Peter and the Secret of Rundoon is a children's novel that was published by Hyperion Books, a subsidiary of Disney, in 2007. Written by Dave Barry

Dave Barry

David "Dave" Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and columnist, who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comedic novels.-Biography:Barry was born in Armonk, New York,...

 and Ridley Pearson

Ridley Pearson

Ridley Pearson, born on March 13, 1953 in Glen Cove, New York, is an American writer. Pearson has historically written suspense and thriller novels for an adult audience, but has also begun branching out by writing adventure books for children....

, the book is an unauthorized prequel

Prequel

A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...

 to the original Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie

J. M. Barrie

Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright...

, and tells the story of an orphan named Peter

Peter Pan

Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...

. It was illustrated by artist Greg Call

Greg Call

Greg Call is an artist who illustrated the Peter and the Starcatchers series.April 2003, Simon Pulse published a new edition of the 3-volume "Harper Hall of Pern" with new cover art by Greg Call....

. It is a sequel

Sequel

A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...

 to Barry and Pearson's Peter and the Starcatchers

Peter and the Starcatchers

Peter and the Starcatchers is a best-selling children's novel that was published by Hyperion Books, a subsidiary of Disney, in 2004. Written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, the book provides a backstory for the character Peter Pan, and serves as a prequel to J. M. Barrie's novel Peter and Wendy...

and Peter and the Shadow Thieves

Peter and the Shadow Thieves

Peter and the Shadow Thieves is a children's novel that was published by Hyperion Books, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, in 2006. Written by humorist Dave Barry and novelist Ridley Pearson, the book is a sequel to their book Peter and the Starcatchers, continuing the story of the orphan...

, best-sellers released in late 2004 and mid 2006. This book was released on October 23, 2007, and was described at the time as the last novel in the series. However, in May 2008 the writers announced a fourth book: Peter and the Sword of Mercy

Peter and the Sword of Mercy

Peter and the Sword of Mercy is a children's novel that was published by Hyperion Books, a subsidiary of Disney, in 2009. Written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, the book is an unauthorized prequel to the original Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie, and tells the story of...

.

Plot summary

The story starts at Stonehenge, where Lord Ombra was seemingly destroyed in Peter and the Shadow Thieves

Peter and the Shadow Thieves

Peter and the Shadow Thieves is a children's novel that was published by Hyperion Books, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, in 2006. Written by humorist Dave Barry and novelist Ridley Pearson, the book is a sequel to their book Peter and the Starcatchers, continuing the story of the orphan...

. Though weakened, he uses his power to possess others to gather himself together so that he can return to Rundoon.

Meanwhile, warriors of the Scorpion tribe plan to invade Mollusk Island. Warned by the Lost Boys, Fighting Prawn prepares for war. Eventually, however, he is forced to surrender to the overwhelming force of the invaders and the Mollusks are enslaved.

Molly and George travel to Oxford, where they discover some vital information about Peter's parents which suggests Peter himself is in danger. And indeed Lord Ombra and his fellow shadow creatures have decided that capturing Peter could help their plans. Lord Aster sails to Mollusk Island to warn and protect Peter, unaware that Molly and George have stowed away aboard his ship.

Peter, wounded by the Scorpions, is kidnapped by Captain Hook along with the Lost Boys, but soon they are all captured by Lord Ombra and taken to Rundoon. There they are imprisoned in the dungeons of King Zarboff III, a cruel and vain despot in cahoots with the shadow beings.

Tinker Bell joins Lord Aster in a rescue mission, but he is captured by Zarboff's men. Tink returns to the ship to warn Molly and George, but finds them trying to steal a camel and being chased by the owners. She tells Molly to use the starstuff in her locket to make the camel fly, and so they escaped and went on to find Peter, Lord Aster, and Bakari on their flying camel.

Zarboff reveals his plan - to shoot rockets into space to make starstuff fall. The first attempt is successful, and he plans another, using the new starstuff to send the rocket even further. He does not know that the shadow beings intend the second rocket to rupture the fabric of the universe and cause it to collapse into nothingness. It falls to Peter to prevent the rocket from reaching its destination.

