‘The Curse of the Neverland’
Piper Pan and her Merry Band: Book One
by Lindy MacLaine
200 pages, suggested for ages 9-and-up
ISBN 978-0989869270
Publisher: Artisan Bookworks
On the web:
facebook.com/LindyMacLaineBooks
Available at Hart’s Fine Books and online retailers
Events:
• Book signing: 5-8 p.m. Friday, May 1, Hart’s Fine Books, 161 W. Washington St.
20 percent off for those dressed as a fairy or pirate for the book during the First Friday Art Walk
• Coloring contest and treasure hunt, Saturday, May 9, with brief readings at 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Peter Pan’s legacy soars on but Neverland is in deep trouble in Sequim author Lindy MacLaine’s new book “The Curse of the Neverland.”
The modern day spin-off of J.M. Barrie’s classic tale brings in a new cast including 11-year-old orphan Piper Pizzinni, an heir of Peter Pan, whom readers are introduced to on her birthday, being delivered to Fitch’s Last Ditch Foster Home.
Soon afterward, she meets and is taken by an aged Tinkerbell, now called Belle, who flies Piper by the seat of her pants to Neverland.
Piper is shell-shocked to learn she is Peter Pan’s granddaughter and has been tasked to save the dying island from an evil dragon, Sincoraz, who feeds on life force and has taken her parents.
“Curse of the Neverland” follows up the classic book after Peter left the island to marry and grow up. Long gone is the dastardly Captain Hook but a new pirate leader, Captain Li’l Jack, with a hook and claw for hands, controls the dragon. His hope is to use the dragon’s tears, the Life Elixir, to grow real hands and become a concert pianist.
MacLaine said Piper is hardened with vengeance though against the dragon and Belle can’t get her to fly, laugh or crow to stand up against Jack and the dragon right away.
But she does recruit and help train a new breed of Lost Boys, the all-girl team of “Lifers” from the foster home — Pudge, Zonk, Midge, Stinky, twins Flim and Flam and Thumb who become Piper’s Merry Band.
A new legacy
Neverland isn’t a new world to MacLaine.
Since she played Peter Pan at age 11 in Northfield, Minn., she’s been thinking about flying to the island for years.
Growing up, she dreamed of becoming an actor but now has different ambitions.
“In writing, you get to play all the characters and you don’t have to audition,” she said.
Her book,” The Curse of the Neverland,” first appeared as a draft about nine years ago, she said, but MacLaine became discouraged after trying several publishing avenues. But three years ago, she was reenergized by friends and began pursuing the book that is set to become a trilogy.
MacLaine said she’s nearly done with Book 2.
As a life-long children’s fantasy fan, MacLaine said she recommends her book for children ages 9 and up.
“Like all those children’s books over time like the Oz and Narnia books, they have a lot of things in them that you see differently as an adult than as a child,” she said.
MacLaine moved to Sequim in 2007 from Seattle and said she felt that “geographic draw” to the area ever since visiting in the 1990s. She most recently worked for the Sequim Library before pursuing this series venture.
MacLaine said her vision for the world is that every child, especially every girl, have a dream and all that she needs to pursue it.
Look for promotional posters and more at piperpanandhermerryband.com.
