Another Pan

December 1, 2010

Gr 6-9-In this eerie fantasy, the second one set in the elite Marlowe school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the authors interweave Egyptian mythology with the story of a contemporary Peter Pan and a boarding-school counselor with an international gang of teenage boys (the Lost Boys), all of whom have had their right eyetooth pulled out with pliers by Peter's sidekick, Tina. Wendy and John Darling, whose father is a professor and specialist in Egyptian antiquities at the school, discover that the copy of an ancient book, on loan from the British Museum, is magical and creates open gates to the Egyptian underworld. Because they leave a gate open, unresolved evil forces from legends begin to leak into the school. The synthesis of Egyptian mythology and Barrie's story becomes interesting when it becomes clear that the mysterious new school nurse with the damaged eye is connected to both the Egyptian god of the dead and Peter's nemesis, Hook, and that Peter is searching for the secret of eternal youth in the pyramids of the underworld. The authors succeed in creating a sense of danger that builds to a suspenseful climax. Although the setting is somewhat sketchy, with more of a suburban than an urban feel to the school, the characters are fleshed out more successfully, and Wendy's love interests and her competition with Tina will help to hold readers' attention. The authors have left the door open for a third book with their assertion that evil remains in wait in the school basement. Teens who like their fantasy layered and with multifaceted characters will enjoy this thought-provoking read.-Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2010
Grades 8-11 Returning to the Marlowe School, we meet Egyptology expert Professor Darling and his children, Wendy and John. Darling has spent his life trying to prove his theory about an ancient text, and his two children are helping their father ready the Egyptian artifacts for exhibition when they come across the secret that unlocks a frightening underworld maze where myths come to life. All the players are here, including the Lost Boys and Petera mysterious character with a hidden agenda. The evil Ms. Vileroy also returns. Similar in style but with a backstory more accessible than that in Another Faust (2009), this unique twist on a classic story should find even wider appreciation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2011
Peter Pan's pursuit of eternal youth takes him to a modern New York prep school where Professor Darling teaches strange theories about obscure Egyptian artifacts. Peter befriends the professor's children, Wendy and John, and leads them on a dangerous quest. The literary parallels are interesting, but the ambitious story, peopled with too many unlikable characters, tends to trip over its tangled plot.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)