The Bridge to Never Land

Gr 5—8—In the authors' latest foray into Never Land, siblings Aidan and Sarah Cooper aren't expecting to discover a coded message in the hidden compartment of an antique desk. But once they crack the code, the teens find themselves on a journey into the books in the "Starcatchers" series (Hyperion), discovering that the stories are indeed real and that they must hurry to stop a golden box of starstuff from getting into the wrong hands. Along the way, they meet up with J.D. Aster, the reluctant descendant of Molly and Wendy Aster; narrowly escape the police; and set off an East Coast search for their whereabouts. This novel doesn't maintain the wonderful humor of the original series, and much of the story seems to be a setup for later installments. The kinetic journey seems far-fetched, even for this series, and the stop-and-go plot skips from one madcap escape to the next with little cohesion or true purpose. Aidan and Sarah also seem a bit immature for their ages. Hopefully the next book will provide the plot, humor, and character development that the authors are known for.—Necia Blundy, Marlborough Public Library, MA