  | Sisters of the Neversea Author: Smith, Cynthia Leitich | |
| Price: $21.88 | ||
Summary:
Native American Lily and English Wendy have been best friends since they became stepsisters. But with their feuding parents planning to spend the summer apart, what will become of their family--and their friendship? A boy named Peter Pan, who has secretly been watching them, unexpectedly takes them to Neverland, a place of wild animals, Merfolk, Fairies, and kidnapped children near a sea of pirates and a giant crocodile. And he intends to keep them there forever.
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| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 5.50 Points: 9.0 Quiz: 513539 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (05/01/21)
School Library Journal (+) (07/01/21)
Booklist (+) (02/15/24)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/06/21)
The Hornbook (00/09/21)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 04/15/2021 *Starred Review* This fresh take on Peter & Wendy revolves around best-friend stepsisters Wendy and Lily, respectively white and Muscogee Creek, whose relationship strains as their parents contemplate divorce. The adventure begins in familiar fashion, with Peter and Belle the Fairy visiting the sisters’ Tulsa home to reclaim his shadow and take Wendy (and four-year-old Mikey) to Neverland. But as the journey unfolds, Pan’s dark side is revealed. A century’s worth of Fairy dust has turned him into a self-absorbed tyrant who lures children to Neverland to partake in violent wargames, leading Lily to give chase to rescue her siblings. Smith has brilliantly reshaped the Pan story with a modern, inclusive sensibility. The usual elements are there—Merfolk, Fairies, pirates, lost boys—but all reimagined for the better, especially the Native characters. The island itself feels like that of TV’s Lost, full of danger and mystery, with a will of its own. And while Smith wields J. M. Barrie’s storyteller voice, writing from a head-hopping omniscient point of view that addresses readers directly, this is less a retelling and more a rebuttal, critiquing the problematic aspects of the classic—often quite overtly—and the consequences of such harmful influences are explored over the course of much action, adventure, and magical island exploration. An exciting journey in its own right and a necessary “recommend-along” for patrons seeking Barrie’s original. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 07/01/2021 Gr 4–7—Lily Roberts, a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, and white Wendy Darling are stepsisters who share many things (including a younger brother, Michael), but they find themselves at odds over the their parents' impending separation. As Wendy reads to Michael the night before she leaves, they are interrupted by a braggart boy, Peter, and his fairy friend, Belle. Peter wants a storyteller, and Wendy, always in love with fantasy, agrees to go (with Michael) by fairy dust to Neverland. Lily, always scientific, rejects this boy at first, especially after he calls her a derogatory name for Native Americans, but she listens to his errant shadow and follows it to Neverland to save her sister and brother from Peter. Thus begins a wondrous story skillfully hung on the framework of Peter Pan, but Smith makes it all her delightful own. A member of the Muscogee Creek Nation herself, she subverts the flaws of the original story into strengths, while firmly rooting her fantasy in realistic character development. Peter is a tyrant and a menace to Neverland; Wendy and Lily are strong heroines, each with her own challenges to overcome. Smith also weaves meaning into the large supporting cast of Native kids, Lost Boys, Merfolk, Fairies, and Pirates, perfectly pitching her tone for the middle reader set. VERDICT Full of fantastic storytelling, thrills, and humor, this book is a recommended purchase for all upper elementary and early middle school collections.—Kate Fleming, Hosford M.S., Portland, OR - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
