On Sept. 18, Barry and Pearson unveiled their book, Peter and the Starcatchers, to a crowd of approximately 175 children and adults. The event was co-sponsored by Hicklebee's children's bookstore in Willow Glen and the Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley.

The idea for the book came to Pearson one evening while at home.

"I was reading Peter Pan to my 5-year-old daughter, Page, and she asked me, 'How did Peter Pan meet Captain Hook?'" Pearson said.

He thought the answer to that question would make a great story and presented the idea to Barry, a longtime friend. Barry was instantly enthusiastic about the idea, and the two began writing and emailing chapters back and forth to each other.

The book sets out to do more than answer the burning question set forth by Pearson's daughter; it also gives background on some of the other questions raised in Peter Pan, the classic tale written by James Barrie.

According to Valerie Lewis, children's literary expert and co-owner of Hicklebee's, Peter and the Starcatchers is an evocative, fast-paced adventure brimming with richly developed characters.

"I really enjoyed the book. They did a great job at addressing questions raised in Peter Pan, such as how did Captain Hook lose his hand and how did Peter Pan come by the ability to fly. And they answer them in a very satisfying way," Lewis said.

Lewis and her business partner met with Barry, Pearson and their publisher in Chicago.

"We hit it off and had a great time," Lewis said. "I invited them out to the store and they said yes."

After it became apparent that the draw for Barry and Pearson would overflow the Lincoln Avenue bookstore, Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley agreed to co-sponsor the event and it was moved to the Summit Center in downtown San Jose. Hicklebee's has partnered with the Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley for several other events. "They are fabulous partners," Lewis said.

At this event, the writing duo donned pirate hats and read a few chapters from their book.

Peter and the Starcatchers begins with Peter, who at this point is just a regular boy, and four other orphans being taken aboard a ship on which they are to be transported to a distant land and then sold as slaves.

"At the end of our story, you have a good idea about the beginning of Peter Pan," Pearson said.

When asked why he and Pearson decided to enter into the genre of children's writing, Barry said they never set out to write a children's book.

"We decided to tell a story we'd like to read," Barry said. "We never thought about an age level or if the words we were choosing were too big. Our goal was to write the best possible story."

"We just tried to have fun," Pearson added. "We both like stories with engaging characters."

The duo wrote the book chapter by chapter, with Barry taking on the dialogue for certain characters and Pearson taking it on for others.

"The book's storyline comes from the mind of Ridley Pearson. Ridley is always thinking of plots," Barry said.

Audience members were also curious if there were other co-projects in the works.

"We enjoyed writing this book so much, the instant it was over we started thinking about another one," Barry said. "We created a world we like and we want to continue it."