Peter and the Shadow Thieves (Peter and the Starcatchers, #2) by Dave Barry

Peter and the Shadow Thieves (Peter and the Starcatchers, #2) Reviews

• 
  Molly Jo

  This book, like the one before it, was absolutely delightful! I read it in an effort to take a small angst vacation. Peter Pan is my all time favorite children's story/ fairy tale, so these books are right up my alley. In this one, we are starting to see Peter struggle with the fact that the other Lost Boys are growing up, as is Molly, but Peter never will. I'm interested to see how Barry and Pearson will develop this part of the storyline, because in J. M Barrie's book, the Lost Boys are children forever. Just like Peter.
  
  I have to say that George Darling irritated the snot out of me at times. He's very pretentious and doesn't like Peter at all. Peter pretty much hates George, too. Molly tries to keep George at arms length with the situation as much as she can, but he forces himself into the situation despite her efforts. Also, it becomes clear that Molly and Peter need George's aid and resources, no matter how much Peter tries to deny it! Molly tries not to show favoritism when it comes to the boys, but does have a wonderful moment when she puts George in his place after he crosses a line with his assessment of Peter.
  
  I'm interested to see how the situation with Peter and the Lost Boys will develop. Will Thomas, Tubby Ted, James and Prentiss be renamed as Tootles, Slightly and the other Lost Boys we know and love? Where are the Twins? How and when will the Lost Boys stop aging, like Peter? And when will we first hear "Second star to the right and straight on til morning"?
• 
  Sjors

  I love this series! I'm a huge Peter Pan fan and this take on the classic story is awesome.
  Part 2 really managed to expand the world of Pan and works as a perfect prequel to beloved story by J.M Barrie. Really looking forward to the next chapter!
• 
  Lori

  I actually liked this offering better than the first book in this series, Peter and the Starcatchers! The pirate, "Black Stache" returns with his new moniker, Captain Hook. Slank returns to Mollusk Island searching for "starstuff" with the villainous Lord Ombra and the adventure continues when Peter learns Molly and her family are in danger.
  
  Failing to locate the coveted "starstuff" on the island, Lord Ombra sets sail for England with two stowaways; Peter and Tinker Bell, who hide themselves on his ship. Once in England, Peter has no end of trials and tribulations in his attempts to locate and warn the Aster family. There are many page-turning kidnappings and rescues, as well as troublesome mishaps which make it difficult to set this book aside. As a fan of the original, I deeply appreciated guest appearances by James Barrie and George Darling.
  
  I could quibble about a few things; Louise Aster could have dismissed Jenny from employment; I think the natives would have missed the Lost Boys after a few days and searched for them; but, all in all, I found this to be an enjoyable and suspenseful read. Four stars for this imaginative story!!
  
  
• 
  Ry

  It was an awesome book!!!!!!! Kinda scary at some parts, so I recommend previewing before giving it to younger readers, but it would be a great read-aloud (my mom read the first book in the series aloud)!
• 
  Abby

  Gosh this series is excellent
• 
  Cassandra

  My Thoughts - 5 out of 5 Unicorns - I loved it!!!
  ***Borrowed the audiobook CD’s from the library
  
  The cover is definitely reminds you of Peter Pan with the flying out the window scene :)
  
  I really like this series and so does my son. I know the library has the first 4 books in audio, so we will be borrowing them all to listen in the car.
  
  This is such a fun series with tons of adventure. My son and I love listening to it in the car before and after school. If I could nail my son down longer than this, we would listen to more of it each day but sadly I just don’t have the time. This is a long book with 9 CDs to listen to. I loved the whole thing. Peter is very courageous, but he tends to cause much trouble like any normal boy. Tink is a spit fire, and it is always humorous to listen to Peter’s translations of what she says to everyone. Of course, boys are in the story though they do not play as big of a part in this story as well as the Mullosk people. Molly is a major part of the story again, and she is just as brave as the last story though she definitely has some girl fits of temper in this story.
  
  I love how well the story is told by the authors. Their descriptions make the story easy to relate to, and I got pulled right into it.
  
