If you loved: Peter Pan
https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Modern-Peter-Pan-readalikes.webp?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024 576 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e13fe604611de8ab95f8fa1e5862d0115e805367dd2bb462c28ba4013cebfee7?s=96&d=mm&r=gA blog series hunting out modern middle grade and YA fiction for authors who need to update their knowledge of the kidlit market but aren’t sure how to move beyond the traditional ‘classic’ cannon and their own childhood favourites. Because children and their books aren’t the same as they used to be!
Title: Peter Pan | Author: J.M. Barrie | Published: 1911 | Genre: Fantasy
In the last post in this series, I explored updated takes on the classic children’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. In this post, let’s look at the boy who never grew up, who first appeared in Barrie’s adult novel, The Little White Bird, in 1902 before taking the lead in the play Peter and Wendy in 1904. The 1911 novel was an instant bestseller and, more than one hundred years later, has never been out print.
I’ll start off with some modern middle grade and YA reimaginings of the classic tale:
Darling by K. Ancrum
Published by Imprint on 22/06/2021
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / General
Pages: 384
Goodreads
A teen girl finds herself lost on a dangerous adventure in this YA thriller by the acclaimed author of The Wicker King and The Weight of the Stars—reimagining Peter Pan for today’s world.
On Wendy Darling’s first night in Chicago, a boy called Peter appears at her window. He’s dizzying, captivating, beautiful—so she agrees to join him for a night on the town.
Wendy thinks they’re heading to a party, but instead they’re soon running in the city’s underground. She makes friends—a punk girl named Tinkerbelle and the lost boys Peter watches over. And she makes enemies—the terrifying Detective Hook, and maybe Peter himself, as his sinister secrets start coming to light. Can Wendy find the courage to survive this night—and make sure everyone else does, too?
Acclaimed author K. Ancrum has re-envisioned Peter Pan with a central twist that will send all your previous memories of J. M. Barrie’s classic permanently off to Neverland.
An Imprint Book
Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
Published by Hachette UK on 16/08/2022
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / General
Pages: 384
Goodreads
When children start to go missing in the local woods, a teen girl must face her fears and a past she can't remember to rescue them in this atmospheric YA novel, Lost in the Never Woods from the author of Cemetery Boys.
It's been five years since Wendy and her two brothers went missing in the woods, but when the town's children start to disappear, the questions surrounding her brothers' mysterious circumstances are brought back into the light. Attempting to flee her past, Wendy almost runs over an unconscious boy lying in the middle of the road...
Peter, a boy she thought lived only in her stories, asks for Wendy's help to rescue the missing kids. But, in order to find them, Wendy must confront what's waiting for her in the woods.
Praise for Aiden Thomas:
'Absolutely delightful! Lost in the Never Woods is chock-full of suspense, excitement, and nostalgia. Peter Pan is as thrilling and seductive as ever, and Thomas' heartfelt tale feels as ageless as the legend himself' Romina Garber, New York Times-bestselling author of Zodiac
'A poignant novel about resilience, the magic of childhood, and the impossible choices that survivors often have to make in order to move forward, this will haunt readers long after they put it down - but will also leave them looking up at the stars' Booklist, starred review
'This stunning debut novel from Thomas is detailed, heart-rending, and immensely romantic' Mark Oshiro, author of Anger is a Gift
'Aiden Thomas masterfully weaves a tale of family, friendships, and love in a heart-warming adventure full of affirmation and being your best self' C.B. Lee, author of Not Your Sidekick
Dust by Kara Swanson
Published by ENCLAVE PUB on 13/04/2021
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Adaptations
Pages: 368
Goodreads
*** Winner: Realm Award, Fantasy ***
*** Winner: Alliance Award, Reader's Choice ***
*** Finalist: Christy Award, Young Adult ***
The truth about Neverland is far more dangerous than a fairy tale.
Claire Kenton believes the world is too dark for magic to be real--since her twin brother was stolen away as a child. Now Claire's desperate search points to London... and a boy who shouldn't exist.
Peter Pan is having a beastly time getting back to Neverland. Grounded in London and hunted by his own Lost Boys, Peter searches for the last hope of restoring his crumbling island: a lass with magic in her veins.
The girl who fears her own destiny is on a collision course with the boy who never wanted to grow up. The truth behind this fairy tale is about to unravel everything Claire thought she knew about Peter Pan--and herself.
Straight On Till Morning by Liz Braswell
Published by Disney Hyperion on 04/02/2020
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Adaptations
Pages: 384
Goodreads
What if Wendy first traveled to Neverland...with Captain Hook?
Sixteen-year-old Wendy Darling's life is not what she imagined it would be. The doldrums of an empty house after her brothers have gone to school, the dull parties where everyone thinks she talks too much, and the fact that her parents have decided to send her away to Ireland as a governess—it all makes her wish things could be different.
Wendy's only real escape is in writing down tales of Never Land. After nearly meeting her hero, Peter Pan, four years earlier, she still holds on to the childhood hope that his magical home truly exists. She also holds on to his shadow.
So when an opportunity to travel to Never Land via pirate ship presents itself, Wendy makes a deal with the devil. But Never Land isn't quite the place she imagined it would be. Unexpected dangers and strange foes pop up at every turn, and a little pixie named Tinker Bell seems less than willing to help.
