Peter Pan

By J. M. Barrie

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‘Second to the right … and then straight on till morning!’

Desperate to hear bedtime stories, Peter Pan waits outside the nursery window of Wendy, John and Michael Darling. When Peter asks Wendy to fly with him to Neverland, the Darling children are whisked away to a world of adventure – of daring fairies, wondrous mermaids and The Lost Boys.But there is danger in Neverland too: the villainous Captain Hook is out for revenge and will stop at nothing to take it.

Poignant and unforgettable, J. M. Barrie’s classic tale is one of the greatest works of children’s literature of the last century. Its imaginative scope, tender humour and vivid characters will enchant adults and children alike.

Published in association with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: May 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9780007558186

J. M. Barrie

J. M. Barrie (1860-1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright. Born in Kirriemuir, Barrie was raised in a strict Calvinist family. At the age of six, he lost his brother David to an ice-skating accident, a tragedy which left his family devastated and led to a strengthening in Barrie’s relationship with his mother. At school, he developed a passion for reading and acting, forming a drama club with his friends in Glasgow. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, he found work as a journalist for the Nottingham Journal while writing the stories that would become his first novels. The Little White Bird (1902), a blend of fairytale fiction and social commentary, was his first novel to feature the beloved character Peter Pan, who would take the lead in his 1904 play Peter Pan; or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, later adapted for a 1911 novel and immortalized in the 1953 Disney animated film. A friend of Robert Louis Stevenson, George Bernard Shaw, and H. G. Wells, Barrie is known for his relationship with the Llewelyn Davies family, whose young boys were the inspiration for his stories of Peter Pan’s adventures with Wendy, Tinker Bell, and the Lost Boys on the island of Neverland.

Book preview

PETER PAN

J. M. Barrie

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Copyright

William Collins

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

1 London Bridge Street,

London SE1 9GF

WilliamCollinsBooks.com

This eBook edition published by William Collins in 2015

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie published in association with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

Life & Times section © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

Silvia Crompton asserts her moral right as author of the Life & Times section

Classic Literature: Words and Phrases adapted from

Collins English Dictionary

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Cover image: Illustration for Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie (gouache on paper), Grahame Johnstone, Anne (Contemporary Artist)/Private Collection/Bridgeman Images.

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Source ISBN: 9780007558179

Ebook Edition © May 2015 ISBN: 9780007558186

Version: 2015-03-31

History of Collins

In 1819, millworker William Collins from Glasgow, Scotland, set up a company for printing and publishing pamphlets, sermons, hymn books, and prayer books. That company was Collins and was to mark the birth of HarperCollins Publishers as we know it today. The long tradition of Collins dictionary publishing can be traced back to the first dictionary William published in 1824, Greek and English Lexicon. Indeed, from 1840 onwards, he began to produce illustrated dictionaries and even obtained a licence to print and publish the Bible.

Soon after, William published the first Collins novel, Ready Reckoner; however, it was the time of the Long Depression, where harvests were poor, prices were high, potato crops had failed, and violence was erupting in Europe. As a result, many factories across the country were forced to close down and William chose to retire in 1846, partly due to the hardships he was facing.

Aged 30, William’s son, William II, took over the business. A keen humanitarian with a warm heart and a generous spirit, William II was truly Victorian in his outlook. He introduced new, up-to-date steam presses and published affordable editions of Shakespeare’s works and The Pilgrim’s Progress, making them available to the masses for the first time. A new demand for educational books meant that success came with the publication of travel books, scientific books, encyclopedias, and dictionaries. This demand to be educated led to the later publication of atlases, and Collins also held the monopoly on scripture writing at the time.

In the 1860s Collins began to expand and diversify and the idea of books for the millions was developed. Affordable editions of classical literature were published, and in 1903 Collins introduced 10 titles in their Collins Handy Illustrated Pocket Novels. These proved so popular that a few years later this had increased to an output of 50 volumes, selling nearly half a million in their year of publication. In the same year, The Everyman’s Library was also instituted, with the idea of publishing an affordable library of the most important classical works, biographies, religious and philosophical treatments, plays, poems, travel, and adventure. This series eclipsed all competition at the time, and the introduction of paperback books in the 1950s helped to open that market and marked a high point in the industry.

