Tinker Bell

The Enchanters #2

by Jen Calonita

Fable meets The Magicians in New York Times bestselling author Jen Calonita’s second Enchanters novel with the untold story of fan favorite fairy, Tinker Bell.

Before the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell ran with a different crowd––an anxious pirate, an apathetic mermaid, an enthusiastic shapeshifter, and the adventurous Tiger Lily. The one thing they all have in common? They’ve noticed strange and disturbing occurrences around the island. Wildlife is disappearing. The weather is volatile. Pockets of land are scorched. Could Never Land be dying?

Tink ventures off to London in search of answers. While stranded there by the rain, she spends time with the most curious humans––James, a young inventor whose passion rivals her own; and Peter, a charismatic storyteller. And she grows attached to the orphans James and Peter look after at the boys’ hospital.

Wondering if they can help each other, Tink takes the boys back to Never Land—where a perfect storm awaits. Power-hungry pirates, betrayal, heartbreak, and an unforgiving ticking clock. Soon Tink must forge a new path and imagine a new future for Never Land . . . or lose everything she’s grown to love.

Filled with adventure, intrigue, and romance, Tinker Bell explores what happened before once upon a time….

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retellings, Fairy Tales

288 pages, Hardcover

Published September 2, 2025

About the author

Hi Goodreads!
I'm Jen Calonita, a MG and YA author who loves what I do because it lets me connect with all of you (and no, I wasn't intending for that to rhyme!).

I've been writing ever since I can remember, but it was fourth grade when I put my "three wishes" for a genie down on paper. They were:
#1. Buy all the Cabbage Patch Kids in the world and give them away for free (because apparently that was how I rolled).
#2. I wanted a mansion, limo, lake house, pool and speed boat (still sounds quite nice).
#3. I wanted to be an author for young readers, which I am!

I love writing novels for teens (and for savvy grown ups who know that YA rocks at any age). My first series was "Secrets of My Hollywood Life" and it followed a teen star named Kaitlin Burke who struggled with the fame game. I have also written the stand-alone novels Sleepaway Girls, it's companion book, Summer State of Mind and the Belles series.

I've been writing middle grade too and am having so much fun with my series Fairy Tale Reform School! The fourth book in this series about a school run by former villains is called Tricked and will be out March 2018. Ever wonder what it would be like if your parents got a job with someone like Taylpr Swift? My other middle grade series, VIP, follows super fan Mackenzie Lowell as she tours with her favorite band, Perfect Storm.

I promise to give book updates here, and on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or my website. I hope I hear from you!

xo
Jen

Reviews

[Books_and_Crafts · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! Jen Calonita does it again with another entrancing story of a beloved Disney character. A little bit of a slow start but built into a landslide of a story with Tink!

From her first adventure off of the island of Neverland, the very first run in with Peter, and even getting to know George Darling back when he was a young man. We get to learn all of the secrets about how Tink met Peter, how they got to Neverland from London and WHY.

This story tore at my heart strings in the best ways and left me smiling ear to ear by the end. My heart was so full with the epilogue and I just loved it.

Highly recommend for fans of Peter Pan, Wings of Starlight, and Pixie Hollow!

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was soooo cute! Loved the tale of Nederland and tinker bell. Loved the there wasn’t really a villain it was just fun and cozy fantasy

[Lori]

We're getting 2 Tinker Bell books in a year? And it helps with the way it connects on how Tinkerbell meets Peter? Disney give me more Tinkerbell books & movies and I will be happy.

[Kayley Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t care how old I am. I’ll always read a fairy tale.

[Nicole Kesler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Tinker-belled my way through An Enchanter’s Tale and WOW, I was hooked from the first sprinkle of pixie dust! This book had me laughing, crying, and screaming like a lost fairy in a thunderstorm. The plot twist? Totally spellbinding—I did not see that coming!

It’s clear the author is a massive Disney fan, and I loved how she sprinkled that magic throughout. Reading this reminded me of Peter and the Starcatchers from my childhood—same sense of wonder and adventure. I hope she conjures up more stories because her style is enchanting, whimsical, and utterly irresistible.

[Valerie Contreras · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was interested enough to finish this book but I don’t think I would read it again. I wasn’t a fan of the direction the plot went. The biggest problem for me was the fact that Tink and James have a mutual attraction. Like she’s a literal Fairy ?!!! It felt really weird and a bit uncomfy to read. She says that she saw Peter as only a boy and that he would never grow up in Neverland, but then why does she have feelings for Peter later on when he brings Wendy and her brothers? It just doesn’t make sense, especially if James ends up being Wendy’s dad, why would he get so mad at Wendy for telling the stories that he told her. I really dislike that it doesn’t follow the original story logic, I know this is the author’s interpretation but it gives more plot holes to the original instead of solving the plot holes.

