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This is the only official sequel to Peter Pan, authorised by Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, to whom J.M. Barrie bequeathed the rights of Peter Pan. You can find out more about the story behind Peter Pan in Scarlet here on the BBC's website:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4630636.stm
Shortlisted for the 2006 British Book Awards
Peter Pan in Scarlet
Something is wrong in Neverland. Dreams are leaking out - strangely real dreams, of pirates and mermaids, of war paint and crocodiles. For Wendy and the Lost Boys it is a clear signal - Peter Pan needs their help, and so it is time to do the unthinkable and fly to Neverland again. But back in Neverland, everything has changed - and the dangers they find there are far beyond their dreams....
Published 2006, Oxford University Press
Reviews
'The official sequel to Peter Pan needs to be an exceptional book, and that's exactly what we have in Peter Pan in Scarlet …books such as this are as rare as fairy dust … what McCaughrean has done is nothing short of miraculous. It's enough to make you believe in fairies.'
– Philip Ardagh, The Guardian
'McCaughrean's book, like Barrie's, is as refreshingly dark and unsentimental as a book about fairies and lost babies can be, and it's hard to see how she could have done it better.'
– Nicola Smyth, Independent on Sunday
'I loved Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean, I can't think of another who paints so vividly with words. She is an incredible writer.'
– Catherine Forde, Books for Keeps
"A spectacularly impressive work"
– Radio Times
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Shortlisted for the 2014 Little Rebels Childrens' Book Awards
The Middle of Nowhere
When her mother dies, Comity Pinny's life in the middle of the Australian outback changes for ever. Her father retreats into his work transmitting telegrams, but then a new man arrives to assist him... and soon Comity is struggling to hold things together as events begin to spiral dangerously out of control.
Published 2013, Usborne
Reviews
'This novel about courage, love and tolerance sings with McCaughrean's glorious, new-minted phrase-making.'
– The Sunday Times, Children's Book of the Week
'From master storyteller and multiple award-winner Geraldine McCaughrean comes an epic tale set in the wilds of the Australian Outback.'
– Julia Eccleshare
'A roller-coaster of a book, writing for children at its very best.'
– The Bookseller
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The Positively Last Performance
The story opens in a derelict and mouldering theatre. Like the English seaside town where it stands, it has seen better days. Enter a couple determined to resurrect the scarlet and gold edifice that once rang to the resonant tones of Ellen Terry. As a town councillor observes: "Seashaw needs the Arts. The Arts are the key. You've got to have the Arts, or where are you?" Gracie, the couple's daughter, notices something that is lost on the grownups:"'Of course I can see you!' said Gracie, beaming. The ghosts were aghast. They turned to each other, bewildered, panicky […] 'Is she a new one?' 'Is she one of us?'" Perching on red plush seats and hanging from the opera boxes is a cast of characters who, with Gracie, will attempt to rescue the theatre, and help her confront a problem she'd rather avoid. The ghostly "Residents" have two things in common: the town of Seashaw, and the fact that none of them is alive.
Published 2013, Oxford University Press
Reviews
This is a beautifully crafted piece with an endearing cast of characters, with not a word wasted. – - Marilyn Brocklehurst, The Bookseller
It was the artistic director of Margate's Theatre Royal who suggested McCaughrean write a book "in praise of the town, past and present, created with the help of the local people"... And what a fantastic and inspiring idea to unite a community and a children's author in this way. The Margations must be thrilled with this charming and skilful story, woven together from their fact and McCaughrean's... [her] talent for invention and her ear for dialogue means that all these character sketches are lively and entertaining.
- Linda Buckley-Arch Guardian
Shortlisted for the 2013 UKLA Children's Book Award
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The Death-Defying Pepper Roux
When Pepper Roux was born his aunt foretold that he would not live past 14 years of age. Throughout his childhood his parents haven't bothered with him much, knowing that his life would be short-lived. So when Pepper wakes up on his 14th birthday he knows this will be the day that he'll die. But as the day wears on, and Pepper finds himself still alive, he decides to set off to sea in an attempt to try and avoid death for as long as possible. As time goes on Pepper steps into many roles and personas and has numerous outrageous adventures. But can he stay one step ahead of death? Or will fate catch up with him? And, if he does live, which of his many lives will he choose to adopt? This riot of a story is a wonderful adventure, and Pepper is an unforgettable character who stays with you long after his story has been told.