HarperCollins is and has always been a champion of the classics, and the current Collins Classics series follows in this tradition – publishing classical literature that is affordable and available to all. Beautifully packaged, highly collectible, and intended to be reread and enjoyed at every opportunity.

Life & Times

About the Author

‘Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves’ – an apt sentiment indeed for the author of a tale that has enchanted readers for well over a century. J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan has appeared in stage productions, novels, films and cartoons, inspiring hope and bravado in children and adults alike. But sunshine was often in short supply in the author’s own life – certainly prior to the invention of his most famous character.

Family and Failure

J. M. Barrie was often consumed with a sense that he did not quite live up to expectation. He was a small child, the ninth of ten born to a weaver in Kirriemuir, Scotland, and always felt overshadowed in his mother’s affections by his older brother David. When Barrie was six David died in a skating accident, a tragedy that affected their mother so profoundly that the young boy took to assuming David’s mannerisms and clothes in an attempt to ease her disappointment.

Barrie found solace in stories and books and dreamt of following in the footsteps of Jules Verne and James Fenimore Cooper, but his family had other ambitions for him, and persuaded him to go to university. He was an unenthusiastic student at Edinburgh University and channelled his energies into writing theatre reviews instead, an experience that ultimately led him to defy his family’s wishes and immerse himself in the theatrical and literary world of faraway London.

A series of flops and moderate successes marked Barrie’s early years as a writer – he first wrote stories about Scotland and then turned to comedic plays – and it was during the staging of his third play that he met the young actress Mary Ansell, whom he married against even his own better judgement in 1894. He had always loved children but they had none of their own, and the marriage ended in 1909 following her affair with a fellow playwright. Barrie remained single until his death almost thirty years later.

The Creation of Peter Pan

But out of this series of unshakeable disappointments Barrie drew inspiration for what was to become his greatest work and one of the most popular stories in the world. Since his brother’s death in 1867, he had remained intrigued and consoled by the notion that David would forever be thirteen – he would never grow old, or feel the weight of expectation and responsibility – and gradually these thoughts gelled around the idea of a ‘boy who wouldn’t grow up’.

Around this same time, the early years of his unhappy marriage, Barrie had taken to walking alone in Kensington Gardens, where in 1897 he encountered three young brothers out playing with their nanny. George, John and baby Peter Llewelyn Davies were easily amused by the mercurial writer and a friendship with the family – which soon had two new children, Michael and Nico – developed. Their mother, Sylvia, a member of the du Maurier literary dynasty and the aunt of Daphne du Maurier, became a particular friend to Barrie; to the boys he was ‘Uncle Jim’. The children provided the final inspiration for his new character. He later told them, ‘By rubbing the five of you violently together, as savages with two sticks to produce a flame, I made the spark of you that is Peter Pan.’

The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up

Peter Pan made his debut in Barrie’s 1902 novel The Little White Bird, in which he was a baby who could fly. (Barrie had often joked to the Llewelyn Davies boys that their brother Peter could fly.) In 1904 an older Pan was the star of Barrie’s play Peter Pan, an ambitious and visually stunning production that debuted to rave reviews. The Guardian went so far as to say ‘no such play was ever seen before on any stage. It is absolutely original – the product of a unique imagination.’

Peter Pan was such a hit that the Duke of York’s Theatre in London staged it annually for the next ten years, although Barrie was compelled to make some adjustments in the name of health and safety: ‘After the first production,’ he wrote in a later foreword, ‘I had to add something to the play at the request of parents about no one being able to fly until the fairy dust had been blown on him; so many children having gone home and tried it from their beds and needed surgical attention.’

In 1911 Barrie produced ‘the book of the play’, Peter and Wendy (known more commonly as Peter Pan), which brought the Neverland adventures of Wendy Darling and her brothers to an even wider audience.

