Dave Barry Ridley Pearson
Illustrator	Greg Call
Country	United States
Language	English
Publisher	Hyperion Books
Publication date	October 2007
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	482 (hardcover edition)
ISBN	0-7868-3788-8
OCLC	104641169
LC Class	PZ7.B278 Pde 2007
Preceded by	Peter and the Shadow Thieves
Followed by	Peter and the Sword of Mercy

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon is an exciting children's novel published in 2007. It was written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. This book is a new take on the classic Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up story by J. M. Barrie. It tells the adventures of an orphan named Peter.

The book was illustrated by Greg Call. It is the third book in the popular Peter and the Starcatchers series. It follows Peter and the Starcatchers (2004) and Peter and the Shadow Thieves (2006). When it first came out, people thought it would be the last book. But in 2008, the authors announced a fourth book, Peter and the Sword of Mercy.

Story of Peter's Adventure

The story begins at Stonehenge, a famous stone circle. Here, the evil Lord Ombra was thought to be destroyed in the last book. But he is not gone! He is very weak, but he uses his power to control others. He slowly gathers his strength to return to Rundoon.

Meanwhile, a group of fierce warriors, the Scorpion tribe, plans to attack Mollusk Island. Peter warns his friend, Fighting Prawn, the leader of the Mollusks. Fighting Prawn gets ready for war. But the Scorpion tribe is too strong. The Mollusks are forced to give up and become slaves.

Molly's Discovery and Peter's Danger

Far away, Molly Aster and her friend George Darling travel to Oxford. They find important clues about Peter's parents. These clues suggest that Peter is in great danger. Lord Ombra and his shadow creatures want to capture Peter. They believe he can help their evil plans.

Lord Aster, Molly's father, sails to Mollusk Island. He wants to warn and protect Peter. He does not know that Molly and George have secretly hidden on his ship.

Peter is hurt by the Scorpions. Then, Captain Hook and the Lost Boys kidnap him. But soon, Lord Ombra captures all of them. They are taken to Rundoon. There, they are thrown into the dark dungeons of King Zarboff III. King Zarboff is a cruel and proud ruler. He works with the shadow beings.

The Rescue Mission

Tinker Bell joins Lord Aster on a rescue mission. But King Zarboff's men capture Lord Aster. Tink flies back to the ship to warn Molly and George. She finds them trying to steal a camel! The camel's owners are chasing them.

Tink tells Molly to use the special starstuff in her locket. This starstuff makes the camel fly! Molly, George, and Tink escape. They then find Peter, Lord Aster, and Bakari on their flying camel.

King Zarboff's Plan and the Flying Ship

King Zarboff reveals his terrible plan. He wants to shoot rockets into space to make starstuff fall to Earth. His first try works! He plans another launch. He will use the new starstuff to send the rocket even farther.

But King Zarboff does not know the shadow beings' true goal. They want the second rocket to tear a hole in the universe. This would make everything disappear! It is up to Peter to stop the rocket from reaching its destination.

By chance, a huge amount of starstuff falls onto a ship. George and the Lost Boys had stolen this ship. The starstuff makes the ship float in the air! Captain Hook skillfully steers the flying ship. The whole group returns to Mollusk Island. There, Shining Pearl, Fighting Prawn's daughter, has teamed up with the pirates. They are fighting back against the Scorpion invaders.

The End of the Adventure

The book ends with the original Lost Boys deciding to go back to London with Leonard. They are growing up and miss city life. Some new boys, who were slaves of King Zarboff, decide to become the new Lost Boys. Molly and Peter share a kiss. Then, they go their separate ways.

Main Characters in the Story

Many characters in "Peter and the Secret of Rundoon" appeared in earlier books. But some new characters were added for this adventure.

• Peter
  • Peter was exposed to magical starstuff. This means he will never grow old and can fly forever.
  • He is thought to be the lost son of Mr. Pan (also known as Mr. Starr). Mr. Pan was a "watcher" for the Starcatchers.
  • Peter's parents mysteriously disappeared. He was sent to an orphanage called St. Norbert's.
  • Other mysterious beings are looking for Peter. They believe he can help them predict a big event called the Fall.
  • Peter's guardian is Tinker Bell, a tiny fairy or "birdwoman." She is very protective of Peter.
  • Peter clearly likes Molly Aster, which makes Tinker Bell a bit jealous.

• Tinker Bell
  • Tinker Bell is a fairy. She was created when Lord Aster put a bird in a bag of starstuff.
  • She is Peter's guardian. She calls herself a "bird-girl" and prefers "birdwoman" over "fairy."
  • She is very protective of Peter. She dislikes it when Peter pays attention to other girls.
  • Tinker Bell can be rude and grumpy. Only Peter and Lord Aster can understand her tinkling language. They often change what she says to protect their friends' feelings.
  • She can make a very bright light. This helps Peter many times against Lord Ombra. But it often makes her very tired or even faint.

• Molly Aster
  • Molly is the daughter of the great Starcatcher, Leonard Aster. She returns for this book.
  • Her father explains about Mr. Starr's disappearance. Molly then sets out with her friend George Darling to solve the mystery.
  • All the clues point to Peter. Molly and George secretly board a ship to Mollusk Island to help Peter.
  • At the end of the book, Molly kisses Peter. It is clear she is growing up faster than he is.
  • It seems Molly grows up to marry George Darling. She becomes the mother of Wendy, John, and Michael. In J. M. Barrie's Peter and Wendy, Wendy's mother is named Mary Darling. Molly is a common nickname for Mary.

