A far-off place, kidnapping, crocodiles, and sword fighting are the adventures hidden in the pages of J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. A story themed around motherhood, children, fairness, and the comparison between the ordinary and magical. The adventure begins at number 14 in London, England near Kensington Gardens. A boy, Peter Pan, loses his shadow when nurse, a Newfoundland named Nana, traps it in the windowsill and Mrs. Darling tucks it away for safe keeping. As he searches for his shadow, he meets Wendy, John, and Michael, the three Darling children. With help from Tinker Bell, he finds his shadow and sprinkles a little fairy dust so the children can fly off to Neverland. 
Once in Neverland, the Darling children meet the lost boys, Captain James Hook and his bandit group of pirates, Tiger Lily, and a hungry crocodile. Living in this magical land was not all fun and games as the children thought. Peter discovers that Tiger Lily was kidnapped by two of Hook’s pirates and sets out to rescue her. Peter, Wendy, and Tiger Lily escape but just in the nick of time, thanks to Hook’s archnemesis the crocodile. The plot thickens as Hook deviously tries to kill Peter and captures Wendy and the all the boys. Thinking he has successfully killed Peter, Hook forces the boys to walk the plank while Wendy watches. It’s not long before Peter shows up, battles the pirates, and rescues the boys and Wendy. Peter takes command of Jolly Roger when Hook recognized defeat and jumped overboard, meeting his destiny with the crocodile.
The story of Peter Pan teaches the reader that fairies came from laughter of the first baby, to think “lovely wonderful thoughts”, there are different types of mothers, you never have to stop playing (no matter how old you get), and to never stop believing. In a world like ours currently, this is great advice for all of us. When life gets us down, we just need to remember happiness is found “second star to the right.”
Peter Pan is extra special to me for two reasons. First, I received it as a gift from Literacy Coalition’s own Liliana Galvez at the organization’s annual book exchange. And second, Peter Pan was the last book remaining from my original restricted list. If you are not familiar with my restricted list, it is a list of books that I am not allowed to read until I visit the location or inspiration. Over the Christmas break, I traveled to London, England, with the book in hand, and toured Kensington Gardens, making a special visit to the Peter Pan statue. Sitting in the park, it wasn’t hard to imagine a boy, who refused to grow up, finding refuge in these wonderful gardens.
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
Reading Difficulty & Comprehension:
Average book length of 239 pages
Flesch Reading Ease Score 88.83
Reading Level – 6th Grade (Easy to Read)
Workforce & Employment:
Mother, Storyteller, Nurse, Nanny, Pirate
Family Dynamics:
Mother, Father, three children, and a Newfoundland named Nana. Motherhood.