Scarlet name for Peter Pan sequel

Geraldine McCaughrean is a well-known children's author

The title of the sequel to Peter Pan - JM Barrie's children's literary classic - has been revealed.

The new book, called Peter Pan in Scarlet, will reveal what happened to the boy who never grew up.

It promises readers "high adventure, and swashbuckling danger". It will be published on 5 October this year.

London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, which owns the copyright to the story, commissioned author Geraldine McCaughrean to write the sequel.

"We are delighted that Geraldine's book has captured the essence of [Barrie's] timeless creation Dr Jane Collins, Great Ormond Street Hospital

The children's hospital carried out a worldwide search for an author before deciding on McCaughrean, 54, who has won the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year three times for reinterpreting classics such as Noah's Ark, Moby Dick and The Canterbury Tales for younger readers.

The trustees stipulated the book must feature the original characters - Peter, Wendy, Tinkerbell, the rest of the Darling family and the fearsome Captain Hook.

They have read and approved McCaughrean's recently-finished manuscript.

McCaughrean said: "Neverland was such a marvellous place to spend my year.

"I clean forgot Barrie's ghost might be reading the computer screen over my shoulder - forgot to worry whether the necessary people would like what I wrote.

"Mind you, that's a good sign. When a book is a joy to write, some of the fun often snags on the letters and gets trapped between the pages."

Legacy

When Barrie died in 1937, he left the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Royalties from the new book will be split between the author and the hospital, whose ownership of the rights to Barrie's work is due to expire in 2007.

Dr Jane Collins, chief executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital, said: "The gift of Peter Pan was the most generous present JM Barrie could possibly have given to the hospital, a cause close to his heart.

"We are delighted that Geraldine's book has captured the essence of his timeless creation and that she has produced a work that will take its place as a much-loved book, alongside the original Peter Pan.

"The success of Peter Pan in Scarlet will ensure that Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children will benefit from Barrie's legacy for many years to come."