An Awfully Big Adventure

Thanks to Peter Pan, and the children who inspired him, J. M. Barrie at last found his place in the world. He became someone who brought hope in times of darkness rather than someone who struggled to come up to scratch. When the Llewelyn Davies’ father, Arthur, died in 1907, Barrie supported the family financially; when their mother, Sylvia, died just three years later he became the boys’ guardian.

It is not just the author but the character himself who has proved a source of great inspiration – a hero to those who refuse to grow old and sensible. One great fan was the British explorer Captain Robert Scott, who was introduced to Barrie in 1906 and was taken by him to a rehearsal of Peter Pan; he later named his only child, Barrie’s godson, Peter. Captain Scott was particularly struck by the notions of bravery and great spirit espoused by Peter Pan and his friends – Wendy’s ‘last words’ to the Lost Boys during a moment of peril at the hands of Captain Hook (‘I feel that I have a message for you from your real mothers, and it is this: We hope our sons will die like English gentlemen.’), as well as Peter’s bold claim that ‘To die will be an awfully big adventure.’ In the weather-battered tent in which Scott and his companions died in 1912 after their catastrophic, heroic expedition to the South Pole, he left a letter for his great friend J. M. Barrie, which the author carried with him to his death: ‘I never met a man in my life whom I admired and loved more than you,’ wrote Scott. ‘I never could show you how much your friendship meant to me – for you had much to give and I nothing.’

Great Ormond Street Hospital

Before his death in 1937, J. M. Barrie ensured Peter would for ever come to the rescue of children in need by bequeathing the copyright in Peter Pan to London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. It was an extraordinarily generous gift from a man who loved and was loved by children but never had any of his own. He claimed that Peter had once been a patient at ‘The Hospital for Sick Children’ (as it was then known), ‘and it was he who put me up to the little thing I did for the hospital’. When the term of copyright expired in 1987, the UK government authorised a special exception for Peter Pan, granting the hospital royalties from all UK stage productions and publications, including this one, in perpetuity.

CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

History of Collins

Life & Times

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Classic Literature: Words and Phrases

About the Publisher

CHAPTER 1

Peter Breaks Through

All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, Oh, why can’t you remain like this for ever! This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end.

Of course they lived at 14, and until Wendy came her mother was the chief one. She was a lovely lady, with a romantic mind and such a sweet mocking mouth. Her romantic mind was like the tiny boxes, one within the other, that come from the puzzling East, however many you discover there is always one more; and her sweet mocking mouth had one kiss on it that Wendy could never get, though there it was, perfectly conspicuous in the right-hand corner.

The way Mr. Darling won her was this: the many gentlemen who had been boys when she was a girl discovered simultaneously that they loved her, and they all ran to her house to propose to her except Mr. Darling, who took a cab and nipped in first, and so he got her. He got all of her, except the innermost box and the kiss. He never knew about the box, and in time he gave up trying for the kiss. Wendy thought Napoleon could have got it, but I can picture him trying, and then going off in a passion, slamming the door.

Mr. Darling used to boast to Wendy that her mother not only loved him but respected him. He was one of those deep ones who know about stocks and shares. Of course no one really knows, but he quite seemed to know, and he often said stocks were up and shares were down in a way that would have made any woman respect him.

Mrs. Darling was married in white, and at first she kept the books perfectly, almost gleefully, as if it were a game, not so much as a Brussels sprout was missing; but by and by whole cauliflowers dropped out, and instead of them there were pictures of babies without faces. She drew them when she should have been totting up. They were Mrs. Darling’s guesses.

Wendy came first, then John, then Michael.

For a week or two after Wendy came it was doubtful whether they would be able to keep her, as she was another mouth to feed. Mr. Darling was frightfully proud of her, but he was very honourable, and he sat on the edge of Mrs. Darling’s bed, holding her hand and calculating expenses, while she looked at him imploringly. She wanted to risk it, come what might, but that was not his way; his way was with a pencil and a piece of paper, and if she confused him with suggestions he had to begin at the beginning again.

