The Neverland Thieves - Katie and Kevin Tsang

 

Tom is a patient at Great Ormond Street hospital; Felix is his best friend who continues to visit him even though Tom is grumpy with him; then there's Daisy whose mum is a doctor at the hospital.  The trio end up in the garden where magic starts to swirl, creatures from the chapel come to life and the world of Neverland is calling. With the promise of returning to the hospital by the end of the day, all three dive headfirst into an adventure where they meet mermaids and pirates; they're accused of being thieves and then have to clear their names, but to do that involves taking on a terrifying Beekeeper and his army of wax creatures.

Oh goodness, gracious me, where do I begin with this book?  It's a glorious new adventure that will whisk you away to a world of magic, hope and heart.

Tom is clearly very ill and is struggling with life in the hospital, being isolated and not fully understanding what is happening.  He's even pushing away his best friend Felix.  I love that the book gives us Tom's perspective on his illness but also shows us what it's like for Felix who is trying his best to understand what his friend is going through and to support him with this.  Then there's Daisy who is desperate to spend time in the hospital in order to become a doctor like her mum, but is actually feeling very lonely.  Although they don't know it, the three really need each other and Neverland needs them, which is why a small golden dragon and a bat are woken from the chapel in order to ensure they get there; something of course they can't do without a bit of fairy dust!

Neverland itself is a joy to revisit: whilst there are a host of new characters to get to know, it is also good to have familiarity in some aspects of this magical world (both for adults who are reading it to their children as well as hopefully encouraging a whole new generation of readers to dive into Peter Pan).  Readers will delight at the map and the illustrations that are woven through the book thanks to Kristian Kister, and will take huge amounts of joy in getting lost in the pages of this truly wonderful tale.

I could think of nobody better than Katie and Kevin to take on this incredibly special book.  To honour the brilliance of the original novel as well as paying tribute to Great Ormond Street hospital takes skill and is something the couple do effortlessly and with real warmth (although I know it will have taken much time as well as many tears and rewrites!).  Their style is one that draws you in from the beginning and makes you feel part of every step of the story.  It's a book that deserves to be savoured and is absolutely one that can be read and reread - I predict it will become a classic. 

I fear that this review is never going to do this book the justice it deserves so I'm just going to end by saying: 

Publishing on the 24th September, The Neverland Thieves is a book to pre-order, a book to savour and a book to treasure forever ... and yes, I did hug the book once I'd finished reading it!