293. Another Pan by Daniel & Dina Nayeri

Another Pan by Daniel & Dina Nayeri (Canada) - (US)
The Second of Another Series

Pages: 393
Ages: 14+
Finished: Dec. 23, 2010
First Published: Sept. 14, 2010
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Genre: YA, paranormal
Rating: 4/5


First sentence:

All nights come to an end -- that is to say, all nights see the break of day.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Candlewick Press.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

I loved this book almost as much as the first in the series! In fact, I think I loved the story even more but I didn't find it to be the page-turner that Another Faust was. This was more of a slow read, one that kept me interested and I loved falling into the world, but somehow it did have a slow pace. I'm not sure if this is the book's fault or my own as my mind has been all over the place so close to Christmas. But fast or slow paced who cares? I loved Another Pan!

Professor Darling is a teacher at the Marlowe school. Both his children attend, Wendy and John Darling; this is his first year at the high school. There are a few new Resource Assistants this year and one them is named Peter. Professor Darling's history class revolves around Ancient Egyptology and a particular set of 5 myths and artifacts in which he alone believes prove that the Egyptian god of the Dead was not Anubis but a female. Peter is at the school looking for bonedust from a certain set of 5 mummies which when ground together will provide the elixir of permanent youth. So far he's managed to slow the aging process considerably with the dust from one such special mummy. It seems the underworld has attached itself to Marlowe along with a new mousy, plain looking school nurse with a strange eye. Wendy and John join Peter and his crew of Lost Boys (in place all over the world and naturally at Marlowe as well) in entering the underworld and trying to retrieve the mummies and fighting (or tricking) the guardians of each after they hear and study each myth to help them locate the point of entry in Marlowe to the correct place in the underworld.

It is with the nurse that the connection with the previous book comes. Another Faust introduced us to the demon posing as a governess and here she returns before she has had time to fully recuperate in the form of the nurse. This is all covered in the first chapter. But when she returns to the underworld she regains her full power as the Dark Lady. The Dark Lady has taken on many manifestations in the living world, the glamorous governess in Another Faust and the terrible, frightening nanny of Peter's childhood.

I love how all the elements of the Peter Pan story are brought together here in a completely different fashion. Peter Pan is represented in his true form (from the book) as a nasty, self-centred youth and his sidekick who is in love with him, Tina, will do anything for him even though he does not reciprocate her undying love. Tina, like Tinkerbell (in the book) is jealous of Wendy with a pure hatred. Other elements that find their way into Another Pan but have nothing to do with pirates or crocodiles are the hook and the tick-tock of a watch. Truly, a very original re-imagining of the ingredients that make up Peter Pan that the authors have used in a completely unique way to tell their own story.

As a series, I find this very compelling as it does not follow the same cookie cutter recipe of most series. There is not a continuing plot line with the same characters. In fact, these first two books could be read on their own, apart from a series. What connects them as a series is a villain and a school, which is becoming a character itself. There is also a very brief mention in passing of an event that happened last year at the school involving Christopher Faust and connecting it to the evil within Marlowe.

I'm a fan of this series and can't wait to see what classic story the brother/sister author team use as the springboard for the next book.