Now don’t interrupt, he would beg of her.

I have one pound seventeen here, and two and six at the office; I can cut off my coffee at the office, say ten shillings, making two nine and six, with your eighteen and three makes three nine seven, with five naught naught in my cheque-book makes eight nine seven—who is that moving?—eight nine seven, dot and carry seven—don’t speak, my own—and the pound you lent to that man who came to the door—quiet, child—dot and carry child—there, you’ve done it!—did I say nine nine seven? yes, I said nine nine seven; the question is, can we try it for a year on nine nine seven?

Of course we can, George, she cried. But she was prejudiced in Wendy’s favour, and he was really the grander character of the two.

Remember mumps, he warned her almost threateningly, and off he went again. Mumps one pound, that is what I have put down, but I daresay it will be more like thirty shillings—don’t speak—measles one five, German measles half a guinea, makes two fifteen six—don’t waggle your finger—whooping-cough, say fifteen shillings—and so on it went, and it added up differently each time; but at last Wendy just got through, with mumps reduced to twelve six, and the two kinds of measles treated as one.

There was the same excitement over John, and Michael had even a narrower squeak; but both were kept, and soon, you might have seen the three of them going in a row to Miss Fulsom’s Kindergarten school, accompanied by their nurse.

Mrs. Darling loved to have everything just so, and Mr. Darling had a passion for being exactly like his neighbours; so, of course, they had a nurse. As they were poor, owing to the amount of milk the children drank, this nurse was a prim Newfoundland dog, called Nana, who had belonged to no one in particular until the Darlings engaged her. She had always thought children important, however, and the Darlings had become acquainted with her in Kensington Gardens, where she spent most of her spare time peeping into perambulators, and was much hated by careless nursemaids, whom she followed to their homes and complained of to their mistresses. She proved to be quite a treasure of a nurse. How thorough she was at bath-time, and up at any moment of the night if one of her charges made the slightest cry. Of course her kennel was in the nursery. She had a genius for knowing when a cough is a thing to have no patience with and when it needs stocking around your throat. She believed to her last day in old-fashioned remedies like rhubarb leaf, and made sounds of contempt over all this new-fangled talk about germs, and so on. It was a lesson in propriety to see her escorting the children to school, walking sedately by their side when they were well behaved, and butting them back into line if they strayed. On John’s footer days she never once forgot his sweater, and she usually carried an umbrella in her mouth in case of rain. There is a room in the basement of Miss Fulsom’s school where the nurses wait. They sat on forms, while Nana lay on the floor, but that was the only difference. They affected to ignore her as of an inferior social status to themselves, and she despised their light talk. She resented visits to the nursery from Mrs. Darling’s friends, but if they did come she first whipped off Michael’s pinafore and put him into the one with blue braiding, and smoothed out Wendy and made a dash at John’s hair.

No nursery could possibly have been conducted more correctly, and Mr. Darling knew it, yet he sometimes wondered uneasily whether the neighbours talked.

He had his position in the city to consider.

Nana also troubled him in another way. He had sometimes a feeling that she did not admire him. I know she admires you tremendously, George, Mrs. Darling would assure him, and then she would sign to the children to be specially nice to father. Lovely dances followed, in which the only other servant, Liza, was sometimes allowed to join. Such a midget she looked in her long skirt and maid’s cap, though she had sworn, when engaged, that

Reviews for Peter Pan

[angelarenea-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've always loved the story of Peter Pan and finally got around to reading the book. I think that it brought out the character of Peter more than I was used to and I really enjoyed that.

[bettesbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was so fun to read, my introduction to Peter Pan was in 1955 when Mary Martin did the TV presentation. This follows what I remember of the TV performance as I remember it. It brought back so many nice memories.

[danielstj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5

This was better than I expected. The ending brought it all full circle. A nice little touching piece with the theme of childhood intertwining with the yarn.

