Peter and the Secret of Rundoon
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| Peter and the Secret of Rundoon | |
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| Author | Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson |
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| Illustrator | Greg Call |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Hyperion Books |
| Publication date | October 2007 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 482 pp (hardcover edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7868-3788-8 |
| Preceded by | Peter and the Shadow Thieves |
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon is a children's novel that was published by Hyperion Books, a subsidiary of Disney, in 2007. Written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, the book is an unauthorized prequel to the original Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie, and tells the story of an orphan named Peter. It is a sequel to Barry and Pearson's Peter and the Shadow Thieves which was a sequel to their Peter and the Starcatchers, best-sellers released in late 2004 and mid 2006. This book was released on October 23, 2007, and is the last novel in the series. It was illustrated by artist Greg Call.
[edit] Plot summary
The story starts with us encountering an old man. He passes by Stonehenge, and soon Lord Ombra (a shadow creature who takes peoples shadows and somehow controlls them) has taken over his shadow. The old man is taken to various locations and he takes the shadows of many creatures and humans. Lord Ombra then travels to London, and encounters Captain Nerezza. Captain Nerezza takes Lord Ombra to the land of Rundoon. Meanwhile, on the open seas, the Scorpion Tribe is headed for Mollusk Island. They set out on the island in a scouting party, where they see the Lost Boys' hideout, the Mollusk Tribe, and Peter flying in the air. They turn back, ready to prepare for war against the Mollusk Tribe. Tubby Ted soon finds an arrow from the Scorpion Tribe and Fighting Prawn prepares for war. Back in London, Leonard, Louise, and Molly Aster are eating dinner. Lord Aster explains to his family that the senior Starcatchers are holding a meeting in Paris. They want to know why they didn't get informed about the large starstuff Fall in Scotland, and how the Others got to it first. Lord Aster explains that an anonymous man would post a hidden warning in the Oxford Observer every time a Fall was about to happen. Lord Aster leaves for Paris and Molly is concerned. She seeks the help of George, and they travel to Oxford, where they discover the man was named Mr. Pan and that he and his wife disappeared 12 years earlier. They also find out that their son was sent to St. Norbert's Home for Wayward Boys, the same orphanage that Peter was sent to. After questioning Grempkin (the caretaker) they find that Peter is the son of Mr. Pan and that he was meant to be on the ship to Rundoon (in the first book). Back in Rundoon, Lord Ombra departs for a Jackal statue, where he is met by fellow shadow creatures. They discuss that the boy (Peter) must be a Watcher, and he may have found out about the 'Reversal'. Lord Ombra is sent in a pod to Mollusk Island. Back in Paris, Molly and George tell Leonard Aster of their discoveries...
[edit] Characters in "Peter and the Secret of Rundoon"
Many of the characters from Peter and the Secret of Rundoon are characters from the previous novels. However, new characters were added to fit with the book's theme.
- Peter - Peter, because of exposure to starstuff, has gained the permanent ability to fly. He is believed to be the lost son of Mr. Pan (aka Mr. Starr), a watcher for the Starcatchers. Mr. Pan and his wife mysteriously went missing and Peter was sent to St. Norbert's. The Others are searching for him to help them predict the Fall, for the Reversal. Peter is accompanied in his adventures by his guardian Tinker Bell, a small fairy or "birdgirl", who is very protective of Peter.
- Tinker Bell- Tinker Bell, who was created from a bird and a bag of starstuff, is the guardian of Peter. She hates when she is called a fairy, because she would much rather be called "birdgirl" because it supports her heritage. She is super protective of Peter, she supremely dislikes when Peter pays attention to any girl other than herself and she calls the mermaid teacher "a big, fat, grouper", and Molly Aster as "a big, fat cow". She is able to emit a very bright light, this helps Peter many times against Lord Ombra, this technique often ends in her exhaustion and sometimes fainting.
- Molly Aster - Molly, daughter to the great Starcatcher Leonard Aster, returns for this book. When her father explains about the disappearance of a Mr. Starr, Molly sets out with George to crack the mystery. All evidence points to Peter and Molly and George sneak upon a ship to Mollusk Island to help Peter. Molly lives in a mansion near Kensington Gardens, and she is friends with George Darling. In the end, Molly shows feelings for Peter and kisses him.
- Lost Boys - The Lost Boys were originally orphans from St. Norbert's Home for Wayward Boys. James is leader to Thomas, Prentiss, and Tubby Ted when Peter is not around. The Lost Boys are captured by Lord Ombra in this book and taken to Rundoon.
- Captain Hook - Captain Hook, formerly Black Stache, is a disgusting, filthy pirate, captain of the ship the Jolly Roger. As his left hand was cut off by Peter, he replaced it with a hook-shaped dagger, earning his nickname from Peter. Annoyed by Peter's constant teasing, Hook kidnaps the Lost Boys, only to be captured by Lord Ombra's squids.
- Lord Ombra - Lord Ombra is the returning villain in this novel. He is part man, part shadow, and he moves like liquid. He causes a chill to come over anyone he nears, because he is able to steal their shadow or possess them to read their thoughts. Ombra is afraid of the light, but it aids him in capturing shadows. He is one of the greater "Others". Lord Ombra is destroyed by a brilliant flash of light that breaks him into millions of tiny shadows. We find out in this book, that he was not destroyed and is becoming stronger. The name Ombra is derived from the French word for "shadow".
- Captain Nerezza - Nerezza is captain of the ship Le Fantome, and he is one of the "Others" who uses starstuff for evil. Nerezza takes Lord Ombra from England to the land of Rundoon. One important feature of Nerezza is he has no nose - it was cut off in Africa, but replaced by a wooden nose carved from blackwood and held on with a leather strap. Nerezza is able to smell by lifting the false nose and breathing through a hole in his face. The name Nerezza is derived from the French word for "nose".
- George Darling - George is Molly's London friend, and he grows up to become the father of Wendy, John, and Michael. George apparently has feelings for Molly, but he finds her changed since she returned from her voyage at sea. He is very loyal, and allows even Peter to stay in his room without his parents' knowledge. George is most likely featured in this novel because in Disney's 1953 film, Mr. Darling mentions meeting Peter Pan and being on Captain Hook's ship "I have the strangest feeling I've seen that ship before. A long time ago, when I was very young".
- Lord Leonard Aster and Lady Louise Aster - Molly's parents are Leonard and Louise Aster, who live in a mansion near Kensington Gardens. Molly's father is an ambassador to King Zarboff III of Rundoon, but he is secretly one of the greatest Starcatchers. Leonard goes out to search for Peter after hearing Molly's news. Leonard himself is shot in Shadow Thieves, but Peter heals him with a bit of starstuff. Louise Aster is Molly's mother, who is left behind with her daughter when her husband leaves to look after the starstuff. Lady Aster is not mentioned after Molly and George escape.
- Smee - Captain Hook's first mate. He is made captain after Hook goes missing.
- King Zarboff III - The evil King of the Temple who wants to fly. He eventually gets swallowed by his pet snake.
- The Mollusk Tribe- The residents of Mollusk Island. They were at war with the Scorpion Tribe and were forced to surrender their island to them. Children and women were separated, while warriors were killed and forced to find diamonds by cracking lava stones.
- The Scorpion Tribe - A very deadly tribe of the seas. Men are inaugurated into the tribe if they can keep a poisonous jellyfish on their back for a minute. Each member has the scar of the jellyfish on their backs. They fill poison on their arrows to kill their prey immediately. The Scorpion Tribe takes over Mollusk Island.
- Kundalini- King Zarboff's huge pet snake.
- Franklin- A monkey from the temple.
