Wallace, Karen. Wendy.

Simon & Schuster. 307p. c2003. 0-689-86769-7 $16.95. J

You remember the Darling family from Peter Pan--Wendy is the oldest, with two younger brothers, and a beloved dog, Nana. Perhaps to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of Peter Pan, and to coincide with a new movie, Karen Wallace, the author of numerous books for children, turned to this familiar family and gave them all new life. Peter Pan is not in this book at all. Instead, Wallace focuses on the troubled lives of an upper-class family in London in the early part of the 20th century. Wendy is not yet a teenager, but she is trying to make sense out of the grownups around her. For instance, she realizes that her father is having an affair with the neighbor, the mother of a playmate foisted on Wendy. This woman is the stepmother of a young lady who is an avid suffragette, one of the few adults who will take Wendy seriously. At home, Wendy and her brothers are terrorized by a sadistic governess. Wendy's father is obsessed with his new motorcar, and his reckless behavior takes the family to the brink of financial ruin. Meanwhile, down in the country, at the home of Wendy's kindly uncle and aunt, there is an older boy whose relationship to the family is not spelled out. Wendy sees her mother embrace the adolescent boy and fears that her mother is also having an adulterous affair. This boy is a brilliant artist, but is mentally handicapped in some way that Wendy doesn't quite understand.

So, while this is basically a story from a child's point of view (Wendy is about 10 years old), the subject matter fits into the YA category. Wallace writes about major issues of the times--cars replacing horse-drawn carriages; the fight for women's suffrage; the subservient role of women and the frustrations they face dealing with their husbands; the lowly place of children in a household. It is a fine supplement to the Peter Pan story as told in the original and on film. Claire Rosser, KLIATT

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.