[schmerguls · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

23 (re-read) Peter Pan or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up, by J. M. Barrie. This was on Starrett's 1955 list of "books which will live", and I forgot to check my list of books read and so read it. It seemed so familiar, but I did not think I had actually read it. But I did--tho probably not in play form, as this was. It is so saccharine, I really cannot say as an adult it is worth reading. (read Aug. 8, 1998)

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although the story was very familiar to me, I don’t recall ever reading the book before. I saw the Mary Martin version on TV as a child. It struck me this time around how odd the plot is, with everyone expecting Wendy to assume the role of mother to Peter and the Lost Boys. Things have changed in the century since this book was written. Infant and child mortality was a lot higher in the early 20th century than it is now. Women’s mortality from childbirth (or other causes) was also a lot higher then. Children who had lost their mothers, or who had friends or relations who had lost their mothers, might see themselves among the motherless children of Neverland. The story may not resonate with 21st century children in the same way, and that’s a good thing.

[vykic37 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Find this review and more at On The Shelf!I absolutely LOVE Tinkerbell, and I am ashamed to say I had never readPeter Panonly seen the Disney version, so I decided to change that and grabbed the audiobook from the library. I thought it was so good and I am glad I finally decided to read it. The language is much different from nowadays of course, but it was still really great. Well-written and very fun, Barrie created a marvelous story for kids and adults. The Neverland world is so creative and must have been such a pleasure for Barrie to write. A little bit of the humor slipped by me since it was written so long ago, but not much. I really enjoyed the reader as well, especially when he did the classic nasally Captain Hook voice we all know so well! The characters were really great as well. The lost boys were adorable and Peter was so stubborn. The only character I really didn’t care much for was the father because he was so incredibly whiny and at one point argued with the youngest child just like a little kid. I liked the way the story ended and I even saw a bunch of references from the movie Hook that I never knew were from the book. If you like classics, this is a must read book! Fun, well-written, wonderful classic, fast read, one for my library!

[sprainedbrain · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I knew the basic story of Peter Pan; still, I was a little surprised at just how dark the book is. I loved the writing style, and the adventure and excitement, but the ending and Peter in general made me sad.I tried to read this with my 6-year-old, but had a hard time keeping his interest. He loved the illustrations and interactive elements of this gorgeous edition.

[laurochka-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A children's classic I couldn't believe I'd never read! This Peter is a much darker and more sinister version than my perceptions from popular culture but this gives the original story a different dimension. I very much enjoyed it in a melancholy kind of way.

[kat_hooper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Totally charming! Jim Dale's audio narration is superb!

[pepperwings · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this *after* reading about how sad J.M. Barrie was, and his mother, after losing his teenage brother. It puts a weird spin on the entire story, and it already seems quite dated ("redskins" "Indians") and surreal even without the fantastic elements. Why was the dog the children's nanny?It's a fun story, but there were just sad and odd undertones throughout, it was hard to forget the psychology and sadness around it.

[jscape2000 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'd never read Peter Pan before, and coming to it for the first time as an adult, I found it to be wonderful. It straddles that old world line of horrible old children's stories. It has moments that are far more Brothers Grimm than Disney; the Lost Boys are unrepentant killers and they are killed in turn, while Tiger Lily, Tinkerbelle and Wendy are winkingly far more away of romance than Peter. I was less charmed by the relentless patriarchy of the only female characters being shoehorned into a mother role by every boy or man in sight. I would have liked one adventure where Wendy was her own hero.

[ccostakis_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This classic tale is in its original format in this story, written by JM Barrie. It follows a magical boy, Peter Pan, and his adventures in Neverland as he refuses to grow up! Wendy, John and Michael soon join him for an adventure fighting pirates! This book would be good for middle school students, though it is slightly different (and more violent) than the Disney version.