• Lost Boys
  • The original Lost Boys are James, Thomas, Prentiss, and Tubby Ted. They were orphans from St. Norbert's Home.
  • James leads the group when Peter is not around.
  • Lord Ombra captures the Lost Boys and Peter. They are taken to Rundoon.
  • At the end of the book, they decide to return to England. They are growing up and miss civilization.
  • Slightly, Curly, Tootles, Nibs, and the Twins become the new Lost Boys. They are the Lost Boys from the original Peter Pan stories.

• Captain Hook
  • Captain Hook was once known as Black Stache. He is a dirty, messy pirate.
  • He is the captain of the ship called the "Jolly Roger."
  • Peter cut off his left hand. He replaced it with a bent dagger shaped like a hook, which gave him his new name.
  • Hook is annoyed by Peter's constant teasing. He kidnaps the Lost Boys. But then Lord Ombra's squids capture him.
  • He helps the Starcatchers fight King Zarboff's soldiers. He also steers the flying ship back to the island. He does this only for his own benefit.
  • Unlike Barrie's Hook, this Hook is a less important and often funny villain.
  • Fighting Prawn's people allow the pirates to exist. This is because they are not very good pirates and pose little danger.

• Lord Ombra
  • Lord Ombra is the main villain in this novel. He is Peter's biggest enemy.
  • He moves like liquid. He makes a cold feeling come over anyone near him.
  • He can steal shadows or control people to read their thoughts.
  • Ombra is afraid of light. But light also helps him capture shadows.
  • He is one of a group of alien shadow beings. They are enemies of life. They control human "Others" for their own plans.
  • In Peter and the Shadow Thieves, Lord Ombra seemed to be destroyed by a bright flash of light. He broke into millions of tiny shadows.
  • But in this book, we learn he was not destroyed, only weakened. He is slowly getting stronger.
  • The name Ombra comes from the French word for "shadow."
  • He is further weakened on the rocket used by the "Others" to collect starstuff from space.
  • He is never fully killed in any of the books.

• Captain Nerezza
  • Nerezza is the captain of the ship Le Fantome. He is one of the "Others" who wants starstuff for selfish reasons.
  • Nerezza takes Lord Ombra from England to the land of Rundoon.

• George Darling
  • George is Molly's friend from London. He will grow up to be the father of Wendy, John, and Michael.
  • George clearly has feelings for Molly. He gets very jealous of Peter, which Molly finds amusing.
  • He is careful but very loyal. He refuses to let Molly go into danger alone.
  • George is also very smart. His knowledge of stars and ships is very helpful in this book.

• Lord Leonard Aster and Lady Louise Aster
  • Molly's parents are Leonard and Louise Aster. They live in a large house near Kensington Gardens.
  • Molly's father is secretly one of the greatest Starcatchers.
  • He protects the children but also relies on their help.

• Bakari
  • Bakari is a friendly Starcatcher. He knows people in Rundoon.
  • He goes with Lord Aster on his journey across the desert.
  • Lord Ombra temporarily takes his shadow.

• Smee
  • Smee is Captain Hook's first mate. He is not very smart.
  • He becomes captain after Hook goes missing.
  • He admits he is not a good pirate because he does not like to hurt anyone.

• King Zarboff III
  • King Zarboff III is the evil King of the Temple. He wants to fly.
  • His own pet snake, Kundalini, slowly eats him.

• Kundalini
  • Kundalini is King Zarboff III's pet snake. He eats men.
  • He eventually swallows his master.

• Mr. Glotz
  • Mr. Glotz is a scientist who works for King Zarboff.
  • He builds rockets to shoot down stars so King Zarboff can collect starstuff.
  • What happened to him after the novel is unknown.

• Franklin
  • Franklin is a monkey from the temple. He was trained to pilot the rocket.
  • He becomes friends with Tinker Bell in the novel.
  • He steers the rocket that could have torn a hole in the universe.

• The Mollusk Tribe
  • These are the people who live on Mollusk Island.
  • The Scorpion Tribe attacks them. They are forced to give up their island.
  • They become slaves and must work for the Scorpions.
  • The Mollusk warriors and most of Hook's pirates are forced to work in a cave. They crack lava stones to find diamonds.

• Shining Pearl
  • Shining Pearl is the daughter of Fighting Prawn, the Mollusk Tribe leader.
  • She escapes from the Scorpions. She gets help from Smee and other pirates who missed the attack.
  • She is like Tiger Lily from Barrie's original stories, but with some differences.

• The Scorpion Tribe
  • This is a very dangerous tribe from the seas.
  • Men become warriors only if they can hold a poisonous jellyfish on their back for one minute without moving or crying out.
  • Each member has a jellyfish scar on his back.
  • They put poison on their arrowheads to hurt their prey.
  • A huge group of Scorpion warriors invades Mollusk Island.
  • The leader of the Scorpions is eventually swallowed by Mister Grin.

• Mister Grin
  • Mister Grin is a giant crocodile that lives on Mollusk Island. He loves to eat human flesh, especially Captain Hook's.
  • He accidentally swallows a clock.
  • He swallows the leader of the Scorpions near the end of the novel.

• Slightly, Curly, Tootles, Nibs and the Twins/New Lost Boys
  • These boys were from St. Norbert's orphanage. Peter knew them when he was an orphan.
  • They were sent to Rundoon as slaves. Peter meets them again in Rundoon.
  • Slightly has been there so long that he speaks Rundoon's language.
  • After James, Thomas, Prentiss, and Tubby Ted leave for England, these boys become the new Lost Boys.
  • These are the Lost Boys from the original Peter Pan play.

• Herky and Boggs
  • Herky and Boggs are two pirates. They help Mr. Smee and Shining Pearl fight the Scorpion Tribe.
  • Herky becomes Smee's unofficial second-in-command.
  • Boggs is a scout and spy who can only count to thirty-nine.
  • These two also appear briefly in Sword of Mercy.