Published 2009, Oxford University Press
Reviews
From the opening sentence of this book, you know you are in masterly hands:...
- Nicolette Jones, Sunday Times
McCaughrean's exuberant prose and whirling humour animate an unforgettable cast of characters, from the good-hearted Pepper, who lies and impersonates without the barest inkling of consequence, to the cross-dressing steward who trails along in Pepper's chaotic wake like a clumsy guardian angel.
- Ian Chipman, Booklist
The book harnesses all the joyous weirdness of its setting - the Carmargue, with its wild horses, improbable flamingoes and that strange, medieval space station of a town, Aigues-Mortes. But most of all it has the McCaughrean sentences. I can't think of anyone working in the English language who writes a better sentence.
- Frank Cottrell-Boyce, The Guardian
Shortlisted for the 2011 Carnegie Medal
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Stop the Train
Cissy and her family are among the first settlers to make their homes in the new town of Florence, Oklahoma in the 1890's. The trouble is, the railroad company wants the land for itself and when the settlers refuse to sell their claims the railroad boss swears the train will never stop in Florence again.
Published 2001, Oxford University Press
Reviews
'…she writes brilliantly, her vibrant characters come across as more real than real'
- The Independent
'An absolutely wonderful book - McCaughrean is one of the greatest living children's authors'
- The Bookseller
'...a tense, fast-moving adventure story, sustained to the very last page, with an inspiring sense of community spirit.'
- The Financial Times
'With its great depth and texture, its masterful dialogue and description it is the work of a great writer which will move readers to tears and laughter. I cannot recommend it strongly enough.'
- Times Educational Supplement
Winner of the Highly Commended Prize, Carnegie Awards 2001
Winner of the Bronze Book Prize ,
Nestle Book Awards 2001
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Pull Out All The Stops!
(US) The Glorious Adventures of the Sunshine Queen
With diphtheria in town, school a thing of the past, and her house in ruins, any safe haven looks welcoming to Cissy Sissney - even a derelict paddle steamer stranded in a muddy field. Better still when the boat is home to old friends But soon Cissy, Kookie and Tibs and their disapproving school teacher find themselves mere flotsam on the flooded Missouri, members - like it or not - of the Bright Lights, Last Ditch & Final Curtain Company en route for mayhem, drama, narrow escapes, huge gambles, triumphs, disasters and a hanging. All aboard for the voyage of a lifetime - there's no going back!
Ten years later, this is the thrilling sequel to McCaughrean's award-winning Stop the Train.
Published 2010, Oxford University Press
Reviews
It is as usual perfectly brilliant, and I'm rationing myself to three chapters a day to make the pleasure last.
- Philip Reeve
It's an exhilarating read, with a fascinating cast of characters and a terrific sense of adventure.
- The Bookseller
This book is rich in character and incident, including a riverboat race against a crooked gambler... McCaughrean writes so well it is time surely someone submitted her for the Orange or Man Booker prize.
- Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times
She is a literary genius possessed of a wild imagination. All her crossover novels are unforgettable, but this latest one is particularly joyful.
Nicholas Tucker, The Tablet
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Shortlisted for the 2008 UKLA Childrens' Book Awards
Tamburlaine's Elephants
Rusti is a Tartar, travelling and pillaging with the legendary Horde of Tamburlaine, Conqueror of the World. He dreams of honour and riches, and is proud to capture his first prisoners - an elephant and her keeper. Yet amidst the death and destruction, an unlikely friendship takes hold in this breathtaking tale.
Published 2007, Usborne
Reviews
Dazzling ... the story surges on with never a dull or unconvincing moment.... Truly memorable, beautifully written and unreservedly recommended.
- Books for Keeps
Compelling..... A breathtaking tale.
- Carousel Magazine
Everything McCaughrean touches turns to gold...on top form
- The Sunday Times
Geraldine McCaughrean is an awe-inspiring writer with a miraculous talent for bringing to life past times and far away lands.
- Sunday Telegraph
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Cyrano
The most romantic story ever told. 'The course of true love never did run smooth'. Especially for Cyrano, cursed with a monstrosity of a nose, and in love with Roxanne, the most beautiful woman in town. This beautifully told version of Cyrano's story will touch the heart of anyone who believes in the power of true love.
