Another Pan

Gr 6—9—In this eerie fantasy, the second one set in the elite Marlowe school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the authors interweave Egyptian mythology with the story of a contemporary Peter Pan and a boarding-school counselor with an international gang of teenage boys (the Lost Boys), all of whom have had their right eyetooth pulled out with pliers by Peter's sidekick, Tina. Wendy and John Darling, whose father is a professor and specialist in Egyptian antiquities at the school, discover that the copy of an ancient book, on loan from the British Museum, is magical and creates open gates to the Egyptian underworld. Because they leave a gate open, unresolved evil forces from legends begin to leak into the school. The synthesis of Egyptian mythology and Barrie's story becomes interesting when it becomes clear that the mysterious new school nurse with the damaged eye is connected to both the Egyptian god of the dead and Peter's nemesis, Hook, and that Peter is searching for the secret of eternal youth in the pyramids of the underworld. The authors succeed in creating a sense of danger that builds to a suspenseful climax. Although the setting is somewhat sketchy, with more of a suburban than an urban feel to the school, the characters are fleshed out more successfully, and Wendy's love interests and her competition with Tina will help to hold readers' attention. The authors have left the door open for a third book with their assertion that evil remains in wait in the school basement. Teens who like their fantasy layered and with multifaceted characters will enjoy this thought-provoking read.—Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City