After sifting through piles of spring middle-grade and YA ARCs, Jenesse Evertson, co-owner of BBGB Tales for Kids in Richmond. Va., is especially pleased that she didn’t skip Wendy Spinale's Everland, a reimagining of Peter Pan.
For me, there is some tricky footing on the “what-I-should-sell” and “what-I-want-to-sell” path. There are steps for those blockbusters-to-be and surefire librarian faves and the books getting Indies Introduce buzz – but then there are those titles that might just miss their readership because they land between these.
This spring, one of those titles is Everland, Wendy Spinale’s reinterpretation of the Peter Pan story. I almost – almost – put this in the skip pile as I sorted the spring galleys. After all, there are lots of alternate fairytales and Barrie’s Peter Pan doesn’t seem to have a hook (pardon the pun) today. But here’s the kicker: Spinale was a character actor at Disneyland. Yep, someone who believes in the magic yet will take a step into the all-too-real underbelly. Now there's a perspective – an intriguing perspective.
Everland opens in a London decimated by the Marauders – Hook [an acronym for German army captain Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer] and his crew – who have already won, it seems. Left parentless, Gwen Darling must fend for herself and her two younger siblings. She meets up with Pete, who takes them to his hidey-hole underground, where they plot to oust Hook from Buckingham Palace and reclaim their world. They hit some surprise snags and encounter some short-gasp moments on the way to the thrilling, final battle. It’s an accessible plot, perfect for the 12-and-ups.
So what makes Spinale’s novel so much more? First, the delicious character (re)development. Those raised on Disney’s version of the classic will eat this one up. Gwen is a mother/bad-#$!% warrior combo. Lost Girl Bella is a troublemaker with a heart of gold. And Hook? Well, let’s just say that I hadn’t expected such a tragic reinterpretation of this character.
And, in true Disney spirit, mothers lie at the heart and soul of the story. Spinale’s exploration of that role and associated relationships underpin the entire retelling, in a provocative and unforgettable way. Is it the mother or the magic that makes the (wo)man? The reader must decide.
Everland by Wendy Spinale. Scholastic Press, $17.99 May ISBN 978-0-545-83694-4
