By J.M. Barrie

This is a book that is one of the books that I have no memory of when it was first read to me. As a child, I had a chapter book, a picture book and an audio drama on tape. I will be including photos from that picture book because they are pretty.

Also, for the layout of the next few weeks, I will review Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Peter Pan in Scarlett, Peter Pan the Disney movie and finally the 2003 live-action Peter Pan movie.

“Peter Pan, a boy who refuses to grow up, takes the Darling children, Wendy, John, and Michael, to the magical Neverland. There, they encounter Peter’s band of Lost Boys, the mischievous fairy Tinkerbell, and the fearsome Captain Hook. Together, they embark on adventures, face dangers, and learn about friendship, bravery, and the bittersweet nature of growing up. Wendy eventually realises she must return home, but not before Peter faces off against Hook and the children experience the wonders and challenges of Neverland.”

For the spoiler-free review:  how many people are reading this without knowing anything about this book? Anyway, if you have never read this book, it is a classic story about pirates, fairies, and never growing up. But also, why do children need to grow up? One slight warning, this is a book that is very much of its time, by which I mean, the natives are referred to as Red Skins.

I have three things I need to talk about.

Firstly, as a kid, when I would imagine myself in the story, I saw myself as Wendy. Looking back, Wendy got a raw deal. She gets told about mermaids and pirates, but all she is is a mother to the Lost Boys. There are whole days when she never goes above ground. It doesn’t seem fair. But then again, she never seems to complain.

Secondly, Peter Pan. Throughout this, the boy doesn’t seem to care about the others around him. This is probably because he will never grow up. Children of a certain age don’t realise that other people matter. An example is the fact that when they are flying to Neverland, John and Michael would fall asleep and then fall out of the sky. Peter saved them, but it is seen as a game rather than saving a life.

Thirdly, the violence in this book. So for anyone who hasn’t read the book in a while, there is quite a lot of violence in this book.  When Peter and the Darlings, Peter offers John a chance to murder a pirate, which is not the only time he goes off and commits murder off-page. It goes without saying that when we meet Hook and the narrator kills off one of the pirates. I find it interesting that in this classic children’s book the hero murders just as much as the villain.

Thank you for joining me, and I hope you will join me next week. Until next time.

Happy reading to all and to all a goodnight.