Peter Pan Sequel Released Almost A Century After The Original
Posted October 5, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
And now he has another story to tell.
The long anticipated sequel to “Peter Pan” was released Thursday, 96 years after the original became a sensation around the world.
The new book was written by Geraldine McCaughrean, who was chosen from a large number of writers all competing to put their name on the prized product.
And in a world where Harry Potter made J.K. Rowling a household name – and one of Britain’s richest women – she knows the pressure’s on to live up to the original.
“If I’d known it would be this big I would have cared about it much more in the first place, but luckily I didn’t,” she laughs now.
“Peter Pan in Scarlet” is set in 1926 and shows a very different side of Neverland. Michael, one of the original children who accompanied Peter to the magic world, died fighting in World War I, while the others – including Wendy – are all grown up and have kids of their own.
But when the closest thing Peter ever had to a girlfriend runs into Tinkerbell, she decides she has to return to the enchanted land to help her former pal.
When she gets there, she quickly finds it’s not the way she remembered it. The place is empty and Captain Hook’s ship is adrift without its infamous villain or crew. That leads her on a search for Peter and into a new adventure for a new generation.
But the first and only authorized sequel to one of the most famous tomes in English literature isn’t just about selling books. JM Barrie donated all the rights to his classic to a local children’s hospital in England.
With the copyright running out in 2007, all those profits keeping the institution going would have disappeared, too. So the hospital commissioned the new work and will share in the profits with the author.
Peter Pan, which has been made into plays, TV shows, movies and even a famous Disney cartoon, is a cherished part of many people’s childhoods. And McCaughrean knows she has big shoes to fill.
“I am bracing myself against the bad reaction,” the woman who’s written at least 139 other kids’ books admits. “I’ve never incited enough interest to get antagonistic reaction to my books, but for the first time I know I will. I know people think I shouldn’t do this because I’m not Scottish and not a man.”
She might tell her new audience that they should grow up and get with the program – but that wouldn’t exactly be in keeping with the spirit of Neverland.
