Growing up, Peter Pan was one of my favorite fairy tale classics. I remember having a well-thumbed Little Golden Book of the Disney cartoon, which was also a great favorite of mine. I also remember playing Peter Pan with my younger brother — he was Michael, I was Wendy, and we had an imaginary Peter Pan. I would sprinkle some baby powder around us then we would romp about pretending to fly, chorusing, “second star to the right and straight on ’til morning!”
When I was in second grade, I also faithfully watched Saban’s The Adventures of Peter Pan (Peter Pan No Boken), which came on every morning at ten-thirty. It was a great series with lots of little stories, but I really loved the character of Luna, the princess of darkness and the scary elements her story added to the cartoon. I was so obsessed with the cartoon that my mom bought me the Peter Pan book by Apple Classics, and I read it from cover to cover in one sitting.
Steven Spielberg’s “Hook” is also another favorite from childhood. I really loved Tinkerbell in this movie, especially when she says to Peter, “You know that place between sleep and awake? That place where you still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you, Peter Pan. That’s where I’ll be waiting.” Aww…
Anyway, this love for Peter Pan drew me to Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s retelling of the classic story of the boy who never grows old, starting with Peter and the Starcatchers (book #107 for 2009).