Title: Peter and the Star Catchers
Series: Star-Catchers, book 1
Author: Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Publisher: Brilliance Audio Books
Narrator: Jim Dale
Duration: 8 hours, 39 minutes
Copyright 2004:
Genres: adventure, fantasy, juvenile
Filed in: Audiobook reviews
Review copy provided by Kearney Public Library.
THE GIST: Peter, and his friends, James, Prentiss, Thomas, and Tubby Ted, have not had good lives. As orphans at Saint Norbert’s Home for Wayward Boys, they have been mistreated, neglected, and malnourished for most of their lives, but things are about to get worse. They are being put aboard a leaky, rat-infested ship, the Neverland, and sailed to the island of Rundoon where they are to be slaves of the barbaric king.
Also aboard the Neverland is Molly, daughter of the ambassador to Rundoon, and a very mysterious trunk. The trunk is given the highest possible security aboard the ship, which naturally makes young Peter very curious to know what is inside. When he finally sneaks into the locked storage cabin, he is surprised to find Molly standing guard.
Deciding to trust Peter, Molly tells him her story. The trunk is full of “star stuff”, a magically powerful substance that falls to earth from space. Star stuff has the power to heal any injury or illness, as well as make people fly. It also has strange and unpredictable effects on any animals that come into contact with it. Molly is part of a secret society known as the Star Catchers, and it is their job to find and capture any star stuff that falls to earth before it can fall into the wrong hands. The trunk holds the largest quantity of star stuff ever found
There are others who know about the trunk, however, most notably the notorious pirate, Black Mustache, and after a thrilling chase across the high seas, the crews of both ships end up stranded on a small island called Mollusk. Now everyone is after the trunk: Molly, with the assistance of Peter, Black Stache and his band of pirates, Slank and Little Richard, who were officers aboard the Neverland, and the Mollusks, natives of the island. Whew! Is it just me or is this starting to sound like an episode of Three's Company? It’s much more exciting than Threes Company, though, as the trunk continues to change hands and move around all over the island. Who will end up with the prize?
MY THOUGHTS: “Peter and the Star Catchers” is the first audio book in Barry’s Star Catchers series, and is kind of an origin story of Peter Pan. I like how Barry and Pearson explain everything, why Peter can fly, why he never grows up, and why he lives on an island inhabited by Mermaids, a vengeful, one-handed pirate, and a giant crocodile. I’m anxious to see what happens in the next audio book of the series.
NARRATOR: Jim Dale is his usual brilliant self on "Peter and the Star Catchers." If you noticed the copyright date above, then you probably realize "Peter and the Star Catchers" was done right about in the middle of the Harry Potter series. I couldn’t help but compare the voices to the ones I know and love so well. I could sense Dale struggling to make them unique. Peter sounds quite a bit like Harry Potter, and there's another character who sometimes sounds like Hagrid, and sometimes not.
FINAL WORD: “Peter and the Star Catchers” is a fun audio book. It was interesting to learn how and why Peter Pan became who he is. And, of course, any audio book narrated by Jim Dale is worth a listen. Check this one out, you’ll enjoy it.
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
Peter And The Star-Catchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Audiobook Review)
Peter And The Shadow-Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Audiobook Review)
Peter And The Secret Of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Audiobook Review)
Peter And The Sword Of Mercy by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Audiobook Review)
If you liked this audiobook review, you can purchase the audiobook here:
Get "Peter and the Star Catchers" by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Unabridged Audiobook) from Amazon.com
This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
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Wow, I'm wondering the legalities of writing a tale based on Petr Pan. It's like , I could write about Harry Potter and get away with it? Maybe he asked permission for use of the character? hmm, might be something to look into. And where was Tinkerbell? Or was that who Molly was supposed to be?
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting tale. You know no bounds in genres, eh? :)
I forgot to mention Tinkerbell. She was transformed from a tropical bird in the very last pages of the book and played no part in the story. She figures more prominently in the next book.
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