THE BRIDGE TO NEVER LAND

Captain Hook gets an iPad in Barry and Pearson’s latest collaboration.

Teenage siblings Aidan and Sarah come across a piece of paper with mysterious instructions that Sarah realizes corresponds with her old Peter and the Starcatchers novels. After a dangerous scavenger hunt through London (where their family coincidently goes on vacation) Aidan and Sarah find themselves in possession of the last cache of existing starstuff, the glitter that powers Never Land. Turns out that their favorite fantasy series is actually true. Unfortunately, their discovery attracts the attention of evil shadow-stealer Lord Ombra, who begins stalking them. It is only when they seek the help of one of the Darling descendants Disney that the brother and sister discover a portal to the real Never Land (in Walt Disney World, of course). There they have the misfortune of meeting Hook, who steals the aforementioned “magic… picture thing.” But they also team up with the mythical Peter and bring him back to their world to try and defeat Ombra once and for all. While the authors take obvious delight in referencing their popular series, no prior knowledge is necessary in order to enjoy this rollicking page-turner.

Barry and Pearson effectively pull off the difficult trick of penning a stand-alone title that fans will adore while simultaneously causing newbies to flock back to their previous joint works—pretty nifty, that.