Published 2006, Oxford University Press
Reviews
....a perfectly balanced combination of humour and pathos, imbuing the romance with her own spectacular verbal image.
- Lindsay Fraser, Sunday Herald
If Geraldine McCaughrean's proficiency as a storyteller can be encapsulated in a single talent, it is her ability to create a strong and distinct atmosphere in everything she writes.
- Times Educational Supplement
This book's strength lies in the poetry of McCaughrean's language, the period flavour and the elaborate humour (successfully translated against the odds) and, not least, all those nose jokes.
- The Sunday Times
This eloquent and spirited retelling of Edmond Rostand's classic play...recreates Cyrano de Bergerac as a charming and sympathetic hero.
- Publishers Weekly
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Winner of the 2008 Michael L . Printz Award
Winner of the 2007 American Library Association Booklist Editor's Choice
Shortlisted for the 2005 Whitbread (Costa) Book Awards
Shortlisted for the 2005 Carnegie Medal
The White Darkness
Captain Oates, hero of the Antarctic, has been dead for nearly a century. But not in Sym's head. There, he is her constant companion, her soul mate, her advisor, her resort. It is as if he walked out of the Polar blizzard and into her mind.In fact, if it were not for Titus, life might be as bleak a place as the Antarctic wilderness. Then a little holiday with her Uncle Victor makes her ask the question she has long been avoiding: Who but the mad trust for happiness to someone or something that isn't there?
Published 2005, Oxford University Press
Reviews
One of the most remarkable novels for children published in the last fifty years.
- Nicholas Tucker The Independent
A dazzling, pitiless story about Antarctica. McCaughrean's imagination is fierce, tireless, unpredictable.
- The Observer
The White Darkness is simply brilliant, totally original, always surprising... McCaughrean, as always, writes like a dream.
- Wendy Cooling
The ratcheting terror, thrilling double-crosses and gorgeously articulated star character—Antarctica itself—combine for a girl's adventure yarn of the first order.
- Publishers Weekly
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Not the End of the World
Everyone knows the story of the Flood. The waters that rose unstoppably. The men who survived. The animals that went in two by two. But what about the others? The women and the children. How did it feel to head into the unknown? Could God really mean them to watch people struggling in the water, and do nothing to help? And how did it feel to spend day after day shut up with every kind of animal-- hungry, angry and afraid? This stunning story, sometimes frightening and always compelling, asks what it was really like when the heavens opened and the world drowned -- and what might have happened in the days that followed.
Published 2004, Oxford University Press
Reviews
The reader emerges from this book battered by horror, invigorated by the language and infinitely the wiser.
- The Sunday Telegraph
Her artistry with language is remarkable, her descriptions so immediate that they occasionally leave one gasping. This is a tour de force by a brilliant writer.
- The Guardian
Claustrophobic tensions, practical problems, even the smells of the ark, pervade the text.
- The Bookseller
This extraordinary novel imagines the ‘reality’ of Noah’s Ark.
- The Sunday Times
Winner of the 2004 Whitbread (Costa) Children's Book Award
Shortlisted for the USBBY/CBC 2005 Outstanding International Book
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Written especially for World Book Day 2003.
Showstopper!
The Bright Lights Theatre Company hit Darkville at 11.28 a.m. The Junker Boys arrive at the very same minute. The Bright Lights come armed with friendship, fun and Shakespeare.- but the Junkers have come to rob the bank.
A miniature sequel to McCaughrean's award-winning Stop the Train! And the prequel to the thrilling Pull Out All the Stops.
Published 2003, Oxford University Press
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The Kite Rider
Haoyou sees his father killed 'testing the wind' for a ship about to set sail - hauled aloft on a hatch- cover, just as if he were a kite. Horrific a place as the sky now seems, Haoyou is obsessed by its vastness, its dangers, its population of spirits. Somehow, it has become his fate to fly on the wind like his father, to man a kite. And when the circus of the Great Miao comes to town, it seems it is Haoyou's fate to travel with them into the very presence of Khublai Khan, Mogul conqueror, the unimagineable enemy of every Chinese patriot
Published 2001, Oxford University Press
Reviews
It snatches you up from the first chapter...beautiful and compulsive.
- The Sunday Times
A masterpiece of storytelling .
- The Times
Gripping stuff .