  I highly recommend this series to adventuresome kids who would love a good story related to Peter Pan, but it is so unique and wonderful to listen or read. I have already recommended it to several students in the high school when the topic of Peter Pan came up during spirit week for fairy tale day. Well time to find something new :)
  
• 
  Katrina

  I read this whole giant thing in one sitting. I'm so in love with this version of Peter Pan that I didn't even realize I had spent over 5 hours reading this. There was so much adventure in this book, and a lot of new characters that helped make the story better, and it was such a good read. I love Peter so much, and it was really fun reading the scenes between him and Tinker Bell. I'm excited to read what happens in the next book, as there wasn't a cliffhanger at the end, so I'm no sure what to expect.
• 
  Kevin Wolcott

  I love this series!
• 
  Macjest

  The second book in the series was better than the first. This time Peter and Molly must help with the Return of the Starstuff. There was a cute Easter Egg featuring James Barrie. I had to put the book down for a while because it was just too long. Once I came back to it things finally picked up again.
• 
  Jayelee

  Doodleadoo good book
• 
  Brandon Miller

  This book wasn't fun like the first one, at least not on that same level. I didn't fall off the couch laughing or get funny looks as I chuckled to myself in the breakroom. But this book was better than the original in some ways. Better story, more tension, some unexpected emotions, fewer (seemingly) annoying villain POV scenes (at least in the second half of the book.) (Although I don't know that that counts because the villain POV scenes in both books are well written and rather entertaining.)
  
  OTHER HAPPY THOUGHTS:
  The authors did a great job with Tink. She's not as annoying and stuck up as she is in the original, but she's still very true to character.
  They met a Darling. Made me happy. But Peter bumped into a random guy named James Barrie. Made me more happy. And Mr. Barrie directed Peter "second to the right and straight on 'til..." which was the absolute best part of the book. So much happy.
  For a seemingly cheap fantasy cash grab of a prequel, this story does an amazing job of establishing setting. I don't know that I've ever felt like I was in London like I did while Peter was trekking through it.
  
  OTHER SAD THOUGHTS:
  Okay, so does everyone have to be jealous of everyone? I get it that Tink is jealous of every girl ever (it couldn't be any other way) but teacher is also jealous of someone at one point and so is Molly, and George, and even Peter. Could we all just not fall in love while we're still kids? (On the other hand, A+ for writing a really convincing awkward fourteen-year-old in George. Nailed it. Nerd.)
  I'd have liked to have seen some different personalities from the various villains. Hook is Slank is Nerezza. I thought Ombra would be different, but he wasn't really. I wanted him to be creepy and ominous and near silent but he ended up barking orders at everyone just like the rest of them. Some varied villains could have taken this book to the next level.
  
  As it was though, I really enjoyed this read. Sped through it in a day. No regrets. Can't wait to get to the rest of the series.
• 
  Mina Batra

  Just like the previous book, Peter and The Shadow-thieves was just a another made up backstory of Peter Pan. However... this book strayed away from the original Peter Pan story we all know and love, therefore it was more interesting to read!
• 
  Grace Davenport

  My brother Jude ( I’m reading this book to him and Truman now) was looking through the books I’ve read on here, and noticed I only gave this one four stars, and was shocked. He looked absolutely betrayed. He said I MUST make it five stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
  So, this is an updated rating from Jude ❤️
• 
  Kirsten Simkiss

  This series is absolutely charming. It's just the right amount of faithful to the original story and just the right amount original. It also doesn't belittle its readers for being young which I absolutely love. Nothing drives me crazy more than a book assuming the reader is unintelligent. This book is also setting up important building blocks to get to the story we all know and love, introducing George Darling, insinuating that perhaps Molly will be Wendy Darling's mother and that there's a future generation to come.
  
  I'm interested to see how things will develop with the Lost Boys on the island, seeing as they should be aging. Peter seems to be having more ease with realizing, "Oh, man. Everyone else is aging but me." It's a sobering thing for any immortal to come to terms with, let alone someone who's still a child in mind and body.
  
  I thought the book's concept for Lord Ombra, the villain, was pretty awesome to be honest. There may be nothing to fear but fear itself, but I feel like a living shadow should get an honorable mention. You knew from the title of the book what his skill set was going to be. I loved that he was more ghost than human, though I have a thousand questions as to how someone gets that way. Corrupted starstuff perhaps? I'm interested to see if we ever see more like him, though that might get to be a bit repetitive if we do. Still, Lord Ombra was a great villain.
  
