Fairies and the Quest for Never Land by Gail Carson Levine
Reviewed by KeriRatings
Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content
LANGUAGE
VIOLENCE
SEXUAL CONTENT
ADULT THEMES
Ratings Explanation
Violence: The dragon Kyto threatens to crisp the fairies of Never Land. During the battle seven fairies are lost to his flaming rampage.
Synopsis
Gwendolyn Jane Mary Darling Carlisle is the descendant of the famous Wendy Darling of whom we hear so much about in the tales of Peter Pan. That first ‘kiss’ that Peter gave Wendy (in this story it is an acorn), has been handed down from generation to generation enclosed in a locket. Gwendolyn cherishes this ‘kiss’ which she carries around in a locket on a chain. Every night she dreams of fairies and hopes that Peter will come to take her to Never Land so that she can see them. The ‘kiss’ occasionally gives Gwendolyn visions of things happening in Never Land. Months and then years pass before the day Peter arrives and asks Gwendolyn to come with him. Upon arriving in Never Land, as tradition would have it, Peter puts her to work mending socks and washing dishes. When Gwendolyn is finished, she sneaks out to find the fairies hoping to make friends with them. The fairies are not so excited to see her. They call her (and every other human) a Clumsy. She slowly wins them over with special gifts she has brought. Gwendolyn spends all of her time observing and helping the fairies. She also meets the island’s protector, Mother Dove, who guards a magical egg that gives Never Land its power. The fairies’ peaceful life is interrupted when they find out that the island’s dragon Kyto is planning to escape his cage and destroy the Fairy Haven. Gwendolyn begs to help but the fairies are somewhat unsure of her abilities. Gwendolyn must learn to find her own talent and trust in her new friends in order to save them all.
If you are a Peter Pan lover you may want to stick with the classic version. Peter makes only necessary occasional appearances in this story and seems to forget that he even brought Gwendolyn to Never Land. Even Tinker Bell has abandoned him to live in Fairy Haven. This story is for the fairy lover. Gwendolyn has been one her whole life. Her passion is a little overboard and I found her character frustrating at times, but the young fairy lover will surely overlook these flaws and enjoy the story.