Shelby and the Lost Boy of Misbegot Island is an adventure fantasy book written by John Edward Byrd, Sheree Sano it is first of Mpeta and the Treasure Hunters/Further Adventures of Mpeta series. Both inspired by and a re-imagining of "Peter Pan," this parallel realit-ish, African-American take on a classic story is one of social and historical significance. Set in 1970's Brooklyn with a backstory in the Colonial-African slave trade; fifteen year old Shelby Simmons and her brothers Wade and Todd meet Mpeta who comes from a mysterious and magical island somewhere in the Caribbean called Misbegot where nothing is as it should be...including the natural process of growing up.
Overview[]
- Our story is set in 1970's Brooklyn with a backstory in the Colonial-African slave trade. As our story begins, we meet fifteen-year-old, Shelby Simmons, who dreams of someday becoming a famous author. She and her siblings, Wade and Todd, have been allowed by their parents to stay up on a balmy summer evening to view the 4th of July fireworks from their favorite spot in nearby Prospect Park.While dozing dreamily after the fireworks, they are visited by a strange boy, Mpeta (em-PEE-ta), and his pixie-cute sidekick, Yam Yam, who have come to return Todd's pet pigeon who had plummeted, lost and exhausted, onto Mpeta's magical island. Shelby and her brothers are intrigued by Mpeta's ability to fly and by the wild stories he tells about his Pack of daredevil youths who fight bandits on his island called, Misbegot. After learning of Shelby's story-telling ability, Mpeta convinces her and her eager brothers to fly off with him to his mystical isle. When they land on Misbegot, Shelby and her brothers are drawn into the world of Mpeta and his Adventure Pack - wild and free youths who struggle to save their wondrous little island from predatory bandits - just as Shelby and her family are struggling to protect their Brooklyn home from under-handed real estate developers. Mpeta and his cohorts have long forgotten their African origins but Shelby's stories awaken vague memories of their past and the events that led them to their shrouded haven of Miisbegot Island.Thus: Once upon a time, Past became Present . . .
- Imagine a captured African youth who escapes, along with other native boys, from a slave ship headed to the New World. A storm at sea! Slaveship destroyed!...many drown, some find refuge on nearby isles. Our youths manage to cobble together the debris about them in the waters to build a raft. They try to row their way back homeward to Africa, but instead, drift into a dense fog, and eventually land onto a mysterious and unknown isle, where nothing is as it should be...including the natural process of aging.With the passage of time, that is, centuries later, on another isle in place and time, Brooklyn teen, Shelby Simmons, who aspires to become a famous author someday, accompanies her younger siblings on New Year's Eve to enjoy the fireworks display overhead above in their neighborhood park. The crowd-pleasing show is shortly followed by a couple of odd twinkling figures above, headed earthward toward the drowsy kids who suddenly are surprised by a strange encounter with the unusual boy 'Mpeta' (M-pee-ta) and his pixie companion 'Yam Yam,' both from the 'far-off' island of 'Misbegot'...and who both CAN FLY!On learning Shelby is a 'storyteller' Mpeta persuades her and her brothers to accompany him back to his island to join his 'Pack" of lost boys. There, wild adventures, unbelievable events...and battles with bandit pirates await!
- Imagine a captured African youth who escapes, along with other native boys, from a slave ship headed to the New World. They try to row their way back home to Africa, but land instead on a magical and mysterious island somewhere in the unknown and unseen Caribbean, where nothing is as it should be, including the natural process of aging.
- With the passage of time, that is, centuries later, on another island, in another place and time, Brooklyn teen Shelby Simmons, who aspires to become a famous author someday, accompanies her younger siblings on the Fourth of July to enjoy the fireworks display. Following the crowd-pleasing show a drowsy Shelby and her brothers notice a couple of odd twinkling figures above, headed earthward. Shortly they are surprised by an encounter with a strange and unusual boy, 'Mpeta' (M-pee-ta) and his pixie companion 'Yam Yam,' both from the far-off island of 'Misbegot'...and who both CAN FLY! On learning Shelby is a STORYTELLER!!! Mpeta tries to convince her and her brothers to accompany him back to his island to join his 'Pack" of lost boys. There, wild adventures, unbelievable events, and battles with bandit pirates awaits!
