British author chosen to write sequel to ‘Peter Pan’

Peter Pan and the wily Captain Hook are set for a rematch.

British children’s author Geraldine McCaughrean has been chosen to write the official sequel to J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan” by the London hospital that holds the copyright to the classic work.

Barrie willed the “Peter Pan” copyright and royalties to the Great Ormond Street Hospital when he died in 1937, and the institution has long wanted to commission a follow-up.

It has stipulated that the new work, titled “Captain Pan” must feature the original characters: the boy who never grew up along with his pals Wendy, fairy Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys – as well as the fearsome pirate Hook.

“It is an astonishing, daunting privilege to be let loose in Neverland, armed with nothing but a pen, and knowing I’m walking in Barrie’s revered footsteps,” said McCaughrean, 53, the three-time winner of the Britain’s prestigious Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year.

McCaughrean has experience of reworking classic tales: She won her third Whitbread award in January for “Not The End of the World,” a retelling of the story of Noah’s ark.

She was chosen from a number of authors who each submitted a sample chapter and synopsis of the potential book.

“I think J.M. Barrie would have liked her style. If I’m wrong, he’ll be back to haunt us,” said David Barrie, a great-great-nephew who was on the judging panel.

“Peter Pan may never grow up, but the income he brings us has helped many other children grow up and get better over the years,” said Jane Collins, chief executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital and also a judge. “With half our beds in a building dating back to the 1930s, any little help from the sequel will be very welcome.”