By chance that load of starstuff falls onto a ship stolen by George and the Lost Boys, causing it to float. The flying ship, expertly handled by Captain Hook, takes the whole party back to Mollusk Island, when Shining Pearl, Fighting Prawn's daughter, has joined forces with the pirates to repel the invaders.

The book ends with the Lost Boys deciding to return to London and some new boys, former St. Norbert's orphans enslaved by Zarboff, taking their place.

Characters in "Peter and the Secret of Rundoon"

Many of the characters from "Peter and the Secret of Rundoon" are characters from the previous novels. However, new characters were added to fit with the book's theme.

• Peter
  Peter Pan
  Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
  
  - Peter, because of exposure to starstuff, will never grow old and has gained the permanent ability to fly. He is believed to be the lost son of Mr. Pan (aka Mr. Starr), a watcher for the Starcatchers. Mr. Pan and his wife mysteriously went missing and Peter was sent to St. Norbert's. The Others are searching for him to help them predict the Fall, for the Reversal. Peter is accompanied in his adventures by his guardian, Tinker Bell: a small fairy/"birdwoman", who is very protective of Peter. Peter has an obvious affection for Molly Aster, which bothers Tinker Bell quite a bit.

• Tinker Bell- Tinker Bell is a fairy who was created from a bird when Lord Aster put her in a bag of starstuff. She serves as the guardian of Peter. In this book, she describes herself as a "bird-girl". She hates being called a "fairy" and prefers people to call her a birdwoman". She is very protective of Peter, and supremely dislikes Peter paying attention to any other girl. She calls Molly Aster a "fat cow". She is rude and pessimistic, but only Peter and Lord Aster can understand her tinkling language, and they often misrepresent what she says to spare the feelings of their friends. She is able to emit a very bright light, which helps Peter many times against Lord Ombra; this technique often ends in her exhaustion and sometimes fainting.

• Molly Aster- Molly, daughter to the great Starcatcher Leonard Aster, returns for this book. When her father explains about the disappearance of a Mr. Starr, Molly sets out with her friend George Darling to crack the mystery. All evidence points to Peter and Molly and George stow away on a ship to Mollusk Island to help Peter. At the end of the book, Molly kisses Peter on the lips, but it is clear she is now rather older than he is. It seems as though Molly grows up to marry George Darling and become the mother of Wendy, John, and Michael. In J. M. Barrie's Peter and Wendy
  Peter and Wendy
  Peter and Wendy, published in 1911, is the novelisation by J. M. Barrie of his most famous play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up...
  
  , Wendy's mother is named Mary Darling, and Molly is a traditional nickname for Mary.

• Lost Boys- The Lost Boys- James, Thomas, Prentiss, and Tubby Ted -were originally orphans from "St. Norbert's Home for Wayward Boys". James is their leader when Peter is not around. The Lost Boys are captured by Lord Ombra in this book and taken to Rundoon. At the end of this book, they choose to go back to England because they are growing up and missing civilization. Slightly, Curly, Tootles, Nibs and the Twins become the new Lost Boys.

• Captain Hook
  Captain Hook
  Captain James Hook is the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and its various adaptations. The character is a villainous pirate captain of the Jolly Roger brig, and lord of the pirate village/harbour in Neverland, where he is widely feared. Most...
  
  - Captain Hook, formerly Black Stache, is a disgusting, filthy pirate, captain of the ship known as the "Jolly Roger". As his left hand was cut off by Peter, he replaced it with a hook-shaped dagger, earning his nickname. Annoyed by Peter's constant teasing, Hook kidnaps the Lost Boys, only to be captured by Lord Ombra's squids. He helps the Starcatchers against Zarboff's soldiers and steers the flying ship back to the island, but only for his own benefit.

• Lord Ombra- Lord Ombra is the returning villain in this novel. He moves like liquid and causes a chill to come over anyone he nears, because he is able to steal their shadow or possess them to read their thoughts. Ombra is afraid of the light, but it aids him in capturing shadows. He is one of a group of alien shadow beings who are enemies of life and manipulate the human "Others" for their own ends. In Peter and the Shadow Thieves
  Peter and the Shadow Thieves
  Peter and the Shadow Thieves is a children's novel that was published by Hyperion Books, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, in 2006. Written by humorist Dave Barry and novelist Ridley Pearson, the book is a sequel to their book Peter and the Starcatchers, continuing the story of the orphan...
  