[stefany_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Most people are familiar with the basics of the story of Peter Pan. However familiar you may be, however, if you are a fan of juvenile literature this is one that you should read.It's not really that the storyline or adventures are that much different than what I knew of them or expected them to be, but to hear the story through J.M. Barrie's own words gives a slightly different tone and perspective to the tale that I was previously lacking. Barrie has a wonderful way with painting pictures with his phrases and a quirky sense of humor that comes through in the text.To be honest, I was a little put off by this quirkiness when I first started the story and during the first chapter was kind of wondering if it was going to be too odd for me. But, I stuck to it and was quickly rewarded as the story moved on and, it seemed, Barrie got carried on the winds to Neverland along with the children.A great adventure story and a classic for the ages that also has some keen insight into human behavior and the realities of growing up.A side note on this particular version: If you have access to the edition "illustrated" by Raquel Jaramillo, I would recommend reading it over a non-illustrated version. Her computer and art enhanced photos add an even more magical atmosphere to the story and are beautifully done.

[something_-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was curious to read the original story of Peter Pan, since I only knew the Disney version of it. I can now say I like the book more than the movie.

The story itself was enchanting. There was action, caricate situations and some heart-touching moments all in one. Peter was a child in every sense of the way. I'd say my favourite character here was Hook though, I found him more interesting and deep than the rest (maybe because he was an adult). I wouldn't mind if the characters were explored a bit more in this book.

I read some reviews saying this version was rather dark, racist and sexist. I mostly disagree, specially about the dark part. In my opinion there was no description that might be unsuitable for children. It does has some sexism, and something that some people may call racism, but I didn't found it nowhere near as bad as some opinions I've heard made me expect.

The only reason why I didn't give it 4 stars was because I felt like there was something missing. I don't know exactly what, but I'm sure it has to do with the fact that this is a story meant specially for children (and a marvelous one at that). But since I'm not a child anymore, I think the "style" of the story doesn't appeal to me as much as it used to, although it remains a great tale for every age.

[bensdad00 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Somethingh about Victorian novelists - they come up with great idea but execute them terribly - Peter Pan and Dracula are two iconic figures that are virtually unreadable in the original

[terris-7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the original Peter Pan story written in 1911. It is so funny, and I really enjoyed it! After seeing all the movies and stories over the years, it was interesting to read the original author's words. I would recommend this one!

[themulhern · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hilarious, satirical, wierd. The reviewers who complain about the stereotypical Indians, pirates, etc. seem to have failed to notice that what Barrie was describing was an Edwardian boy's fantasy of adventure. It is called Neverland for a reason.

[lukerik-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Don't be fooled: this is the novel reprinted under the title of the play. If you're looking for the play try OUP's Peter Pan and Other Plays.I am given to understand that Barrie tinkered with the story over a thirty year period, so that although the play premièred before the novel, the text as published in 1928 represents Barrie's final conception. The novel is a snapshot of an earlier vision. There are distinct differences. In the play Peter is clearly dead. There were a couple of suggestions here that Barrie had that in mind, but Neverland appears to be more a place of the imagination. The play is crystallised and the novel more fluid. Which you prefer is very subjective. I prefer the play, but don't want to underrate the novel which is written with great charm and real moments of magic.

[lilyroseshadowlyn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A delightful tale for the young and young at heart. Adapted and retold many times in film and other books, the story of Peter Pan is one that will live in our hearts forever. If you've enjoyed any of the adaptations, I highly encourage you to go back to the source and read the original.

[beammey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love this edition of the story. The illustrations added so much to it and kept me so intrigued with what was happening. Minalima did a GREAT job and I can't wait to see what book they come out with next. That said, this is a children's classic and if you're looking for the Disney version of the story this is not it, though they didn't stray too, too far from the original. I would recommend this story to anyone. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

[carolvanbrocklin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While I am sure most children do not appreciate the humor of this great classic, as an adult I can't help but love it. From the images of a mother "tidying her children's minds" each night to the asides about grammar when writing, this is just a fun read. Yes, Peter is a jerk but he is loveable and you want to shake him as a mother does a obnoxious little boy.

[lucyhermy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Though this is technically a children's book, the prose is charming and smart enough to entertain those much older. Barrie has an astounding way with words that snaps you right up and carries you along through the whole adventure. I would certainly read this again (and hope to share it with my children aloud someday), and I'd make a special effort to study the progression of the story--it seemed like the language "grew up" as the book went on. Could just be my perception though.

