Scan barcode
writewithapendragon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Racial slurs, Abandonment, Bullying, Murder, Racism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Sexism, Misogyny, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Violence, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, War, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Abandonment, and Racial slurs
bookdragon_jess's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Racism and Violence
Minor: Murder, Child death, and Sexism
lindseythelibrarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Brief Thoughts:
I think my main enjoyment from this story comes from the whimsical way it was written combined with my enjoyment and nostalgia for the Disney cartoon, live-action movie, and Robin Williams classic. Not to mention I remember being like Wendy myself (without the "motherly" instincts, and more with the crush).
Audio VersionThoughts:
The author, Vanessa Maroney, did a great job with the voices, though some of the Lost Boys sounded a bit similar to each other.
I'd recommend this too...
Regardless, this is a fun classic that I probably would only recommend to older children/ adults who've enjoyed the movie.
Minor: Racism, Sexism, and Violence
lisa_m's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, and Violence
kat_mayerovitch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first: this book is racist. Like, super, grossly, offensively racist. If you saw the movie or the play, know that it's worse than that. Hoo boy, don't read this book to children.
All that said, this book is cynical as heck, darkly funny, and scathing in its descriptions. The narrator hates ... pretty much all of the characters. The adults, including Captain Hook, are obsessed with appearances and social class. The women and girls are weak. The boys are gullible. Peter is arrogant beyond belief and can only stay innocent because he loses track of how many people (adults and children) he's murdered. Perhaps the only character portrayed as being worthy of admiration is Nana, the dog. Which ... is fair. Dogs are great. Put Nana in charge of everything. But still.
So, is it worth a read? Sure, if you're curious. It was fun to see so many lines I remember from the stage play. If you like cutting humor, sure. It's quite a roast. But otherwise, there are plenty of better children's classics to return to.
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexism
birdielemon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Grief
tprsjr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Violence
lizzieg22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence
rachel_here's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Violence
lectrixnoctis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The story begins in the nursery of the home of the Darlings, where Mrs Darling put her children to bed. She does seem supposed that all three children are thinking of a mysterious boy named Peter Pan. When Mrs Darling asks about him, her daughter Wendy explains that Peter does visit them when they are all fast asleep. One night when Mrs Darling is in the nursery, Peter Pan comes to visit. As he noticed the adult in the room, he jumps out of the window, but his shadow is trapped by the children's canine nanny Nana.
A few days later, Peter Pan revisit the Darling children. Since Nana is in the garden, Mr and Mrs Darling have left for a party and left the children unguarded. Wendy helps Peter secure his shadow back to himself, and he confesses that he has been listening to their bedtime stories to tell the lost boys them too. When he asks Wendy to visit them on Neverland, she hesitates but agrees. She and her brothers Jon and Micheal learn how to fly and set off to Neverland, where they will encounter various adventures with the lost boys who so desperately need a mother and the wicked Captain Hook.
Much of the humour and sadness in Barrie’s novel arises from the differences between society’s idea of a child and an actual child. So in a certain way, the book is deeply rooted in the adult idealizations of childhood –a thought that emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries, when many nations first instituted compulsory elementary education.
The book was written in the first person omniscient point of view and past tense.
One of the centre symbols in this children's book is the kiss. However, the narrator tells us that Peter Pan is highly hateful and wild toward adults. He does like Mrs Darling's kiss. The "kiss" at the corner of Mr Darling's mouth is, although hits are nothing visible, a charm and an inaccessible depth. The kiss does, like Peter, represent youth: the detachment of growing up. Although Mrs Darling's kiss remained of total freedom yet, it brings safety. It is like something mysterious or rather a magical shield.
Another symbol is the ticking crocodile which represents time itself. It mainly shows the movement of time from beginning to end as if the time runs out. The crocodile remains throughout the novel invent yet vicious since it is only following its instinct. Captain James Hook is extremely afraid of the crocodile siren. It already ate his hand, but it can also be interpreted that he is like almost all citizens of Neverland, fearful of growing up/dying.
Nonetheless, the book does some flaws. Although it was customary at the time, how Barrie described the indigenous people of Neverland is highly offensive, and he does use slurs for them and describes them as "wild". I also think that some scenes are a bit too graphic for a children's book since they have deaths and even murder scenes.
Overall, I enjoyed reading "Peter Pan", and since it was one of my favourite Disney movies, I was very invested in the story. I like it more than the Disney adaptation itself, and I can recommend it to anyone who wants to read an adventurous children's novel.
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Racial slurs