I don’t know if I can recommend this one.

Thank you to the author, Random House Children’s Books, and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

[Howard Iske · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am on such a high after having just finished reading this. It really is such a fantastic book! If you’re a Disney fan like me, you’ve seen so many different stories about Tinker Bell, but this one really opens up her life story and let you see a whole new side of her.

I loved the little Easter eggs that tied in perfectly with Peter Pan, elaborating on details like the Lost Boys’ hideout, the crocodile and even the Darling family.

I’ll admit that I was never a Tinker Bell fanatic, but I absolutely fell in love with her here. There were even a few times where I found myself getting a little teary-eyed.
The only thing that kept this from being a 5 ⭐️ read for me is that there were a small handful of times where there was a lull in the story, but not enough for to not be an easy recommendation.

[Katie Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very admittedly, I started reading this and... forgot. However, I came back to it (thanks to Goodreads reminding me I was reading) and loved it. Maybe it's because I reread the first like 5-6 chapters again, but I was a lot more hooked.

This is the story of Tinkerbell and the Neverland crew BEFORE Peter Pan. It did really good at setting up the story of Peter Pan that we all know but was a fresh take on the story. I will admit, there were still some questions that weren't fully answered by the end of book (like what actually brought the pirates to the island in the beginning?) I thought it was actually really nicely done and loved it.

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit boring in my opinion, didn’t hit for me.

[Ashley Hargett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved Tinkerbell since I was a little girl. As soon as I heard this book was coming I had to pre-order, and this story did not disappoint! I laughed, cried, and the nostalgia was great. If you love Tinkerbell, give this a read.

[Cheyenne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tinkerbell x Hook? Yeah, I ain’t touching this one.

[Steff Fox · Rating 1 out of 5]

”Impossible is merely an invitation to problem-solve.”

I am not even remotely kidding when I say that the first eight chapters of Tinker Bell (An Enchanters Tale) was an absolute slog to get through. I can’t help feeling that the entire beginning was useless, pieces of backstory for Tinker Bell that really didn’t serve an overall purpose and fell far more in line with giving service to the additive story that Disney alone decided to give her with their Pixie Hollow plotline. The only character among her friends that I actually recognized was Tiger Lily, thus the odd pirate Caiman who spent time with them and several other unrecognizable names meant absolutely nothing to me. And it certainly doesn’t help that Calonita gives readers very little to endear them to these characters to begin with.

By the time we reach chapter nine, we slowly enter a section of the story that more heavily features characters we think we know and love, that of James, Peter Pan, and the lost boys. But even then, this is clearly not the backstory we expect from this tale as Tinker Bell is very quickly enamored with the young James, with Peter portrayed as an incredible goofball—somewhat in line with his inspirational counterpart—who refers to himself and the other boys as “James’ Lost Orphan Boys.” And while I can say that the story does pick up quite a bit here, the interactions Tinker Bell has with this teenager James and the internal thoughts we’re privy to just…don’t feel like Tinker Bell.

It is very clear to me, however, that Calonita is looking to make this an almost love story, portrayed in an insanely short span of time as Tinker Bell appears to quite literally fall in love with James, even going as far as to call him, “Darling,” as some sort of tease. And I’ll be honest, this is where I really began to roll my eyes and check out. It wasn’t like the innocent-esque, child-like obsession love that we see Tinker Bell as having for Peter in the original or in adaptations. Instead, it’s something reciprocal and results in the two of them staring at each other and then blushing as they look away. At one point, James even makes a comment about how he “could kiss” her and Tinker Bell envisions turning him into a fairy so they could be together.

Nevermind the fact that the only reason Tinker Bell is even there is because she was sent to find medicine for her dying pirate friend, but instead she’s so heart-eyed at a teenage James that she’s completely forgotten about all the friends who were set up in the beginning of the novel. And so naturally, upon returning to Neverland, it seems everything has gotten to be so much worse.

At this point, I just can’t help feeling as though this book suffers from what a great many adaptations do when an author wants to write a specific story but either doesn’t quite know how to fit the existing characters into it or doesn’t have a great grasp for what the personalities of those characters would truly be. Of all the characters, the only ones I felt truly came close to embodying their counterparts were Peter and the lost boys, and the lost boys only make this list because they’re not really a story focus and therefore aren’t on the page super often and certainly not as individuals. But even Peter has his failings, for mere moments after he, Tiger Lily, and the lost boys hijack the Jolly Roger, the young boy immediately informs Tinker Bell and James that the idea to do so came from Tiger Lily, herself.