  Also, props to the book for coming full circle at the end. That was a great return to normality chapter.
  
  Ultimately, I don't think you can get away with not reading the previous book before reading this one since they make a lot of references to it. However, it's totally worth reading, so I recommend it.
• 
  Elizabeth

  Not as strong as the first book in the series, but still an enjoyable ride!
  
  Instead taking place on the high seas and on an island, this time our story is mostly set in the foggy, cold streets of London. A creepy dark hooded figure is stealing people’s shadows and gaining control of them— and he wants Molly Aster and her mother next. So Peter sets out to rescue Molly.
  
  The tedious wait for the rescue was what made this book less enjoyable for me. Peter ran into trouble again and again in London, distracting him from his main goal. And the things and people he ran into didn’t add to the story at all. It was more like filler stuff and things to happen just for the sake of them happening. I thought maybe he would do something like save the children who were serving that awful man and take them back to Neverland with him or that Tink would rescue the monkey that dangled from the animal collector’s chain... but they just escaped from their captors and nothing good came from it. It was as if those parts existed in the story just to make something exciting happen.
  
  Anyway...
  
  I did enjoy the book— especially narrated by Jim Dale— and it’s a fun story to listen to on the road. I do think the first book is much stronger though.
• 
  Redfox5

  I have only very recently read the official sequel to the J.M Barrie, which wasn't that great and features a very unlikable Peter Pan, so I wasn't that excited about this when it come up on my tbr list.
  
  However I should have remember how awesome the first book was! I like this series so much better than the original Peter Pan books. Peter is actually likeable in this book and the supporting characters are ones you can get behind. The baddies are proper baddies, especially Lord Ombra who was pretty creepy.
  
  I enjoyed the change of scenery from Never Land to London. And I have a sneaky feeling Molly & George might end up being Wendy's parents.
  
  The book is also filled with lovely illustrations. This series will keep you 'Hooked' (see what I did there? ;) )
• 
  Camille Hoffmann

  A fun addition to the first one :). I like that they threw the original author (J.M. Barrie) in there, like a cameo :). I think I enjoyed this one a little more than the first one. Maybe it's because I knew the characters a little better, or maybe it's because Peter is a bit more mischievous and playful as we know him to be, or because we get to know Tinker Bell better and see her relationship with Peter. Regardless- it's another quick read about a fun twist on a classic story . I do wish there had been more with Captain Hook (Although the last page totally had me giggling haha :D ).
• 
  Jeffrey

  I’m reading this series out loud to my daughters at bedtimes. My eldest already read the first three but both are enjoying this run, as an I. This is a wonderful retelling of the Peter Pan story, providing additional depth and background to an already fun framework. It’s a fun read for this adult but very enjoyable for my 9 and 11 year olds.
• 
  Jane

  I do adore a good backstory, and Dave Barry and his co-authors provide just that for the Peter Pan saga. Favorite moment in this installment: when J.M. Barrie meets Peter in a dark London alley. He walks away musing, "Peter. That's a good name . . ."
• 
  Jonathan Black

  The sequel that checked all the boxes for me. This was a much darker, and spooky storyline. I especially loved my quiet discovery of how things in this series (prequel?) set you up for the story of Peter Pan we all know. I put in a good many hours reading this in 2-3 days, and couldn’t step away. Onward to book 3!
• 
  Rosa S

  Excellent! This was a bit more fast paced than the first book in the series. I love Tinker Bell's role in this story!
• 
  Jenny

  Another good installment of this series!
• 
  Daniel

  Fast-paced, super delicious fun!
• 
  Laura

  I loved this book! They hired a new editor, and I only saw one error. The storyline was fantastic and kept me turning page after page. If I hadn’t been travelling, I would have read it in a day.
• 
  Kathy Davie

  Second in the Peter and the Starcatchers children's fantasy-adventure series about a boy who will never grow up and can fly.
  
