[missymouse]

My two oldest children and I are reading this series together, and we love it! We're on book 2 now-Peter and the Shadow Thieves. I was just wondering if anyone else has read these and if you liked them. I want to read the 3rd book with the kids next, and then read Peter Pan. I've never read it, and this prequel series has piqued my interest in the Barrie's Peter. I'm wondering how the book compares to Disney's movie. I'm also hoping that Disney will do some movies based on these books since they are published Hyperion/Disney editions.

[PrincessJill]

I listened to one on CD during a mini road trip... I only got about halfway through it, but I LOVED it. I need to figure out what order the books go in and then I'll be working my way through the series!

I forget which one I had... they all got on a boat, which I think was hijacked by pirates, and Peter figured out he could fly, and then they ended up on a island with the bad guys (I forget their names) searching the island for them...

Anyway it was really good.

[missymouse]

Originally Posted by PrincessJill

I listened to one on CD during a mini road trip... I only got about halfway through it, but I LOVED it. I need to figure out what order the books go in and then I'll be working my way through the series!

I forget which one I had... they all got on a boat, which I think was hijacked by pirates, and Peter figured out he could fly, and then they ended up on a island with the bad guys (I forget their names) searching the island for them...

Anyway it was really good.

Oh my goodness, they are so good. I always think about my fellow Disney lovers when we're reading.

The one you were listening to is the first one-Peter and the Starcatchers. It is a great book, but, admittedly, it took me several chapters to get into it. Now I'm totally hooked. I hope you'll get into them again. Do you have kids? My daughter is 10 and getting ready to head to middle school, and my son is 8, and they BOTH love them. I hope my youngest will be ready to read them in a few more years, because I will so read them again!

[cowanfamily]

Sounds like a perfect read for the summer, thanks! I have a 12 and 10 year old, and they LOVE it when I read to them, even now. We read Lion, Witch and Wardrobe and Despereux together, but havent done one together in a while. Maybe I'll check them out, thanks for the tip!

[emamasa]

i read the 1st one and enjoyed it - hadn't even thought of looking for the others to read! thanks - now i have something else to search for at the used bookstores :)

[missymouse]

Originally Posted by cowanfamily

Sounds like a perfect read for the summer, thanks! I have a 12 and 10 year old, and they LOVE it when I read to them, even now. We read Lion, Witch and Wardrobe and Despereux together, but havent done one together in a while. Maybe I'll check them out, thanks for the tip!

I read to all my kids every night, so if you have any suggestions for good kid reads, let me know.

[missymouse]

Originally Posted by emamasa

i read the 1st one and enjoyed it - hadn't even thought of looking for the others to read! thanks - now i have something else to search for at the used bookstores :)

I actually like Shadow Thieves better than Starcatchers (at least so far). It has Tinkerbell, and she is so stinkin' cute. You will love these books. I can't wait to read the 3rd one.

[cowanfamily]

Originally Posted by missymouse

I read to all my kids every night, so if you have any suggestions for good kid reads, let me know.

Have you read Despereux? It is SO much better than the movie.....and the Lion, Witch series are also awesome....

I stopped reading to them when they stopped sharing a room a couple of years ago (daughter is a "tween" now, needs her privacy) but you have inspired me to maybe take it up again for the summer....

[missymouse]

Originally Posted by cowanfamily

Have you read Despereux? It is SO much better than the movie.....and the Lion, Witch series are also awesome....

I stopped reading to them when they stopped sharing a room a couple of years ago (daughter is a "tween" now, needs her privacy) but you have inspired me to maybe take it up again for the summer....

We'll put Despereux on our list for summer, thanks! Jay read some of CS Lewis's series with his dad, but I bet he wouldn't mind rereading with Lily.

Isn't it sad when they think they're too big for snuggling and reading? Lily is 10 and Jay is 8, so I guess it may come eventually, but I've still got Bonnie, who is 5! That's not to say that Lily doesn't want her privacy, though! We usually snuggle up in my bed to read together, but occasionally I like to read in her room because she has a daybed, and it's fun to sit in there. She doesn't want either of her siblings in her room, though! She complains that we never read in Jay's room, but he has bunk beds, and it's kind of hard for everyone to scrunch up on the bottom bunk together. They, too, shared a room when they were little, but I don't think either of them could deal with sharing a room with either of their siblings now.

[cowanfamily]

Originally Posted by missymouse

We'll put Despereux on our list for summer, thanks! Jay read some of CS Lewis's series with his dad, but I bet he wouldn't mind rereading with Lily.

Isn't it sad when they think they're too big for snuggling and reading?

We are a very snuggly family! LOL Sabrina is 12! and Quinn is 10 and they LOVE to snuggle! My boy still likes me to make his stuffed animals talk at bedtime...I am so glad they are enjoying being kids; they are in no rush to grow up and that makes me very happy! My girl is going in 7th Grade next year! OMG! I can't believe it! But she loves her snuggles; she still calls me to "come look at the cat...or dog...they are SO CUTE!!!" Will be sad when their childhoods are over...we try to enjoy every minute. My boy is just like Peter Pan - he NEVER wants to grow up (although last week he made me buy him "product" for his hair to make it shiny....guess we are growing up a little anyways!)

[missymouse]

Originally Posted by cowanfamily

My boy is just like Peter Pan - he NEVER wants to grow up

Then when you read Peter and the Starcatchers, he's going to want to find some starstuff!

[PrincessJill]

Originally Posted by missymouse

Oh my goodness, they are so good. I always think about my fellow Disney lovers when we're reading.

