There is a certain kind of reader—and if you are reading this, you are almost certainly one of them—who has never quite gotten over the idea of flying. Not in an aeroplane, mind you, but properly flying, with nothing but starlight and happy thoughts to hold one aloft. These readers know instinctively that growing up is not nearly as mandatory as adults would have us believe, and they are forever seeking that particular magic that J.M. Barrie first bottled more than a century ago.
If you count yourself among this merry band of dreamers, you shall be delighted to discover that the tale of the boy who wouldn’t grow up has inspired a veritable treasure chest of retellings. Some are dark as the waters of the Mermaid Lagoon, others bright as Tinker Bell’s glow. Here, dear reader, are the very best Peter Pan retellings to accompany you through 2026 and beyond.
The Wendy by Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown
One might think, after all these years, that there could be nothing new to say about Wendy Darling. One would be delightfully wrong.
The Wendy reimagines our beloved heroine not as a proper young lady waiting by her nursery window, but as a foundling with dreams far grander than society would permit. Set in the late eighteenth century, this Wendy is an orphan who yearns not for a husband and children, but for adventure upon the high seas—to captain her own ship and sail wherever the wind might take her. The familiar characters are all present—Peter Pan with his mercurial nature, Captain Hook with his cunning and his ship, John and Michael as brothers in arms if not in blood, and even dear Nana. Yet they are transformed into something wholly unexpected.
Readers have called it “a Peter Pan retelling better than the original” and praised its “charming, witty” prose that echoes Barrie’s own narrative voice. The magic smells of green and tastes of pickles (which makes perfect sense if you think about it properly), and Wendy’s single expressive eyebrow has launched a thousand delighted reviews. This is the sort of book that captures one’s attention in the second chapter and refuses to let go until the very last page—and even then, one is rather desperate to continue. The complete Tales of the Wendy trilogy is now available, so you needn’t wait as the first readers did to discover what awaits our heroine.
Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to another—the girl with the crow feather in her hair.
Narrated by none other than Tinker Bell herself, this luminous tale follows Tiger Lily, the fierce and silent daughter of the Sky Eaters’ shaman, as she discovers Peter Pan in the forbidden forest. Their bond forms quickly and burns bright, but it is a fragile thing, threatened by tribal expectations, mortal danger, and eventually, the arrival of a certain English girl at Peter’s window. This Neverland is no playground but a remote island filled with deadly mermaids, unstable pirates, and the ever-present shadow of mortality. Anderson restores darkness and danger to the tale whilst preserving its aching heart.
Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry
What if the villain were not truly villainous at all?
Christina Henry dares to ask this question, and the answer is both terrible and magnificent. Told from the perspective of Jamie—Peter Pan’s very first lost boy, who will one day become Captain Hook—this dark reimagining reveals a Peter who is not charming but cruel, not innocent but calculating. Jamie watches over the younger boys, trying to protect them from the island’s dangers and from Peter himself, until tragedy forces him to confront an awful truth. This is not a book for the faint of heart, but for those who have always suspected there was something not quite right about a boy who never grows up.
Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
Five years ago, Wendy Darling and her two brothers vanished into the woods. Wendy returned alone, with no memory of what happened.
Now eighteen, Wendy lives in the shadow of that mystery—until children begin disappearing from her small Oregon town, and a boy called Peter appears, asking for her help. Aiden Thomas weaves a contemporary tale of trauma, memory, and healing, where Neverland exists not as an island but as something far more personal and perilous. The prose is immersive, the perspective trauma-informed, and the emotional depth rivals anything in the genre. Publishers Weekly praised its “nuanced” treatment of Barrie’s classic characters.
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
How did Peter Pan come to fly? How did he find Neverland? And however did he meet Captain Hook?
This rollicking adventure, penned by humorist Dave Barry and novelist Ridley Pearson, answers all these questions and more. Young Peter is merely a nameless orphan shipped off on a decrepit vessel called the Never Land until he encounters Molly, a girl his own age who guards a trunk containing “starstuff”—magical dust of extraordinary power. Pirates, storms, a crocodile named Mister Grin, and a villain called Black Stache all conspire to create an origin story worthy of the legend. This is perhaps the most joyful entry on our list, perfect for readers of all ages and for reading aloud to the young ones in your life.
