This used to be my absolute favorite book series-- I even read it out loud to my Grandma in upstate New York over a long series of phone calls-- and iThis used to be my absolute favorite book series-- I even read it out loud to my Grandma in upstate New York over a long series of phone calls-- and if I had a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ or Storygraph at ten years old, I would have absolutely given it five stars. Re-reading it as an adult unfortunately did not capture the same magic. I mean, it was fine; the characters were serviceable, if a little flat, and Stache/Hook was a decent enough villain (though his interactions with Smee weren't nearly as mind-blowingly hilarious as I remembered), and it was fun to see how the different elements of this story would lead up to to Neverland and Peter Pan we know. But yeah, if I had been reading this for the very first time now, I don't think I would have bothered finishing it. Not because it's /bad/, but it's just not as compelling to me now as the pile of other books I have to read.
But hey! Adult me is not the target audience. Child me was. And I'll always have fond memories of sharing this story that meant so much to me with the person who meant so much to me, even if she did fall asleep a few times on the other end of the phone....more
I haven't read this in ages, and it was honestly delightful. I love how much creativity and heart Levine put into this instead of just churning out soI haven't read this in ages, and it was honestly delightful. I love how much creativity and heart Levine put into this instead of just churning out something generic (like the rest of this franchise seems to have done... I guess I shouldn't talk, since I only technically saw the first Tinker Bell movie, I just know that even as a kid I was disappointed that it wasn't like Levine's books, and looking at the fandom wiki it doesn't seem like the other movies got any better).
I remembered a decent amount of the main story, but there were several unexpected lines that made me laugh (e.g. "Hook snored too, but his snores were refined. He snored in iambic pentameter, with an occasional spondee thrown in"), I really enjoyed the quirky details of the world building, and I'd forgotten all about the references to how Peter broke Tink's heart. Tbh I feel like Levine's characterization of Peter ("...he used to tell her his jokes and ideas, and she'd admired every one. Extravagantly. She'd admired them extravagantly. ... Of course, Peter hadn't reciprocated. He wasn't much of a listener, or much of an admirer of anything that didn't come from him") is much more accurate to the book than Disney's usual portrayal, and I'm kind of surprised they let her get away with it. But I'm glad that she did. And I'm glad that Levine portrayed Tink's heartbreak in a way that took it seriously instead of just making her out to be petty and jealous, and I'm extra glad that she has Tink out of that one-sided relationship.
All in all, definitely worth the re-read, and I'm looking forward to checking out the other books again....more
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