- Ian Hislop, The Sunday Telegraph
With her exuberant, nonstop plotting and supremely colorful setting, McCaughrean grabs hold of readers' imaginations and doesn't let go.
- Publishers Weekly
Winner of the 2001 Nestle Bronze Book Award
Shortlisted for the 2002 Carnegie Medal
Shortlisted for the 2002 Angus Book Award
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Winner of 2001 Blue Peter 'Best Book to Keep' Award
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The Stones are Hatching
Phelim knows he is nothing out of the ordinary. His sister is always telling him so. Why, then , is he suddenly beset by strangers calling him by the wrong name and telling him he must attempt the impossible - that everything depends on him? The countryside is overrun with monsters so old that the world has forgotten their names. The washerwoman at the river predicts that he will soon be dead. But the girl with no shadow, the leaping madman and the 'Obby 'Oss will not let him give up. Phelim Green must keep his rendezvous with the Stoor Worm whose warmth, in waking, is causing the very stones under her to hatch.
Published 1999, Oxford University Press
Reviews
McCaughrean is a superb storyteller, and her tale is irresistible.
- Times Educational Supplemen
Full of rich language and breathtaking imagery.
- The Bookseller
This evocative and sometimes profound fantasy distinguishes itself by way of vivid imagery, compelling action and often Siren-like lyricism.
- Publisher's Weekly
Readers will cheer…a whopping good read.
- Bulletin of the Centre for Children's Books
Amazon.com Editor's Top Ten Children's Books of 2000
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Forever X
When the Shepherds' car breaks down on their way to their summer holiday, the only place they can find to stay is Forever X, the hotel where every day is Christmas Day. Mr and Mrs Shepherd would like to give the festivities a miss: four- year-old Mel wants to enter into them heart and soul. Joy is not sure how she should react, but when she makes friends with Holly, the resident elf, she can't help being drawn into the strange Partridge household. Then the mysterious Mr Angel arrives, who has the power to ruin everything and seems bent on using it. Can old F.C. and the children foil him keep the police at bay?
Published 1997, Oxford University Press
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Reviews
A marvellous novel...brilliantly plotted. Within a few pages I was hooked by a marvellous novel.
- Tony Bradman, The Daily Telegaph
A stunningly clever novel.
- Books for Keeps
A subtle and literary novel.
- Sunday Times
A superbly written novel, both funny and illuminating.
- The School Librarian
Winner of the 1998 UK Reading Association Book Award (UKLA)
Shortlisted for the 1998 Carnegie Medal
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Casting the Gods Adrift
When Tutmose and his family arrive in Pharaoh Akhenaten's new city, they are delighted to be taken under the ruler's wing. But this pharaoh's strange ideas about religion will change life for them all…
Published 1998, A&C Black Publishers
Reviews
The stories, told from the perspective of a child whose situation elicits genuine interest and concern, are full of excitement and surprise.
- Times Educational Supplement
Suspenseful... An excellent resource for ancient-civilizations studies.
- Booklist
An exciting read that is sure to entertain again and again, Casting the Gods Adrift will find a permanent spot on your young one’s shelf.
- Cricket Magazine
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Winner of the 1996 Smarties Bronze Book Prize
Shortlisted for the 1996 Whitbread (Costa) Children's Book Award
Shortlisted for the 1998 ALA Best Book for Young Adults & Notable Book of the Year
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Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book 1998
Plundering Paradise
(US) The Pirate's Son
Nathan must leave school. Tamo White is leaving of his own accord. He suggests that Nathan go with him - back to Madagascar where Tamo's father ruled as a pirate king. But what will the island hold for a British boy from a staunchly Christian background, and is it any place to take his sister, the mousy Maud?
Published 1996, Oxford University Press
Reviews
"McCaughrean has the gift of making remote times and places unfold before the readers very eyes... What a novelist!"
- The Independent
"This must be the finest adventure story for years...A brilliant read."
- The Guardian
"The clashing of wildly disparate cultures and what it means to be a grown-up in a place where all the rules are different are viewed through a prism of cyclones, slaver raids, pirate booty, lost ships, blood, gore, and mystery. A finely paced, marvelously crafted read."
- Booklist
"A superb adventure story - the literary equivalent of a good all-action movie."