The Child Thief by Brom
Here is a warning: this Peter Pan is not the one you remember.
Brom’s magnificently dark reimagining transplants the tale into a Neverland that is actually Avalon of Celtic myth, where Peter recruits broken, abused children to fight in an ancient war. Fourteen-year-old Nick is saved from murderers by Peter’s intervention and brought to a dying magical land where he must learn to fight alongside the “Devils”—Peter’s savage tribe of stolen children. The novel features Brom’s own haunting illustrations and pulls no punches in its exploration of darkness. This is Peter Pan for readers who prefer their fairy tales with sharp teeth.
Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise
What happens after happily ever after?
Wendy Darling grew up, as children do, and tried to forget Neverland. But forgetting proved impossible, and her insistence on the truth of her adventures earned her years in a mental institution. Now an adult with a husband and daughter of her own, Wendy believes her trials are behind her—until Peter returns and takes her daughter Jane. To save her child, Wendy must return to Neverland and confront both Peter and her own buried trauma. This is a horror-tinged feminist retelling for adult readers, dealing with themes of psychological abuse and the cost of forced forgetting.
Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen
Captain Hook has been trapped in Neverland for two hundred years, cursed to play the villain in an endless pantomime.
Lisa Jensen’s romantic reimagining presents James Hookbridge as a tragic hero—a witty, educated gentleman from eighteenth-century Bristol who made the mistake of crossing a practitioner of dark magic. Unable to die or escape, Hook has resigned himself to eternity until an adult woman arrives on the island, breaking all the rules. For readers who have always wondered if there might be more to the infamous captain than villainy, this novel offers a compelling answer.
Never Never by Brianna Shrum
The boy who would become Captain Hook once dreamed of nothing but adventure.
Young James Hook runs away to find Peter Pan, hoping for excitement and wonder. He finds Neverland—but he also discovers that Peter’s games have a dark side, and leaving is not an option. This young adult novel presents Hook’s origin story as a tragedy of misplaced trust and terrible realizations, asking readers to consider that heroes and villains might not be so easily distinguished as children’s stories suggest.
Darling by K. Ancrum
Set in modern-day Chicago, this contemporary retelling follows Wendy as she encounters Peter—a mysterious boy who arrives at her window and introduces her to the lost teens living in the city’s underworld.
K. Ancrum updates the tale for the present day, replacing Neverland with urban streets and addressing themes of homelessness, found family, and the darkness that lurks beneath the surface of seemingly magical situations. This is Peter Pan for readers who appreciate gritty realism alongside their fantasy.
Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell
This is not the Neverland of your dreams—it is the Neverland of your nightmares.
When Gwendolyn and her best friend are kidnapped by shadowy creatures and dragged into a world of flesh-eating sea hags and dangerous Fey, Gwen discovers that the stories about Neverland left out the most important details. Featuring competing teen versions of Peter and Hook and a lethal, mercurial Tinker Bell, this atmospheric fantasy explores memory, identity, and the question of whom to trust when everyone seems to be hiding something.
Second Star by Alyssa Sheinmel
Grief takes seventeen-year-old Wendy to the California coast, searching for her missing surfer brothers.
In this radical reinvention, Neverland becomes a sun-drenched world of waves and abandoned cliffside houses, where a boy named Pete leads a band of surfers and thieves, and his former friend Jas deals in “fairy dust.” This is Peter Pan reimagined as a contemporary love triangle, exploring loss, obsession, and the dangerous allure of escaping reality. The prose is dreamy and otherworldly, honoring the spirit of Barrie’s original whilst taking it somewhere entirely unexpected.
Which Peter Pan Retelling Should You Read First?
If you seek whimsy and wit with a strong heroine, begin with The Wendy. If darkness calls to you, Lost Boy or The Child Thief will satisfy. For contemporary settings, try Lost in the Never Woods or Darling. For younger readers or family read-alouds, Peter and the Starcatchers offers adventure without nightmare fuel.
Whatever you choose, remember: all children, except one, grow up—but the best stories about that exceptional boy remind us that magic, wonder, and adventure need never fade entirely from our lives.
Second star to the right, dear reader, and straight on till morning.