  , Lord Ombra was apparently destroyed by a brilliant flash of light that broke him into millions of tiny shadows. However, it is found out in this book that he was not destroyed, but weakened, and is becoming stronger. The name Ombra is derived from the French
  French language
  French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
  
   word for "shadow". He is finally killed on the rocket used by "Others" to gather raw starstuff from space.

• Captain Nerezza- Nerezza is captain of the ship Le Fantome, and he is one of the "Others" who wants starstuff for selfish motives. Nerezza takes Lord Ombra from England to the land of Rundoon.

• George Darling- George is Molly's London friend, and he will grow up to become the father of Wendy, John, and Michael. George obviously has feelings for Molly, and is extremely jealous of Peter, which amuses Molly. He is cautious but loyal and refuses to let Molly go into danger alone. He is also very intelligent, and his knowledge of stars and ships proves especially helpful in this book.

• Lord Leonard Aster and Lady Louise Aster- Molly's parents are Leonard and Louise Aster, who live in a mansion near Kensington Gardens. Molly's father is secretly one of the greatest Starcatchers. He is protective of the children, but reliant on their help.

• Bakari- A friendly Starcatcher who has contacts in Rundoon and accompanies Lord Aster on his journey across the desert. He gets his shadow temporarily removed by Lord Ombra.

• Smee- Captain Hook's rather thick-headed first mate. He is made captain after Hook goes missing. He admits that he makes a poor pirate, as he does not like to hurt anyone.

• King Zarboff III- The evil King of the Temple, who wants to fly. He eventually gets swallowed by his pet snake, Kundalini.

• Kundalini
  Kundalini
  Kundalini literally means coiled. In yoga, a "corporeal energy" - an unconscious, instinctive or libidinal force or Shakti, lies coiled at the base of the spine. It is envisioned either as a goddess or else as a sleeping serpent, hence a number of English renderings of the term such as 'serpent...
  
  - King Zarboff III's pet snake who can swallow fully grown men whole. He is as big as 10 school buses. He eventually swallows his master.

• Mr. Glotz- A scientist who works for Zarboff. He builds rockets to shoot down the stars so that King Zarboff III can collect starstuff. It is unknown as to what happened to him after the novel.

• Franklin- A monkey from the temple that was trained to pilot the rocket. He befriends Tinker Bell in the novel.

• The Mollusk Tribe- The residents of Mollusk Island. They are attacked by the Scorpion Tribe and are forced to surrender their island to them. They are enslaved and forced to serve the Scorpions. The warriors, along with most of Hook's pirates, are forced to work in a cave, cracking lava stones which may contain diamonds.

• Shining Pearl- The daughter of Fighting Prawn, leader of the Mollusk Tribe. She escapes from the Scorpions and enlists the aid of Smee and other pirates who missed the attack.

• The Scorpion Tribe- A very deadly tribe of the seas. Men are initiated as warriors of the tribe only if they can keep a poisonous jellyfish on their back for a minute without moving or crying out. Each member has the scar of the jellyfish on his back. They add poison to their arrowheads to incapacitate their prey. A massive Scorpion war-party invades Mollusk Island.

• Mister Grin- An enormous crocodile that lives on Mollusk Island and craves human flesh, especially Captain Hook's. He accidentally swallows a clock towards the end of the novel.

• Slightly, Curly, Tootles, Nibs and the Twins/New Lost Boys- The St. Norbert's boys that Peter knew while he was still an orphan, who were sent to Rundoon as slaves. He is reunited with them all in Rundoon. Slightly has been there so long, he speaks Rundoon's language. After James, Thomas, Prentiss, and Tubby Ted leave for England, they become the new Lost Boys. These boys are the Lost Boys of the original play.

Differences from the works of Barrie

See Peter and the Starcatchers#Differences from the works of Barrie