LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
The reimagining of the classic story of Peter Pan could not have been in safer hands than with the multi award winning Abi Elphinstone.
Wild magical adventures with real heart and a strong moral compass are her forté and she has crafted a wondrous tale which encapsulates all that is best of the original while removing some undeniably racist and sexist elements which are off-putting to modern generations.
Martha Pennyworth and her younger brother Scruff have come to live in 14 Darlington Road, which once belonged to the Darling family, and discover the permanently open window and mysterious golden dust in a drawer. With a missing mother and a busy father, Martha, aged ten, is feeling that she must grow up and be more responsible for younger asthma-ridden brother Scruff, after a “Terrible Day” she won't talk about.
But Peter Pan entices her and her brother to go with him to save Neverland from an icy curse that was cast upon it by Captain Hook. The fairies and fairytale creatures are in danger of extinction and childhood itself is in danger. The initially reluctant but redoubtable Martha is only one of a fantastic cast of well-rounded and believable new characters, including new Lost Kids and a much more likeable new Fairy called Muddle. In Neverland she must battle frostbears, icesharks and snowtigers before a thrilling showdown with the truly dreadful pirates. The peril feels genuine and the bravery immense. Just as with the original Peter Pan this is a story about the transition from childhood to adulthood, but Martha comes to realise that a life full of adventures is far better than a life of worry.
She can deal with her guilt about the ‘Terrible Day’ and find a way to embrace the wonder and hope of childhood again. Adventure laced with magic powered by genuine emotion, this is thrilling, heartwarming and utterly enthralling. A triumph!
Joy Court
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About
Saving Neverland Synopsis
Number 14 Darlington Road, looks like a perfectly ordinary townhouse - at first glance, anyway, but magic is good at hiding . . . when it's waiting for the right person to discover it . . .
Martha Pennydrop is ten, and desperate to grow up. But growing up is a tricky business. It means turning your back on imagination, fun and magic, because those were the things that led to the Terrible Day when something awful nearly happened to Martha's younger brother, Scruff, which would have been All Her Fault. But when Martha and Scruff discover a drawer full of mysterious gold dust in the bedroom of their new house - along with a window that's seemingly impossible to close - it's the start of an incredible adventure to a magical world: Neverland!
The Pennydrop's new house used to belong to another family - the Darlings - who once visited this world themselves. Now Peter Pan is back, and in need of their help. Neverland is in the icy grip of a terrible curse - cast long ago by Captain Hook. And only Martha and Scruff can save it . . .
A reluctant Martha and excited Scruff are swept off to Neverland and into the company of the Lost Kids. But when Scruff is kidnapped, Martha must rediscover all the imagination, magic and belief she has buried deep inside herself for so long, to save him - and Neverland itself.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780241473320 |
| Publication date: |
5th January 2023 |
| Author: |
Abi Elphinstone |
| Publisher: |
Puffin an imprint of Penguin Random House Children's UK |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
320 pages |
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Press Reviews
Abi Elphinstone Press Reviews
'A wonderful whirlwind of magic and adventure, and every bit as enchanting as the original Peter Pan. I absolutely loved it!' Catherine Doyle, bestselling author of The Storm Keeper's Island
Author
About Abi Elphinstone
A World Book Day Author 2019
Abi Elphinstone grew up in Scotland where she spent most of her childhood running wild across the moors, hiding in tree houses and building dens in the woods. After being coaxed out of her tree house, she studied English at Bristol University and then worked as an English teacher in Tanzania, Berkshire and London. Abi has written numerous much-loved middle grade novels and picture books and has been shortlisted for multiple awards.
When she's not writing, Abi can be found working for The Lamp Of Lothian Trust and scrambling up Scottish mountains with her husband and three little kids.
She is the author of The Dreamsnatcher, The Shadow Keeper and The Night Spinner; a series of fast-paced adventure books for 8-12 year olds which follow Moll, Sid, Alfie and a wildcat, Gryff, as they search for the Amulets of Truth to stop a group of sinister witchdoctors taking over their world. She is also the curator of the anthology Winter Magic.
Her 2018 book Sky Song was a snow-swept tale of adventure and friendship. The book was a Waterstones Book of the Month and was also shortlisted for the Independent Bookshop Week Book Award and the Sainsbury Children’s Book Award for Fiction as well as being longlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award and nominated for the Carnegie Medal. The Times has praised Abi has ‘a worthy successor to CS Lewis’ and The Guardian described Sky Song as ‘a truly magical tale’.
Abi’s series The Unmapped Chronicles is an epic and wide-reaching new series of interlinked standalone novels about magical kingdoms which coexist alongside our continents and hold all the magic needed to conjure sunlight, snow, rain and every untold wonder behind the weather for them. Abi released a World Book Day book, Everdark, in March 2019. Everdark is a prequel to The Unmapped Chronicles.
Abi volunteers for Beanstalk charity, is a patron for the brilliant Grimm & Co and is heavily involved in campaigning for Authors4Oceans. When she's not writing, Abi enjoys speaking in schools and travels the world looking for her next story. Her latest adventures include living with the Kazakh Eagle Hunters in Mongolia and dog-sledging across the Arctic.
More About Abi Elphinstone
