There's an understanding in the book that the Neverland is where children in the real world go in their imagination. Now because of Peter's appearance, Wendy, John, and Michael have come to the real Neverland and find it can be a scary place. There are "black shadows" and "beasts" and an uncertainty which seems at odds with Peter's cockiness. Perhaps that's why he's a part of the Neverland, to serve as a foil to all the things that can kill you. There are the wild beasts, the lost boys, the redskins, and, of course, the pirates. And Captain Hook.

Good old Captain Hook. Such a great name, such a great image, but one which is often too much of a dandy and not enough pirate for my tastes. While there is a debonair air to his personality ("In dress he somewhat aped the attire associated with the name of Charles II"), like Peter, he is far darker than generally presented. Within a page of his introduction, he kills one of his own men for stumbling into him. Without comment, without pause, "the hook shoots forth, there is a tearing sound and one screech ... He has not even taken the cigars from his mouth." Now that's something you don't get on the ride in Disney World! That's the kind of classic villainy you just don't get these days, especially in children's stories.

Upon reflection, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that a children's story has a dark side. I mean, have you ever actually read Grimm's Fairy Tales? In "Snow White," the evil stepmother is punished with a pair of red-hot iron dancing shoes that she wears to death, literally. Maybe what surprised me was that children's stories aren't that way anymore. I think there's something to be said for acknowledging the monster in the closet in all its frightening bulk, and I think that's what Barrie is getting at in the Neverland. It's not a perfect place. It's not a kid wonderland. It's a place where you can find yourself on the business end of James Hook, but if you live to tell the tale, what an adventure! What a story!

In general, I think our society stopped giving kids credit for being able to handle scary things. When the Harry Potter series started getting dark, I was glad. It was something we hadn't seen in a long time, and darn if the kids didn't love every word. Being afraid of the unknown is part of childhood, just as it is part of adulthood. The only difference lies in what we consider unknown changes. Given the choice between things like the Credit Crunch and Hook, I'll take being afraid of a Captain Hook any day. At least when you face a Hook, you always have a Peter Pan by your side.