Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

"The early chapters introduce Peter, leader of a group of orphan boys being sent into slavery aboard the Never Land, and Black Stache, a fearsome pirate who commands a villainous crew. New characters include Molly Aster and her father. Molly, at 14, is an apprentice Starcatcher, a secret society formed to keep evildoers from obtaining "starstuff," magic material that falls to earth and conveys happiness, power, increased intelligence, and the ability to fly. The ships wreck off a tropical island and a trunk of starstuff is temporarily lost. Here, we meet more familiar characters: the mermaids in their lagoon; the people who live in the jungle; and, of course, the crocodile."

--School Library Journal