The one you were listening to is the first one-Peter and the Starcatchers. It is a great book, but, admittedly, it took me several chapters to get into it. Now I'm totally hooked. I hope you'll get into them again. Do you have kids? My daughter is 10 and getting ready to head to middle school, and my son is 8, and they BOTH love them. I hope my youngest will be ready to read them in a few more years, because I will so read them again!

Thanks!! I really want to buy that one and start the series, now that I know I LOVE it!

I don't have kids yet - I just graduated college so I'm slowly working on getting a proposal from my boyfriend , but kids hopefully will be in our future! I for some reason have gotten really into children's books again lately. I just love that they're so simple and yet so enthralling and meaningful. I do often find myself finishing a children's book and thinking, "I'll definitely be reading this to my own kids one day!!" I know these Peter Pan books will be those kinds of books that I hold on to for down the road.

10 & 8 sounds like the prime age to really enjoy these books!! I haven't read the original Peter Pan, but I think it's so neat that these books go more into the backstory of Peter and let us enjoy more of his adventures.

[PrincessJill]

Originally Posted by missymouse

I read to all my kids every night, so if you have any suggestions for good kid reads, let me know.

Sorry, I didn't see this when I first posted, but I do have a few suggestions I wanted to add...

I read "The Mysertious Benedict Society" and I really loved it! It's kind of Harry Potter-ish in that there are a group of kids that come together to solve mysteries and riddles and save the world, but they are learning logic instead of magic. The first couple chapters really hooked me because they had to take a test to get into the society, and it told how each of them solved the same problems in different ways. It was neat to see who would have solved it like you, and then see all the other ways it could be done that you didn't even think of! It was a fun book and it kept my attention the whole way through - towards the end of the book I couldn't put it down!! There is a second book in the series out now too. I think it might make a fun book to read together, if only just to see how your own kids would have solved the mysteries!

This may be a little darker than what you or your children prefer, but "The Graveyard Book" was also a very good book. It is about a boy whose family is killed by The Man Jack, but the boy escapes and is rescued by ghosts in a graveyard and named Nobody - Bod for short. The ghosts raise him and teach him things you could only learn in a graveyard, like how to disappear. Each chapter is about a different event in Bod's life, and they could be read independently of the story itself, so I immediately pictured it as a bedtime-reading book. There are some creepy scenes, such as when they go to the world of the ghouls, when all the ghosts go into town to do the Danse Macabre, and when they meet the Indigo Man... but if your kids are interested in ghosts at all, it's really neat to see how they are portrayed in this book - not scary, but as Bod's family. The book has a great ending (a little bittersweet!) and I think can be enjoyed by kids and parents.

[missymouse]

Originally Posted by PrincessJill

Thanks!! I really want to buy that one and start the series, now that I know I LOVE it!

I don't have kids yet - I just graduated college so I'm slowly working on getting a proposal from my boyfriend , but kids hopefully will be in our future! I for some reason have gotten really into children's books again lately. I just love that they're so simple and yet so enthralling and meaningful. I do often find myself finishing a children's book and thinking, "I'll definitely be reading this to my own kids one day!!" I know these Peter Pan books will be those kinds of books that I hold on to for down the road.

10 & 8 sounds like the prime age to really enjoy these books!! I haven't read the original Peter Pan, but I think it's so neat that these books go more into the backstory of Peter and let us enjoy more of his adventures.

Well, good luck on the proposal! My fingers are crossed!

My degree is in elementary education with a concentration in English. I children's literature! My kids don't have to twist my arm at all to read a good book with them. Most of the time I would rather read a children's novel than anything else. Someday your kids will love that you love kid's books, because you'll be able to get so into it with them.

I never read the original Peter Pan either. That's on our list to read this summer after we finish the 3rd book in this series. Then I think the 4th book is due out in late summer. We'll be reading about Peter ALL summer!

[missymouse]

Originally Posted by PrincessJill

Sorry, I didn't see this when I first posted, but I do have a few suggestions I wanted to add...

I read "The Mysertious Benedict Society" and I really loved it! It's kind of Harry Potter-ish in that there are a group of kids that come together to solve mysteries and riddles and save the world, but they are learning logic instead of magic. The first couple chapters really hooked me because they had to take a test to get into the society, and it told how each of them solved the same problems in different ways. It was neat to see who would have solved it like you, and then see all the other ways it could be done that you didn't even think of! It was a fun book and it kept my attention the whole way through - towards the end of the book I couldn't put it down!! There is a second book in the series out now too. I think it might make a fun book to read together, if only just to see how your own kids would have solved the mysteries!


This may be a little darker than what you or your children prefer, but "The Graveyard Book" was also a very good book. It is about a boy whose family is killed by The Man Jack, but the boy escapes and is rescued by ghosts in a graveyard and named Nobody - Bod for short. The ghosts raise him and teach him things you could only learn in a graveyard, like how to disappear. Each chapter is about a different event in Bod's life, and they could be read independently of the story itself, so I immediately pictured it as a bedtime-reading book. There are some creepy scenes, such as when they go to the world of the ghouls, when all the ghosts go into town to do the Danse Macabre, and when they meet the Indigo Man... but if your kids are interested in ghosts at all, it's really neat to see how they are portrayed in this book - not scary, but as Bod's family. The book has a great ending (a little bittersweet!) and I think can be enjoyed by kids and parents.

Wow! Those both sound wonderful! I'm definitely going to put those on our list. The Graveyard Book I might have to read with just my son. My oldest daughter is pretty scared by ghosts and such.