[dustandshadow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have always loved the story of Peter Pan, whether it was represented in book, play, movie. It took me an exceedingly long time before I read this book. I have a lot of classics to get through. I loved recognizing a line from a play or movie that I had heard before. The magic of this is astonishing and I look forward to sharing it with my children... although I will try to stress that they should not become little Peter's. :)

[vwhitt_2 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The children’s classic is a rather difficult read. Most of us know that it takes place in the British home of the Darlings. The three children (Wendy, John, and Michael) leave their home with Peter Pan for Neverland. There, Wendy becomes the mother for Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. They get into tons of mischief, and in some cases kill the enemy (something the cartoon would never depict). Eventually, the children get homesick. They all (Lost Boys included) fly back to London where they grow up. But that doesn’t stop Peter Pan from coming back ad visiting Wendy. Details: This book was written to interest children in grades 4-6 and is on a 6.1 reading level.

[klefort_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the classic story of Peter Pan, a lost boy who lives in Neverland. Peter meets Wendy, Micheal, and John on the mainland. With the help of a little fairy dust, they all fly to Neverland, where they spend "many moons" with the other lost boys who have no mothers. Wendy takes over the position as their mother and the group go on many adventures, battling with Captain Hook, whom Pan kills in the end. Peter Pan never wants to grow up and he never does. In the end, the entire group goes back to the mainland where they eventually grow up, but Peter stays behind, going back for Wendy once a year until she is grown. Wendy marries and has a daughter named Jane and being how Wendy is too big to fly, Peter takes Jane once a year instead.This is a classic novel including everything from a fantasy world with pirates, fairies, and mermaids to flying and never growing up. It fits the definition of a fairy tale perfectly. It is a must have on every book shelf.

[bryndahlquis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Peter Pan surprised me in a lot of ways. For one thing, it's actually a very disturbing book. When Wendy realizes that John and Michael are forgetting their past life, I get scared right along with her. There's also a surprising amount of bloodshed going on, though nothing too graphic.It's written beautifully. There are so many places where the narrator's snide comments startle me into laughter or make me pause and think for a few moments.It's a wonderful adventure that's a bit surreal and a bit tragic and a bit scary, but beautiful and lovely and fun too.

[paulavev · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So familiar is the tale of a boy who soars through the sky, propelled by happy thoughts and pixie dust, with a tireless spunk and refusal to grow up. However, only those who read the original Peter Pan will meet the ruthless, selfish fiend of a character who kills pirates and despises the thought of his mother. Barrie's Pan considers life itself to be an adventure and seamlessly jumps from one escapade to the next, often forgetting his accomplices and leaving them to fend for themselves! It is not until he and his Lost Boys of Neverland meet Wendy and her brothers, John and Michael, that he begins to understand the foreign concepts of care, responsibility, and a mother's love. In telling the story of Peter and Wendy, Barrie uses an eloquent, fantastical writing style. The reader consistently feels an air of magic and mischief as Barrie blends illustrative descriptions and sarcastic humor to bring to life imagination and creativity. Each of the seventeen chapters conveys a new tale and is written with the ideal length for a bedtime story. Given its early twentieth century origin, the text contains some language that may be unfamiliar to adolescent readers. The imagery, however, is so powerful that one lost sentence will not detract the reader from the message as a whole. Such a mystical atmosphere is amplified further in this 100th Anniversary Edition by Michael Hague’s vivid, full-page color illustrations interleaved throughout the novel. With Peter Pan, Barrie's own childlike tendencies and innocent writing style have come together to create a timeless children's hero and classic book for all ages.

