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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Too fantastical and tragic. I really didn't like the moral of the story. And the narrative style made the action scenes seem detached and unexciting. I liked the Disney movie much better.
One thing that it did well was that some of the humor was actually funny. And Peter at times could be heroic (but most of the time was just a brat).
Overall, the book was sad and I didn't like it very much.
One thing that it did well was that some of the humor was actually funny. And Peter at times could be heroic (but most of the time was just a brat).
Overall, the book was sad and I didn't like it very much.
adventurous
lighthearted
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a fun story aside from the casual racism.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the film as a child so wanted to read the original. Despite being less than 250 pages, it is surprisingly dense and slightly different to what I remember from the Disney film:
1. It is much darker obviously, with explicit detail from the pirates about violence, outdated language in regards to the ‘redskins’ and the children are essentially missing in Neverland for days rather than just over one night.
2. There is more emphasis in the book that while Peter thinks everything is real, the Lost Boys KNOW it is make-believe (this makes sense when at the end, they return to London and grow up with the Darlings which doesn’t happen in the film). They talk explicitly about pretend food and seeing their mothers again which they reserve for when Peter isn’t around.
3. There is more focus on gender roles than I was expecting. While I knew Peter as the ‘boy who never grows up’, I didn’t realise Wendy was portrayed as so responsible and motherly. She enforces bedtimes and manners for the boys, comforts Peter when he’s having a nightmare and is called Mother by almost all characters, including pirates at times. She seems to be okay with taking on that role until Peter says it, suggesting romantic feelings for him rather than familial. There’s even a mention that both Tinkerbell and Tiger Lilly feel the same way as Wendy and want Peter to have real feelings for them too but he doesn’t.
Last but not least, 4. I found the narrator throughout the book to be really needed. Someone is telling you, the reader, the story of Peter Pan, the way that Mrs Darling told Wendy, who told Jane, who told her daughter... The narrator constantly shifts between correcting you on what is ‘real’ vs what is make believe. It doesn’t dumb down the story because it assumes children are reading or reduce the magic because adults are reading it to them. I can imagine reading this with my children one day and loving it.
1. It is much darker obviously, with explicit detail from the pirates about violence, outdated language in regards to the ‘redskins’ and the children are essentially missing in Neverland for days rather than just over one night.
2. There is more emphasis in the book that while Peter thinks everything is real, the Lost Boys KNOW it is make-believe (this makes sense when at the end, they return to London and grow up with the Darlings which doesn’t happen in the film). They talk explicitly about pretend food and seeing their mothers again which they reserve for when Peter isn’t around.
3. There is more focus on gender roles than I was expecting. While I knew Peter as the ‘boy who never grows up’, I didn’t realise Wendy was portrayed as so responsible and motherly. She enforces bedtimes and manners for the boys, comforts Peter when he’s having a nightmare and is called Mother by almost all characters, including pirates at times. She seems to be okay with taking on that role until Peter says it, suggesting romantic feelings for him rather than familial. There’s even a mention that both Tinkerbell and Tiger Lilly feel the same way as Wendy and want Peter to have real feelings for them too but he doesn’t.
Last but not least, 4. I found the narrator throughout the book to be really needed. Someone is telling you, the reader, the story of Peter Pan, the way that Mrs Darling told Wendy, who told Jane, who told her daughter... The narrator constantly shifts between correcting you on what is ‘real’ vs what is make believe. It doesn’t dumb down the story because it assumes children are reading or reduce the magic because adults are reading it to them. I can imagine reading this with my children one day and loving it.
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated