Peter and the Shadow Thieves

ALSO BY DAVE BARRY

FICTION

Tricky Business

Big Trouble

The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog

NONFICTION

Dave Barry’s Money Secrets: Like: Why Is There a Giant Eyeball
on the Dollar?

Boogers Are My Beat

Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway: A Vicious and Unprovoked Attack on
Our Most Cherished Political Institutions
Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down

Dave Barry Turns 50

Dave Barry Is from Mars and Venus

Dave Barry’s Book of Bad Songs

Dave Barry in Cyberspace

Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys

Dave Barry’s Gift Guide to End All Gift Guides

Dave Barry Is NOT Making This Up

Dave Barry Does Japan

Dave Barry’s Only Travel Guide You’ll Ever Need

Dave Barry Talks Back

Dave Barry Turns 40

Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States

Dave Barry’s Greatest Hits

Homes and Other Black Holes

Dave Barry’s Guide to Marriage and/or Sex

Dave Barry’s Bad Habits: A 100% Fact-Free Book

Claw Your Way to the Top: How to Become the Head of a Major

Corporation in Roughly a Week

Stay Fit and Healthy Until You’re Dead

Babies and Other Hazards of Sex: How to Make a Tiny Person in Only 9

Months with Tools You Probably Have Around the Home

The Taming of the Screw

ALSO BY RIDLEY PEARSON

Kingdom Keepers—Disney After Dark

Kingdom Keepers II—Disney at Dawn

Kingdom Keepers III—Disney in Shadow

Steel Trapp—The Challenge

Killer Weekend

Cut and Run

The Body of David Hayes

The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life as Rose Red
(writing as Joyce Reardon)

The Art of Deception

Parallel Lies

Middle of Nowhere

The First Victim

The Pied Piper

Beyond Recognition

Chain of Evidence

No Witnesses

The Angel Maker

Hard Fall

Probable Cause

Undercurrents

Hidden Charges

Blood of the Albatross

Never Look Back

WRITING AS WENDELL MCCALL

Dead Aim

Aim for the Heart

Concerto in Dead Flat

ALSO BY DAVE BARRY & RIDLEY PEARSON

Peter and the Starcatchers

Peter and the Sword of Mercy

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

Escape from the Carnivale

Cave of the Dark Wind

This book is not authorized for sale by Publisher

in the countries of the European Union.

Copyright © 2006 Dave Barry and Page One, Inc.

Il ustrations copyright © 2006 by Greg Cal

Al rights reserved. Published by Disney Editions, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

For information address Disney Editions, 114 Fifth Avenue,

New York, New York 10011-5690.

Printed in the United States of America

Printing History

Disney Editions/Hyperion Books for Children hardcover edition / September 2006

Disney Editions/Hyperion Books for Children trade paperback / September 2007

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file.

ISBN: 978-1-4231-4107-5

Visit www.disneyhyperionbooks.com

Visit www.peterandtheshadowthieves.com

We dedicate this book to our children
—
Paige, Storey, Rob and Sophie
—
and to all the other children who read
Peter and the Starcatchers,
and asked us what happened next.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Wendy Lefkon, our unflagging champion, and her col eagues at Disney, for al their encouragement and support. (Not to mention the passes to Disney World.) We thank Greg Cal for his inspired il ustrations, and his patience while we endlessly debated the question of what certain imaginary creatures look like.

We thank the many people who helped with research (Yes! There was some actual research!) and copyediting, especial y Norman Anderson, Judi Smith, and David and Laurel Walters.

We thank the people who manage our lives despite al our efforts to thwart them: Louise Marsh, Nancy Litzinger, Joeylyn Lambert, and (again) Judi Smith.

We thank Jim Dale, who recorded the audio versions of both of our books, and who has a thousand voices, with a funny story for every one.

Most of al , we thank our wonderful wives, Michel e and Marcel e, who smile benignly when their husbands dress like pirates and talk like porpoises.

—
Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE

COPYRIGHT PAGE

CHAPTER 1:
A
Speck on the Horizon

CHAPTER 2:
The Choice

CHAPTER 3:
The Wrong Side of the Mountain

CHAPTER 4:
The Voice

CHAPTER 5:
The Agreement

CHAPTER 6:
The Darkest Way

CHAPTER 7:
An Ally

CHAPTER 8:
The Mission

CHAPTER 9:
A Tasty Meal Lost

CHAPTER 10
:
Dead Eyes

CHAPTER 11:
Strangers

CHAPTER 12:
Something Familiar

CHAPTER 13:
The Coming Danger

CHAPTER 14:
The Farewell

CHAPTER 15:
Into the Night

CHAPTER 16:
One Look Back

CHAPTER 17:
Ombra’s Feeling

CHAPTER 18:
“No Bees at Sea”

CHAPTER 19:
Anything Unusual

CHAPTER 20:
The Signal

CHAPTER 21:
The Scuttlebutt

CHAPTER 22:
Tubby Ted’s Discovery

CHAPTER 23:
A Second Visit

CHAPTER 24:
The Stowaway

CHAPTER 25:
Genius

CHAPTER 26:
St. Katherine’s Dock

CHAPTER 27:
Into the Storm

CHAPTER 28
:
Not Safe at All

CHAPTER 29:
A Bone to Pick

CHAPTER 30:
Somehow

CHAPTER 31:
A Tiny Heart Beating

CHAPTER 32:
A Feeling

CHAPTER 33:
A Way Out

CHAPTER 34:
A Visitor

CHAPTER 35:
A Walk in the Dark

CHAPTER 36:
A Few Seconds

CHAPTER 37:
“I’ll Find You”

CHAPTER 38:
The Shadow Thief

CHAPTER 39:
The Market

CHAPTER 40:
The Fear in Her Eyes

CHAPTER 41:
Play It Safe

CHAPTER 42:
The Standoff

CHAPTER 43:
Thunder Down the Trail

CHAPTER 44:
The Collector

CHAPTER 45:
The Cold Iron Ring

CHAPTER 46:
Hopeless

CHAPTER 47:
The Drunken Centipede

CHAPTER 48:
Something Strong

CHAPTER 49:
Either Way

CHAPTER 50:
Grasping Hands

CHAPTER 51:
The Message from Egypt

CHAPTER 52:
The Letter

CHAPTER 53:
Potato Soup

CHAPTER 54:
A Fine Name Indeed

CHAPTER 55:
“Take All His Air”