Peter and the Starcatchers facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Dave Barry Ridley Pearson |
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| Illustrator | Greg Call |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Hyperion Books for Children |
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Publication date
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2004 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 452 (hardcover edition) |
| ISBN | 0-7868-5445-6 |
| OCLC | 56111836 |
| LC Class | PZ7.B278 Pe 2004 |
| Followed by | Peter and the Shadow Thieves |
Peter and the Starcatchers is an exciting adventure novel for young readers. It was published in 2004 by Hyperion Books, which is part of Disney. The book was written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, with pictures by Greg Call. This story gives a fresh look at the famous character Peter Pan, who was first created by J. M. Barrie in his book Peter and Wendy. While some people think it's a prequel, it's actually a brand new story that re-imagines Peter Pan's world with different character backgrounds and a unique setting.
This book is the first in a series. It is followed by four more exciting adventures: Peter and the Shadow Thieves (2006), Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (2007), Peter and the Sword of Mercy (2009), and The Bridge to Neverland (2011). There are also Never Land chapter books for even younger readers, which are based on these novels.
Contents
The Story Begins: A Mysterious Trunk
The story starts in 19th-century London. An orphan boy named Peter and his friends, James, Thomas, Prentiss, and Tubby Ted, are sent away on a very old ship called the Never Land. The ship is led by First Mate Slank and the very clumsy Captain Cyrus Pembridge. A strange trunk is also on board. It looks just like another trunk that the Royal Guard put on a different ship, Her Majesty's Wasp. Meanwhile, the scary pirate Black Stache, captain of the Sea Devil, hears about the trunk on the Wasp. He believes it holds the greatest treasure ever and plans to steal it.
A Race for Treasure
To catch the Wasp, the Sea Devil gets rid of a lot of its weight. Peter and the orphans try to get used to their small living space. Peter meets Molly Aster, a girl his age who is also a passenger. One night, while looking for food, Peter finds himself near the guarded trunk. He meets a flying rat there! Molly helps him escape from crew members who come to check on the noise. Stories about the flying rat spread, making Peter and a crew member named Alf wonder what's inside the trunk.
The Sea Devil catches the Wasp. Molly's father, Leonard Aster, who is protecting the trunk, tries to escape but fails. Black Stache opens the trunk, but it only contains sand! Both he and Aster realize that the real treasure was swapped at the port. It's actually on the Never Land. Aster jumps overboard and escapes with his dolphin friends. A dolphin named Ammm goes to warn Molly that Black Stache is coming. Molly stops Peter and Alf from trying to open the trunk. She tells Peter that the trunk holds Starstuff. This is a magical dust from the sky that made the rat fly.
The Starcatchers' Secret Mission
Molly's family belongs to a secret group called the Starcatchers. They find Starstuff when it falls and keep it from falling into the wrong hands. The Starstuff in this trunk is from the biggest fall ever. A rival group, the Others, found it before the Starcatchers could. Molly asks Peter to help her throw the trunk overboard before Black Stache arrives.
Black Stache and his crew rename the Wasp the Jolly Roger. They race through a huge storm to catch the Never Land and get the treasure. Peter tries to get rid of the trunk with Molly, but Slank throws him overboard. Just as Black Stache arrives, he finds the trunk on the deck as the storm hits. Peter, who touched the Starstuff, can now fly! He flies back and throws the trunk overboard. Black Stache quickly leaves, taking Slank, sailor Little Richard, and Molly's governess as prisoners. Molly jumps into the water to save Peter as his flying power fades. Alf and the orphans escape the Never Land as the storm destroys it. Everyone, including the trunk, washes up on a nearby island. The Jolly Roger is close behind.
Adventures on the Island
Alf, James, Prentiss, Thomas, Tubby Ted, and Peter are soon captured by the local people, called the Mollusks. Black Stache and his large group search the island for the trunk. They leave the ship almost empty. Slank and Little Richard escape the Jolly Roger, overpower the remaining pirates, and also search for the trunk. The Mollusks, led by Fighting Prawn, decide to feed the group to Mister Grin. Mister Grin is a very large crocodile kept in a cage. This is what they do with strangers.
Molly saves them with some extra Starstuff. This allows the group and Mister Grin to fly out of the cage, causing a lot of panic among the Mollusks and pirates. Slank and Little Richard eventually find the trunk. They fight Mermaids (fish that became mermaids after touching Starstuff from the leaky trunk). They trick the pirates and knock Peter out. Mermaids rescue Peter and heal him because he helped one of them who was hurt by Slank.
The Final Showdown
With help from Ammm, the group attacks Slank and Little Richard. They almost win, but Slank grabs Molly. He reveals that he works with the Others, who are enemies of the Starcatchers. The Others want the Starstuff for themselves. Slank confirms that the trunk of Starstuff was meant for the Wasp. Both ships were headed to Rundoon, where the Starstuff was to be given to the bad King Zarboff III. The boys were supposed to become palace servants. Slank and Little Richard take Molly hostage on their small boat to escape with the trunk. But Peter rescues Molly. It is then revealed that Peter had already taken the box of Starstuff out of the trunk! He and Molly leave Slank and Little Richard to drift out to sea.
Aster and a group of Starcatchers soon arrive on the island with British Navy ships. Aster realizes that Peter should have died when he touched the Starstuff. But Peter has a very high tolerance for it. He stops aging forever and can now fly permanently. The Mollusks and pirates gather, and a fight begins. Fighting Prawn is badly hurt. Peter manages to cut off Black Stache's hand, which Mister Grin eats. As the pirates run away, Peter uses the Starstuff from Aster's locket to save Fighting Prawn. Fighting Prawn spares the group. He allows Molly, Aster, Alf, and the Starcatchers to leave the island with the now-safe box of Starstuff. He lets Peter, James, Thomas, Prentiss, and Tubby Ted stay on the island. Peter feels he wouldn't fit in with society anymore. As he and Molly say goodbye, Aster uses Starstuff to turn a local bird into a fairy, Tinker Bell, to watch over Peter. Peter promises to visit London soon. He and the boys begin to live on the island. The story ends with Peter finding a washed-up piece of wood with the name Never Land on it. He decides to call the island by that name, though the sequels still call it Mollusk Island.
How This Story Is Different from Peter Pan
Peter and the Starcatchers and its sequels are sometimes called "prequels" to Peter and Wendy. However, this series is actually a completely new version of the story. It "borrows" Peter and other characters but creates its own world. There are many differences between the Starcatchers series and the original Peter Pan stories. For example, the way magic works is very different from anything J. M. Barrie wrote. In this series, there is no age limit on using magic. Also, beings cannot be saved from death just by wishes or kind gestures. Most of these differences are shown in the first book of the series.
Film Plans
On May 17, 2012, Walt Disney Pictures announced that a movie version of the novel would be made. It was also reported that Jesse Wigutow would write the script. On August 20, 2012, Gary Ross, the director of The Hunger Games, agreed to direct the film. Filming was expected to start in 2013. As of 2021, no further updates on the movie have been shared.