[tlhelen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie is a well known classical book. All children grow up but one, Peter Pan. Peter lives in the Neverland. One day, in one of his trips to hear stories told in the Darling's house he gets caught and loses his shadow. When he returns to get back his shadow, Wendy is awoken by the sounds of Peter crying. Wendy helped Peter sow on his shadow and Peter realising the importance of a mother figure asks her to go with him and be his mother and mother to the lost boys. Wendy and her two brothers were very excited and with a bit of fairy dust they fly their way to the Neverland. In the version of the book I read there were two stories; Peter in Kensington Gardens and Peter and Wendy. This book was one of the most confusing books. I had watched the movie and cartoon versions of Peter Pan and so I was expecting something similar. However, when I first start reading the narrators are the Davies brothers and they talk about things like baby castle where the most sought up baby lives by herself and all these baby attractions in the kensington gardens, it felt like I was reading the wrong book. Finally when I read the name Peter Pan I was relieved, but not for long. Peter Pan was completely different to what I was expecting. Firstly he was only a week old, he wore no clothes, he rode a goat, he lived with the birds because everyone was a bird who flew to their parents' home and there turned into humans.This is definitely not the story that I know and it really just seemed like Barrie was a bit loopy. When I reached the story of Peter and Wendy I was ever so confused. Peter Pan finally seemed to resemble the ones from the movie but what happened? I thought that the first story was an introduction or background story to how Peter Pan came to be but he was much older in Peter and Wendy and he didn't live with the birds any more. I found out later that these were two completely separate stories written by Barrie. One could say that it was partially my fault for being ignorant on the stories but I really don't see why an author would write two or three stories with the same character and yet completely different tales. It wasn't as if this was a sequel showing Peter when he grew up because Peter Pan does not grow up. Peter Pan may seem like an innocent title but it is not for young children. The book is very violent. Peter Pan seems to love war, blood and gore. It turns out that it was Peter who gave Hook his Hook. And Hook while he seems like a lovable baddie in the movies really wants to kill a boy who is no more than a little kid who still has all his baby teeth. Secondly the book is very stereotypical and quite racist to American Indians. I'm sure it didn't occur to J.M. Barrie how disrespectful he was being when writing about the Indians, just like he wrote the stereotypical pirates and mermaids. The Indians are described as being inferior, and quite stupid, even making Peter Pan the 'Great White Father'. Now we know that this racism is not something we teach our children. Also, going back to Peter in Kensington Gardens the fairies are said to have blue necks. Their blue necks aren't just something magical and pretty but they are quite gruesome and something quite scary to be telling children. Barrie writes that it was considered royal and beautiful to have blue neck so they would cut themselves and let their blue blood cover their neck and then dry. This is definitely not beautiful!I knew Peter Pan was a bit of a show off but never would I have thought that I would actually say that I hate Peter. Reading the book just got me really frustrated at the character. Peter Pan is one of the most stuck-up and annoying characters EVER!! He believes he is better than everyone else and he believes so much in make believe that he basically starves everyone by having make belief dinner and lunch. He is also very forgetful and when he goes back to get Wendy at spring time he gets angry that she grew up when really he was the one that didn't come for a few years. Peter Pan also got the children in trouble various times. When he could have remained quiet and everything would just go away he has to go and play games with Hook giving away their disguise. Peter Pan nearly locked out Wendy and her brothers. He is seriously so selfish. He may only be a fictional character but I really just wanted to go yell some sense at him. I would recommend this book to others but only because it is a classic and it is always good to know the original story behind movies. It was hysterical but not in the way it should be; I was laughing almost through the whole of Peter in Kensington Gardens because of the nonsense that was said. If you do decide to read remember to throw out any ideas and concepts you have for Peter Pan. Read with a blank canvas, as if you have never hear the name Peter Pan or else the story will just get confusing and strange since the movie and the book doesn't completely match up.

[hrwright · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I thought that Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie was a well-written fantasy fiction novel. However, I did not think that it was entirely appropriate for young readers. There are dark themes, murder, fairy orgies, children running away from home, etc. I think this would be more appropriate for upper middle school ages or higher. It is a very engaging book and would be great for literature circles; I just believe that it would be more appropriate for higher grade levels.

[leslie398 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I never read this book growing up, but am enchanted by it as an adult! In particular I love the descriptions of the children's home life before going to Neverland.