  
  The Story
  Peter has gotten just a bit too cocky on Never Land, teasing Captain Hook and the pirates when he's the only one who can fly. He's not setting a very good example as a leader and because of it, James gets caught by Hook and his crew. Rescuing James leaves the Mollusk peoples' compound unguarded which enables Lord Ombra to steal away Fighting Prawn's daughter, Shining Pearl.
  
  Two good things do come of this, however, Peter has learned that Lord Ombra does something to peoples' shadows and Lord Aster and his daughter, Molly, are in trouble. Peter must follow the ship back to London.
  
  And so Peter's adventures begin. Again. With an angry Tink's help, Peter makes it to London by stowing away on Le Fantome with yet more adventures upon arrival. Canaries. Jail and a cage. A prison escape. Rescue. A talking bear. Sneaking into the Tower. Saving the day.
  
  And don't think that Peter, Molly, and Tinker Bell are the only ones having all the fun! James, Thomas, Prentiss, and Tubby Ted are in for their own escapades between hide-outs and traps even as they eventually foil Captain Hook...nyah-ah-ahh...
  
  
  The Characters
  Peter is the obvious hero with a great deal of help from Tinker Bell...even if she is incredibly pissed off at him. Molly Aster is a strong supporting character even after they have to admit Molly's childhood friend, George Darling, from across the square into their plans when Molly's mother, Lady Louise Aster, is kidnapped. Lord Aster appears briefly in the beginning with a strong end while Fighting Prawn and the Mollusk people and Teacher play their part at the beginning of the story.
  
  The Lost Boys, James, Prentiss, Thomas, and Tubby Ted break up the main adventure with their own perils while the terrified antics of Captain Hook (the former Captain Black Stache), Smee, and the rest of the stranded pirate crew provide a striking resemblance to Dustin Hoffman and company from the movie Hook—I can just hear Hoffman's Hook crying out for Smee!
  
  Slank is back from Peter and the Starcatchers. Seems he had to eat his friend Little Richard to survive being marooned at sea! This is his last chance to make up for losing the starstuff in the first place. Captain Nerezza commands Le Fantome and he and his crew have been following that nutcase's delusional directions about that, surely, non-existent island for months! Then there's Lord Ombra. He's not a man, he's Other in every sense of the word and a chill follows his hooded and cloaked shape everywhere he goes. Ah, but he only goes anywhere at night when the light can be directed and the shadows are strongest.
  
  
  My Take
  A truly fantastical adventure of escapes and rescues flying across the ocean and amongst the chimney pots of London. Chim-chim-cherree anyone? Childhood fantasies of playing pirate, creating a hide-out, and general running amuckness await any reader young or old. Adults will enjoy the Peter Pan references while both will enjoy the thrill of adventure.
  
  Heck, mom and dad might want to turn it into a geography and historical lesson with Salisbury Plain and Stonehenge! Use the excitement generated by Barry and Pearson to really sink the message in.
  
  Quibbles: I should think both Barry and Pearson would know better than to refer to a Lord Aster and then call his wife, Mrs. Aster. I'm rather surprised the wolves didn't do a better job of sniffing out the ambushers. I also kept expecting Tink to talk to the ravens???
  
  For the most part, this is really, really well-written except for the extremely occasional slips into that patronizing tone when adults talk down to children. If you like Peter Pan, you'll love Peter and the Starcatchers.
  
  
  The Cover
  The cover seems straight from Peter Pan as Peter helps a nightgown-clad Molly out into a moonlit sky through the tall, open casement window, white sheers swaying with the breeze, just as Lord Ombra grabs for her hand. Lovely effective use of a blue-and-green hologram ink for Tink's trail swirling up from the floor and around Molly and Peter and then switching to the goldleaf hologram effect for the linework and text for the title and authors' names.
  
  As for the title, Barry and Pearson do refer, at the end, to more than one shadow thief, but almost the entire story surrounds just one and I think it would have been more appropriate to title it Peter and the Shadow Thief.
• 
  An0ther

  An excellent sequel to an excellent book, it is a simple adventure book that keeps you interested the whole way through. I stand by what I mean when I say this series is better than the original Peter Pan.
• 
  Ilan Khalid-Bossie

  Both of these books were good. As you can guess they're retellings of peter pan.
• 
  christine ✩

  ohoho George Darling...