Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson: Peter and the Starcatchers

Joining what looks set to become a trend in children's books, this swashbuckling high-seas adventure is a prequel to the junior classic Peter Pan.

Well-known American humour writer Dave Barry and thriller writer Ridley Pearson wind back the clock on J. M. Barrie's beloved fantasy and the result is a fast-paced adventure in which we learn how a poor orphan from St Norbert's Home for Wayward Boys becomes an ageless boy who can fly and lives on a pirate-infested island.

It's a long journey which begins as Peter and the boys are forced aboard a dreadful old tub called the Never Land on a journey to a mysterious kingdom ruled by a despot with a love of man-eating snakes. The boys have no idea why they are being sent to such a scary-sounding destination.

But also aboard is a young woman called Molly who befriends Peter and supplies him with some horrifying details as to his intended fate.

The ship is carrying a chest containing a treasure beyond price which, naturally, is a great lure for pirates. After a dramatic battle at sea, all are shipwrecked on an island and try to get their hands on the prize.

Nothing gets the creative juices flowing like a nasty crook. Barry and Pearson depict the man who is to become Peter Pan's mortal enemy with glee. Black Stache is the cruellest pirate, with the worst diet and personal hygiene habits, on the high seas.

For all the old-fashioned sailing ships and traditional pirate lingo, the story has a contemporary tone, from Peter's admiration for Molly to the recognisably Barry-ish jokes. The "savages" on the island, for example, have a fine time making sarcastic references to the "civilised Englishmen" in their midst. Their chief has the daunting name, Fighting Prawn.

The book's only flaw is its length. Once the story lands on the island, the endless chasing after the treasure as it repeatedly changes hands between the goodies and baddies goes on too long.

Other than that, Peter and the Starcatchers belongs on the swiftly growing pile of children's books with adult appeal. It will delight with its jokes, powers of invention and attention to detail. Even Peter Pan's ticking crocodile is given a past as long as its arm — or rather, its long and dangerous tail.

Barry and Ridley are no doubt on to a good thing. The beauty of an ageless character is that there's so much potential for more. The boy who never grew up has all the time in the world for as many prequels as the pair care to write.

* David Bateman, $19.99