Abby in Neverland

Abby and Jonah are used to waiting for their magic mirror, a portal into fairy tales, to invite them in. With the mirror broken and Maryrose, the fairy who granted them permission to enter fairy tales in the past, freed from the mirror and losing her powers, the way the pair travelled into fairy tales had changed. They’d never had another fairy lure them into entering the mirror, and the only other living thing they’d brought with them was their dog. That is, until tonight: when a fairy entices Jonah, along with his two friends, Ben and Isaac, into the mirror. Abby and the weakened Maryrose aren’t sure they can help, but they don’t have a choice.

To their relief, Abby and Maryrose make it to the same story as the boys: they’ve landed in Neverland, and, to their dismay, Jonah and his friends are having the time of their lives flying through the air with Peter Pan. They’re the latest Lost Boys recruits and have no intention of returning to their boring lives on the other side of the mirror. When Maryrose is fairy-napped, Abby has to decide what her priority should be: convincing the boys to come back home or finding Maryrose, and she decides that Maryrose needs rescuing first. Abby finds herself bribing merpeople with the promise of teaching them Under the Sea if they help her in navigating a maze that doesn’t seem to have an end and convincing Hook to let her be a pirate to avoid walking the plank. Hook doesn’t usually allow girls to be pirates, but he makes an exception for Abby because of her gusto! Things are looking better, but Maryrose is still missing, and Abby sees a new problem: Hook’s right-hand man, Smee, isn’t Smee at all. It’s an evil fairy Abby’s dealt with before in disguise: Gluck has tried to capture Maryrose in other stories, and Abby is sure he’s the culprit this time, too.

Abby, Jonah, Ben and Isaac escape Gluck thanks to Jonah’s quick thinking, but the distractions aren’t through. Tinkerbell brings Abby to a tree-top library, a place that will be all hers if she stays in Neverland. It’s a dream come true but not enough to distract Abby for long. She’s off to find Maryrose again, and, when she does, she also finds herself trapped by Gluck. Jonah and his friends try to help, but it’s when Peter and Tinkerbell put their desire to keep Abby, Jonah, and his two friends in Neverland that everyone, including Maryrose, is finally freed. Gluck tries one more trick, posing as Hook, but his plan backfires on a magnificent level. Unlike Hook who lost his hand to ‘crock crock’, the crocodile who ticks because of a swallowed clock, Gluck doesn’t know to stay clear of the crocodile who, thinking it’s the real Hook, happily swallows Hook-Gluck. A happier ending than anyone could have planned!

Abby in Neverland serves up the same fast-paced story full of twists even the keenest and most devoted “Whatever After” fan won’t easily see coming. Along with the usual charm and spunkiness of Abby and Jonah, Jonah’s friends Ben and Isaac, Peter, and Tinkerbell show how important friendship is and how lonely it can seem when you don’t see how much the people close to you care. Abby’s commitment to finding Maryrose is as strong as Tinkerbell’s desire to have a friend who understands and appreciates her. When Tinkerbell sees Abby’s commitment to rescuing Maryrose and bringing her home, she realizes friendship can’t be forced. While Jonah, Ben and Isaac decide not to stay in Neverland, they hope, maybe, to return to visit Peter, and Peter comes to see Tinkerbell as a real friend who’d go to great lengths, like kidnapping boys from another world, just to make Peter happy again. As always, Abby and Jonah remind readers, who also consider them friends, that siblings can make the best and most reliable, friends of all.