- Good Housekeeping
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Gold Dust
Inez and her brother Maro are amazed to see a big hole being dug outside their father's shop. Their amazement grows as other holes appear in the main street. Then the rumours begin to spread: there is gold under the little town of Sierra Vazia. But as gold-hunters descend on the town to try their luck, life in the little town becomes increasingly unbearable. Inez and Maro, with the help of their samba-singing school- teacher, set out to save their home from the terrible symptoms of gold-fever.
Published 1993, Oxford University Press
Reviews
"Spell-binding from start to finish...hauntingly drawn."
- Books for Keeps
"An engrossing, funny, tragic blockbuster of a story."
- Junior Bookshelf
"A rich tale of the lust for money that undermines an entire
Brazilian town."
- The Guardian
"This novel is a feat of imagination and genuinely awe-inspiring in its scope and authority."
- Books For Your Children
Winner of the 1994 Whitbread (Costa) Children's Book Award
Shortlisted for the 1994 Smarties Book Prize
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A Pack of Lies
When MCC Berkshire moves into the antiques shop, he turns life upside down for Ailsa and her mother. He sleeps on the old bed in the shop, and button-holes every potential customer with a special story, told just for them. But just who is MCC? And why does he tell such awful lies? Ailsa has never met anyone like this, but MCC cannot afford to become too involved, because MCC has a story all of his own.
Published 1988 Oxford University Press
Reviews
"One of the warmest, funniest, most touching,and above all surprising books you may ever read."
- Touchdown
"The author leaps from genre to genre, in the writing equivalent of sleight of hand... McCaughrean pulls off each meta-fictional complexity with finesse and humor."
- Publishers Weekly
"[An] unusual piece of fiction with surprising twists at the end.
McCaughrean is eloquent and flawless in her style."
- School Library Journal
"Entertainment like this is rare; it should be enjoyed, re-tasted and remembered with pleasure."
- Growing Point
Winner of the 1989 Guardian Book Award
Winner of the 1989 Carnegie Medal
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A Little Lower than the Angels
Gabriel takes refuge from his master's cruelty with a band of travelling mystery players. His name and appearance suggest to the play-master a hoax miracle scam, which could make him rich. But miracles have to be handled with care, and in a time of plague, miracle-workers face dangers, which are just not worth the risk...
Published 1987, Oxford University Press
Reviews
"..A compelling narrative appealing young characters, superbly vivid detail and and exciting plot."
- Growing Point
"...thoughtful and powerful."
- The School Librarian
"The main characters are vivid beings, and McCaughrean sustains a pungent, disreputable atmosphere, interwoven with values of loyalty, honor, and literacy. Somewhat easier to read, but in the tradition of Rosemary Sutcliff and Cynthia Harnett... A Little Lower than the Angels will illuminate the feudal era and challenge readers."
- Patricia Harrington, School Library Journal
"One of the most spectacularly talented and enjoyable writers around."
- Books for Keeps
Winner of the 1987 Whitbread (Costa) Children's Book Award
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Where the World Ends
In the summer of 1727, a group of men and boys are put ashore on a remote sea stac to harvest birds for food. No one returns to collect them. Why? Surely nothing but the end of the world can explain why they have been abandoned to endure storms, starvation and terror. And how can they survive, housed in stone and imprisoned on every side by the ocean?
Published 2017, Usborne
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A 2020 MICHAEL L PRINTZ HONOR BOOK
WINNER OF THE 2018 CARNEGIE MEDAL
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Winner of the 2018 Carnegie Medal
UKLA Student Teachers Award 2018
Independent Bookshop Award 2018
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Reviews
"(five stars) Completely absorbing...Her prose is as hard and as uncompromising as the granite rock of the Stac jutting out of the wild Atlantic. Her descriptions are concise and arresting. McCaughrean is always worth reading and this is no exception."
- Books for Keeps
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"Harshly beautiful, and stark with near-despair, this is an unsettling, deeply original historical novel."
- The Guardian
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"Brilliant, beautiful...as unpredictable as the sea itself. "
- Philip Reeve, author of Mortal Engines
"One of the most immersive and compelling works of fiction we've read in quite some time... Suffice it to say that the novel is rounded off with consummate skill and the result is an outstanding example of the storyteller's art."
- Undiscovered Scotland
Winner of the 2018 Carnegie Medal
Winner of UKLA Student Teachers Award 2018
Independent Bookshop Award 2018
Kirkus Best Book of the Year 2020
Junior Library Guild Selection