'"What we want...' Jo Anne interrupted, 'is to be equals.'" This is the unifying theme of "Lost Girls," which is about girls overcoming fear in order to assert their right to living fuller, more active lives than Peter Pan has allowed. In this tale of liberation, Darla is the main character. She has strong views about right and wrong, and she values what she has learned from her parents even though they have divorced and she lives apart from her father. '"My dad's a nutritionist. I'm only allowed healthy food," she declares to the lost boys, in a clear declaration of how she regards her father's influence on her. Her declaration is one of defiance, and it is grounded in what her father has taught her.

In fact, this helps her resist the insidious persuasions of Peter and Wendy. The...