Book Review: Peter and the Starcatchers

Title: "Peter and the Starcatchers"
Author: Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
First Edition Published: 2004

The story begins in London with five orphan boys being forced onto a ship bound for Rundoon where they will become servants of the king. On the voyage they meet a kindly sailor, a terrifying pirate and a girl who can fly. One of the orphans, Peter, is very interested in an old truck in the hold of the ship which is rumored to contain the greatest treasure on earth. When the ship is thrown onto a reef by a storm and the passengers marooned on an island inhabited by savages it becomes a race against the odds to see who can get to the trunk first.

I found the book to be poorly written, slightly repetitive and even mildly offensive. The story itself was quite interesting and with a little trimming this could have been a very good children's novel. As it is (in my opinion) it just doesn't make the cut. There were uses of d---, Peter and Molly obviously "like" each other, Peter notices that the mermaids don't wear clothes and after one of them administers CPR to him he says he enjoyed being "kissed" by her. The trunk, or rather it's contents, have magical powers and the pirates enjoy causing other people pain and fear. These last two things did not bother me but they could be an issue for others.

In conclusion, it was OK. I t was an interesting "light read" and I most likely will not be reading the rest of the series. Again, the story was good and very imaginative but over all it's not a book I am going to recommend to others.