The Bridge to Never Land [Audiobook] [Englisch] [Audio CD]

I have been a loyal fan of the Starcathers series since discovering the books five years ago. I dived into every one even reading the Neverland "Short Stories" and the Kingdom Keepers series because of Ridley Pearson. Upon reading "Bridge" I was immediatly dissapointed. First of all the writting style had changed. The phraseology, the flow, the whole "feel" of the book was different. It resembled the Kingdom Keepers series much more than the previous four Starcatcher books. It is not just the fact that the story no longer takes place in the distant past, it's that the attitudes, motivations, and demeanor, of the Starcatchers, and Neverland Inhabitants seemed to change. The young people of the story, the lead characters, are annoying at times, and there is little reason given for liking either of them. In fact the authors (or author as I suspect, more on that later)seem to take so much time describing their weaknesses that we have little motivation for coming around to them at the end or actually wanting them to win. Peter a fun loving brash boy of the Starcatcher series turned into the self serving Peter of the origianl Berrie books. This is a change consistant for those who would love the Starcatcher series to stay true to the original work but not consistant with the Starcatcher series. Hook in this tale is treated more like the bumbling cartoonish Disney version than the sly "Black Stache" of the Starcather series. Another let down is the fact that we meet zero new villains. Every book thus far has given us a cavalcade of fun, unique, and nefarious, characters to compliment the likes of Hook, not here. In every book there are multiple plots going on weaving together, in "Bridge" all the characters are on the same "stage at one time" it is a very streamlined plot.
Without revealing anything about the plot, if you are a fan of the books you will find that "Bridge" is okay, just okay. There are some very creative elements. There is a dash of historical fiction, and there are some moments where you get really nervous for the characters. However it is not good enough and is not what I have come to expect of this series. I did not care for the characters, I did not like the "feel". And although simply a matter of prefrence, I wish they had not brought the story into the 2000's... All this being said, the book provided enough intrigue that I finished it with a smile.
I suspect, and I may be way off base, that Dave Barry had less to do with this story than the other four. This book felt like another installment of the Kingdom Keepers for the first 3/5 and then a quick Neverland tale is thrown in at the end. The Kingdom Keepers series was almost unreadable, for me, after the first book. I hope this is not the direction of the series from here on out.
On a side note, and I do not want to sound like I am just picking out things to be critical but this really bothered me. As one reviewer mentioned in a review, I am not sure why the author felt like the characters had to use the word "God" so often. This is very offensive to people from many religious backgrounds.
I hope the series continues, but I would like for it to go back to being more like a Starcatcher book, than Kingdom Keepoers.

I thought this book was a clever way to bring the Starcatcher books into the real world. Sara and Aidan are modern day teenagers who discover that the books they thought were fiction are actually recordings of past events. This book is a lot alike and a lot different than the previous four. It shares many of the same elements as the other books (starstuff, Ombra, flying) but also reads differently then the last four with the point of view staying mostly with Sara and Aidan.
This book starts out as a mystery, turns into a ghost story, then a chase scene, then a mystery again, an adventure story, and ends with a little bit of everything mixed together. I loved it. Although the chase scene does get a little long, the ending is worth it.
There were several parts that had me laughing for several minutes (the flying van for example) and many parts that got my heart pumping.
Overall this book is an awsome extension of the Starcatcher series with some new twists and turns, and I hope another one will soon follow after.

Fifth in the Peter and the Starcatchers fantasy adventure series for kids. This installment takes us beyond what we expect of Peter Pan in a contemporary America.

My Take
Okay, it is a fun adventure but there was something missing in it for me. I suspect part of my disappointment was in the story's contemporary setting when I was expecting something with more "history".

It's still a clever manipulation of the Peter Pan fantasy that weaves in our own Disney World with the even more clever inclusion of Albert Einstein. With luck, it'll inspire kids to explore or at least be more open to Einstein and quantum mechanics.

The Story
In 1905, the Starcatchers approached Albert Einstein for help in protecting Never Land. A protection that was modified in 1971 by Pete Carmoody.

Today...
While chasing Aidan down to get her iPhone back, Sarah and Aidan inadvertently discover a secret hideaway in their dad's new-to-him antique desk. A letter from Aster to Mister Magill. It's Sarah's encyclopedic knowledge of the Starcatcher books that enables her to recognize the name Magill. And it is the impetus that sends Sarah and Aidan on their quest to solve the clue in the letter and discover the stored cache of starstuff.

Lucky for them, their parents have planned a family trip to England making their quest possible. Unlucky for them, as finding the starstuff triggers a chase by the weakened Lord Ombra and his allies, the ravens. A most formidable enemy as he directs his ravens to follow them across the Atlantic and cross country in the U.S. as Sarah and Aidan flee their parents and Ombra trying to find a starcatcher who can help them. An unexpected use for Facebook and Craigslist, but it does result in an email from a J. D. Aster.

But when Sarah and Aidan reach Dr. Aster, they find that he is quite resistant to the myth and by the time they convince him, the police are coming to arrest them all. Their escape is bare and they only manage to elude the electronics that stretch along the East Coast by the skin of their teeth. Together they decide the only safe place for the starstuff is in Never Land and J.D.'s grandfather's diary provides the clues they follow with some help from Mac and Carmoody's widow, Fay.

A trail they follow to Disney World in Florida. With still more clues to decipher and adventures to follow. To convince Peter. To rescue Aidan from Ombra's clutches.

The Characters
Aidan Cooper enjoys the usual relationship most siblings have with older sisters. Sarah, the older sister, practically has the Peter and the Starcatcher series memorized. Tom and Natalie Cooper are their history-minded parents.

Lord Ombra is still weak from the battle in Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (The Starcatchers) but clever enough to survive in pieces. Lester Armstrong is a private investigator with a talent for computer research and he is soon hot on the trail of the runaways. Armstrong is not the most ethical of men. Hector Gomez and Wanda Blight are the FBI agents in charge of retrieving the "kidnapped" children.

J. D. Aster is a physics professor at Princeton University and a non-believing descendant of the original Lord Aster. Allen "Mac" Macpherson, a friend of Aster's, turns out to have been involved much later with the bridge project and provides an uncertain refuge. He does remember that Pete Carmoody was involved in a project to make a smaller, more portable bridge that eventually ended up in the most wonderful place on Earth.

The inhabitants of Never Land from Captain Hook, Smee, and his crew; Teacher; the chief of the Mollusk Indians, Fighting Prawn and his son Bold Abalone with the rest of the village; a very suspicious Peter Pan and Tinker Bell; the Lost Boys: Tootles, Nibs, Curly, Slightly, and the twins; and, Mister Grin.

The Cover
The cover is a murder of ravens chasing, surrounding Sarah and Aidan as they flee across a bridge at Disney World.

The title is too true as quantum physics has allowed a safe dimension for the island as well as The Bridge to Never Land.