Summer 2005 Review

    Of course we all know the story of Peter Pan, but what about the original? That is just what this book is.  It begins with Mr. and Mrs. Darling heading out for a grand party. Again, we all know that they owned a dog, known as Nana, who was the nanny for the children, and she was banished from the house for being loved so much. During this particular night, Peter Pan was in search of his shadow. He found it in the Darling household, where he woke up Wendy, and their journey began to Neverland. Now, back in Neverland, everyone was jumpy. When Peter left it was never the same, but the fairies always knew when he was coming back. So then the lost boys knew, the pirates knew, the redskins knew, and so on and so forth. Everyone knew, and they were all after each other. The lost boys were after Peter, the pirates were after the lost boys, the redskins were after the wild animals and the pirates, the wild animals were after the redskins, and the famous crocodile after the pirates. Everything went as it did in the movie that most of us are familiar with, but the Darling siblings spent years at Neverland, never wanting to go home. Until the lost boys and Peter Pan were bothered once more by the pirates. On the way home, the Darlings and the lost boys were captured by the pirates, and the poison put at Peter's bed side. Tink drank the poison, and Peter got mad at her, until he realized she was dying. He was so happy Tink saved his life, but he grieved that there was nothing to do to save Tink. Finally she whispered, I will live if all the children in the world clapped their hands. Peter told the children to clap there hands, louder and louder, and tink slowly started to revive. When Tink had regained strength, she brought Peter to the pirate ship. There he snuck into the cabin and killed all the pirates who walked in. Last, after all the pirates were dead, except for Hook, Pan took his chance to kill Hook. Then Hook freaked out because the crocodile made his way over to the ship. Hook jumped over the side of the ship, and went to the crocodile. Pan flew the lost boys, and the Darlings back home, but purposely lost them on the way, so that Wendy would always live with him in Neverland, and stay his mother. Peter just could not do that though, eventually, the Darlings arrived home and introduced the lost boys to their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Darling accepted the boys into their house hold, and everyone grew up, and everyone forgot about Neverland, and Peter, except for one. Wendy remembered, because Peter was supposed to go and get her the first week of Spring every year to spring clean his home, but he forgot, until Wendy was grown.

        I really enjoyed this book, but I found it a little hard to get into. First, there were so many different things than there were in the movie, and there was so much detail, it got a little boring. Although I have to say, the ending was better than I expected. I also found it enjoyable to read a children's book. I would recommend this book for people in grades four to tenth. 

~ Ashley Aldan, grade 7, Boardman Center Middle School 

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