But when Captain Hook reveals some rather permanent and evil plans for Never Land, it's up to the two of them to save Peter Pan—and his world.
Sisters of the Neversea by Cynthia L. Smith
Published by HarperCollins Publishers on 12/06/2024
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Family / Blended Families, Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic
Pages: 336
Goodreads
Five starred reviews! In this beautifully reimagined story by NSK Neustadt Laureate and New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee Creek), Native American Lily and English Wendy embark on a high-flying journey of magic, adventure, and courage to a fairy-tale island known as Neverland...
Lily and Wendy have been best friends since they became stepsisters. But with their feuding parents planning to spend the summer apart, what will become of their family--and their friendship?
Little do they know that a mysterious boy has been watching them from the oak tree outside their window. A boy who intends to take them away from home for good, to an island of wild animals, Merfolk, Fairies, and kidnapped children, to a sea of merfolk, pirates, and a giant crocodile.
A boy who calls himself Peter Pan.
In partnership with We Need Diverse Books
Hook's Daughter by R.V. Bowman
Published by Rosanne Bowman on 14/11/2022
Pages: 174
Goodreads
Her biggest hero may be Neverland’s greatest villain.
Stuck at an exclusive boarding school year-round, Andromeda “Rommy” Cavendish counts down the days to her seafaring father’s twice-yearly visits.
But when her 12th birthday comes and goes without a word, she worries that something awful has happened to him. Not content to wait for answers, she disguises herself as a boy and sneaks out of school into the mean streets of Edwardian London.
But when she reaches her destination, she finds more questions than answers.
In order to discover the truth, she’ll have to go to the magical island of Neverland. But is she ready to face what she finds there?
If you enjoy fairytale twists, swashbuckling adventures, and spunky heroines, you’ll love Hook’s Daughter: The Untold Tale of a Pirate Princess, first in the middle-grade fantasy trilogy The Pirate Princess Chronicles.
Scroll up and hit the buy button to join the adventure today!
Forever Neverland by Susan Adrian
Published by Random House Children's Books on 25/06/2019
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic
Pages: 272
Goodreads
What if Peter Pan wanted to take you to Neverland? Would you go?
A contemporary sequel to J. M. Barrie's timeless classic Peter Pan, perfect for kids who loved THE LAND OF STORIES and dream of going to Neverland.
Clover and Fergus are the great-great-grandchildren of Wendy Darling (yes, that Wendy). And now Peter Pan wants to take them to Neverland for the adventure of their lives! But Clover is a little nervous--she's supposed to look after her brother. Fergus is autistic, and not everyone makes him feel welcome. What will happen to him in this magical world?
Fergus isn't nervous at all. To him, Neverland seems like a dream come true! He's tired of Clover's constant mothering and wants some independence, like Peter and the Lost Boys have. He wonders, Why can't the real world be more like Neverland?
Neverland is fun and free, but it's also dangerous and even scary at times. Unfamiliar creatures lurk in the shadows, and strange sounds come from the waters. And then the mermaids start to go missing. . . .
In an imaginative and thoughtful continuation of the story of Peter Pan, Susan Adrian explores Neverland with a fresh perspective and indelible warmth, offering a new adventure based on a beloved classic!
The Lost Wonderland Diaries by Jeffrey Scott Savage
Published by Shadow Mountain on 20/05/2024
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic
Pages: 336
Goodreads
Something monstrous has been found in the magic world of Wonderland and it wants to get out.
Lewis Carroll created a curious and fantastical world in his classic book Alice in Wonderland, but he secretly recorded the true story of his actual travels to Wonderland in four journals which have been lost to the world...until now.
Celia and Tyrus discover the legendary Lost Diaries of Wonderland and fall into a portal that pulls them into the same fantasy world as the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter. However, Wonderland has vastly changed. A darkness has settled over the land, and some creatures and characters that Tyrus remembers from the book have been transformed into angry monsters.
Celia and Tyrus make their way through this unpredictable and dangerous land, helped by familiar friends including the Cheshire Cat and a new character, Sylvan, a young rabbit. Together, they desperately work to solve puzzles and riddles, looking for a way out of Wonderland. But the danger increases when the Queen of Hearts begins hunting them. Believing the two young visitors hold the key to opening multiple portals to multiple worlds, she will stop at nothing to capture them.
It's up to Celia and Tyrus to save Wonderland and the real world. It's a race against time before they are trapped in Wonderland forever.
Beyond reimaginings, you can hunt out modern middle grade and YA that explore similar themes to Peter Pan and feature tropes and plot devices you’ll be familiar with. For example, Peter Pan is dominated by ideas of motherhood and what it to feels like to have one you love, to miss them, to never have had one, to need one or to want to become one. You could take a look at middle grade titles that feature strong mother figures or lack thereof: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder, See You on Venus by Victoria Vinuesa, The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf, The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien, The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick.
If you love the bond between Wendy and her brothers, you could seek out middle grade and YA stories that feature strong sibling relationships, like The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, Bea Is for Blended by Lindsey Stoddard, Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn, You’d Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow, I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
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