From the Bookshelf of University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education, Primary PGCE 2019-20 …

[close] I didn't read this book specifically for the reading challenge but decided to add it anyway as I read it recently and it is aimed at children. I would recommend it for upper KS2 because of its length and because the vocabulary is a little old-fashioned and could therefore be difficult.

This book is an example of metafiction (supposedly written by the "Swallows" of Swallows and Amazons during winter break). It could be used to introduce the concept of metafiction. However, the main themes of sailing, piracy, desert islands etc. and the adventurous plot would be better shared with children through reading Treasure Island, on which Peter Duck's plot is based.

In general, I wouldn't recommend the book. Much as it is supposedly a story imagined up by the protagonists, I didn't find it very believable that children would portray themselves the way the children are portrayed in Peter Duck. The story didn't really speak to me, so I'm not sure how much a child would relate to it today, either. Plus, the 'N' word featured a couple of times. It wasn't referring to people, but it was a bit of a shock to me and it could attract some awkward conversations with children (NB my copy of the book is decades old, so this may have been edited out in later editions).