Peter and the Sword of Mercy

March 1, 2010
Gr 5-8-It's 1902, 23 years since the events of the last book, and Peter and the other inhabitants of Mollusk Island haven't aged a day. In London, however, things are much different. Molly is now married with three children: Wendy, Michael, and John. The Others seem to have disappeared, and the Starcatchers are all but gone from this world. But all is not well on Mollusk Island, or in London. Evil Ombra has inhabited the body of a man and made himself Prince Albert Edward's closest advisor and seen to the death of his true advisors. Queen Victoria is dying, and the prince will soon be king. It is now Wendy's turn to take up her mother's cause and convince Peter to join the fight between good and evil yet again. Followers of these adventures will be overjoyed at finding a new installment in the series. New readers, however, will be lost if they don't pick up "Peter and the Secret of Rundoon" (Hyperion, 2007) first. Barry and Pearson again give kids a quick-paced read with nonstop action."Lisa Marie Williams, East Gwillimbury Public Library, Holland Landing, Ontario"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2010
Grades 4-6 The fourth title in the Peter and the Starcatchers series (originally planned as a trilogy of prequels to Barries classic Peter Pan), this adventure involves a magical sword once wielded by Charlemagne and now held by the forces of evil as they attempt to seize a cache of starstuff, the powerful substance that the Starcatchers must protect. Wendy steps into her mothers shoes as the storys heroine, while the action zigzags from one set of characters and locales to another. Full of narrow escapes from nasty villains and bits of humor, this fast-paced adventure delivers plenty of thrills.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2010
Barry and Pearson deliver a snappy adventure in this fourth Peter book. Wendy, Peter, and the Starcatchers fight to keep a cache of starstuff from the hands of the evil Skeleton and Baron von Schatten (possessed by Ombra). Though there's too much going on and the book is way too long, the story's unflagging pace makes quick work for fans.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)