A Never Land Book: Blood Tide [With Headphones] (Playaway Children) [Preloaded Digital Audio Player]

Dave Barry (Author), Ridley Pearson (Author), Jim Dale (Performer)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2008 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Playaway Children

When an earthquake strikes Neverland Island, things quickly go very wrong. The Lost Boys' underground hideaway is flooded, forcing them to leave. Meanwhile a mysterious barrel washes ashore and falls into the hands of the pirates. When their leader, Captain Hook, finds out what's in the barrel, he hatches an evil plan.

But worst of all is the change in the mermaids. These once-peaceful friends of the natives have turned violent, using their needle-sharp teeth to attack anybody who goes into the water. When they injure some members of the native Mollusk tribe, the Mollusk leader, Fighting Prawn, feels he has no choice but to fight back.

As the warriors prepare to attack, the Lost Boys and the chief's daughters, Shining Pearl and Little Scallop, set off on a secret mission to try to make peace with the mermaids. Instead they're captured by the mermaids, and while in captivity they discover the cause of the problem – the Blood Tide, which is poisoning the lagoon and will eventually kill the mermaids. With time running out, they must try to stop the tide and save the mermaids, as well as themselves. But to do so, they must deal with Captain Hook, whose plan threatens to destroy the Mollusk village and change life on Neverland Island forever.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ridley Pearson is the award-winning coauthor, along with Dave Barry, of Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, Peter and Sword of Mercy, Escape from the Carnivale, Cave of the Dark Wind, Blood Tide, and Science Fair. He has also written more than twenty best-selling crime novels, inlcuding Killer View and Killer Weekend, and the young adult fantasies Kingdom Keepers-Disney After Dark, Kingdom Keepers II-Disney at Dawn, and Kingdom Keepers III-Disney in Shadow. He was the first American to be awarded the Raymond Chandler/Fulbright Fellowship in Detective Fiction at Oxford University. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From AudioFile

The superlative narration skills of Jim Dale are well employed in this enjoyable installment of the Never Land stories. Dale maintains an exciting yet comprehendible pace as an earthquake strikes Never Land Island and the Lost Boys manage the ensuing trouble without the help of Peter Pan. Dale's voice truly shines in bringing to life the characters of Captain Hook, who devises an evil plan to use a mysterious barrel that washed ashore, and Fighting Prawn, the peaceful leader of the native Mollusk Tribe. When the usually serene mermaids suddenly turn violent and attack anyone in the water with their needle-sharp teeth, Dale portrays them with angry hisses. With the authors' whimsical story and Dale's outstanding characterizations, this is a delight for children and adults. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Preloaded Digital Audio Player
• Publisher: Playaway (November 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606407775
• ISBN-13: 978-1606407776
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fans of the Never Land series will not want to miss out on the Lost Boys' most important adventure yet., March 4, 2009

By 

KidsReads (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood Tide (Never Land, Book 3) (Hardcover)

It's the beginning of another nice, sunny day when Neverland Island is struck by an earthquake. Overall, the damage is fairly minimal, but the Lost Boys' underground hideaway is flooded. Fortunately, the boys are given shelter by the Mollusk tribe, and they get to see their friends Little Scallop and Shining Pearl.

The next day, after helping to clear up the debris, the children decide to go for a swim in the lagoon. It is then that James notices something wrong: the blue water is now a reddish color. Although concerned, but not wanting to appear silly to his comrades, James goes into the water with the other swimmers. However, his concern does not go unfounded when Thomas is attacked by a mermaid --- an ally of the Lost Boys and the Mollusk tribe. They tell the Mollusk chief about the surprising incident, and he promises to find out the reason behind the attack.

Meanwhile, the children notice that the pirates appear delighted over the discovery of a round, wooden keg. Convinced they are up to no good (as usual), the friends become determined to find out what trouble Captain Hook and his crew is planning next. Then there's another attack and a kidnapping, creating further tension within the Mollusk-Mermaid alliance. As the alarming reason behind the mermaids' bizarre behavior is discovered, there is talk of war. Will the Lost Boys and the princesses be able to save the alliance and stop Captain Hook's latest dastardly plan before it's too late?

BLOOD TIDE is Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's latest book featuring Peter Pan's friends and foes in Neverland. Amidst the daring action and scary moments, readers will discover how the importance of teamwork and environmental awareness affects the characters' decisions. Fans of the Never Land series will not want to miss out on the Lost Boys' most important adventure yet.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle

5.0 out of 5 stars When Mermaids Turn Violent, September 4, 2010

By 

James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Blood Tide (Never Land, Book 3) (Hardcover)

Blood Tide is aimed at a younger market than the Starcatcher Peter Pan prequel books but that doesn't mean it's not as good. This is the third junior fiction spinoff novel series from the lengthier books that allows a the minor characters from those other adventures to have a bit of limelight and ultimately save the day. Teacher and the other mermaids, Fighting Prawn and the mollusk tribe, the Lost Boys and Black Moustache (now known as Hook) take over the pages with Peter and Molly away from the island during these three novels time period.

The two other books are Escape from the Carnivale and Cave of the Dark Wind but they are all standalone reads, you don't need to have read the other two to enjoy Blood Tide to its full extent.

In Blood Tide, an earthquake wakes the island and the four lost boys asleep in a hole underneath a tree stump. They decide to go for a swim but notice the Mermaids are ignoring them and that the water has turned a strange red colour. Peer pressure results in them going in anyway but it is not long before a Mermaid bites the ankle of a swimmer who is lucky to escape with his life. When Fighting Prawn goes to discuss the matter with the head mermaid named Teacher, he is also attacked. It seems inevitable that the Mollusk tribe will go to war with the mermaids. Meanwhile the pirates have found amongst other debris on the beach a barrel that can change the power struggle dynamics on the island into their favour forever.

Blood Tide's plot's outcome is very predictable, but well written and the fun is in what happens getting there rather than being surprised in what eventually happens.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book!, November 7, 2008

By 

K. Davis "book listener" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood Tide: A Never Land Book (Never Land Adventure Series) (Audio CD)

i bought this book for my boys - age 8. they love all the peter books and they loved this one as well. great adventure and fun!