I dunno about you, but I am confident that Peter Pan would never have done so. This is the boy who goes about taking credit for all the fun ideas, who shouts “Oh, the cleverness of me!” whenever he gets a chance, telling others they helped a little only when they call him out for it. There is no way in any realm anyone could convince me that he’d lead with an epic adventure like that being someone else’s idea. And I know this is a super nitpicky thing of me to point out, but I was just so disappointed. Anything less than this is not a true rendition of Peter and it was one of the biggest missed opportunities in the book. For me, I also just really hate when beloved characters are not written as themselves. If you’re going to adapt a well known and loved story, it’s important to do the characters justice and I just don’t think Calonita succeeds here, which is wild--but in my experience, not surprising—for an author who regularly writes adaptations of Disney characters.

Honestly, this all just makes me rather weary of the rest of her adaptations.

All of this to be said, Calonita’s take on Never Land and the characters who live there is…not the worst. The writing, overall, is fine. The plot is okay. It’s readable for someone who isn’t deeply attached to the personalities of the characters. And there are certainly plenty of people out there who are in love with Captain James Hook and looking for a romantic adaptation—not sure how they’ll feel about this middlegrade pairing with Tinker Bell and the subversive way in which Calonita presents it, but I can guarantee that this book has an audience somewhere. I…am just not one of those people. Don’t even get me started on that plot twist at the end and how it makes absolutely no sense given Tinker Bell’s behavior in the original and other adaptations.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[James Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a huge step up for Jen Calonita's Disney YA offerings. Not only did this book have real, irreversible stakes that really hit hard, but the expanded Neverland lore is also really fun! There were so many great character moments along with some fun action. I really liked nearly all of the characterizations! They were consistent with the original animated film, and also added a lot of depth. This novel really steps up the Enchanter's Tales series, with some really intriguing lore that really expands the Peter Pan lore.

The characters and their more emotional moments were so well done! Tinker Bell's origin has been retold so many times in major ways by Disney. Whether it's the Disney Fairies franchise, or in tidbits in other Disney retellings, we've seen Tinker Bell's life a lot. So, I was skeptical about what this would add. This retelling does take some elements from these other Disney Tink origins, but really puts them into a fun package. Tinker Bell is actually a rebel, who is trying to do the right thing while going against what she's supposed to do. I really liked that. It was something similar to Renee in Fairy Godmother, but it rang more true here. She was also a very strong character, which really was intriguing. The Wanderers (Tiger Lily, Blair, Mimic, Ash, and Caimen) were all really fun, and interesting characters. They all had very particular character traits and niches, and they were all very interesting. James and the Lost Boys were all very fun! Out of all the characters, the Lost boys and Peter Pan were the most likely their animated characters. James was very interesting in how he interacted with Tinker Bell. There's a twist with him at the end that was wonderful. We also get the villains and how they came to be, but that was more of an afterthought. However, I didn't much care, as this wasn't really about them. I WOULD'VE like to see the initial impact of the pirates arriving, but that's neither here nor there.

The lore of Neverland in this novel was very interesting! I loved how the magic of Neverland worked, and who protected that magic was pretty cool. I especially enjoyed that Tiger Lily's village were the people most knowledgeable on Neverland. I really thought that was interesting. I also liked the description of how people get from one world to the other. It was honestly very cool. The lore of fairies themselves was kind of glossed over... I know these novels kind of have to stay in a certain length, but I really would've liked a scene in Pixie Hollow. Now, to go with that... There are a few problems that I have with the lore and story...

I would've wanted this novel to have its own complete fairy lore. It was a bit distracting how it kind of fit with other fairy stories, and not with others. I also would've wanted a certain plot twist at the end to be set up better. However, these are minor, minor problems. The novel is still great.

So, I liked this fry better than the last Enchanters novel. It was compelling, and really expanded the lore and characters. I can't wait for that next Enchanter's novel!

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

What worked:
Readers should know Never Land is much different from stories about Peter Pan and Captain Hook. The mystery surrounding Never Land’s diminishing magic becomes the main conflict. This book is an origin story for Peter Pan, since readers will notice references to familiar elements. A pirate ship is anchored off the Never Land coast with Smee being its first mate; Captain Hook is not in the story. Tinker Bell is the main character, which is different from the Peter Pan book and movie. Peter lives in an orphanage where he’s the leader of younger orphans whose families have died or abandoned them. They call themselves the Lost Orphan Boys.
The prologue introduces Tinker Bell, and readers learn she’s a feisty, strong-willed fairy. We slowly discover that Tink is feeling guilty for visiting the Mainland, since bad things begin happening when she returns from Never Land. She is a member of a small band of characters calling themselves the Wanderers, because they believe they can explore anywhere without restrictions, free to do what they want, when they want. Ash is another fairy who’d like to be more than Tink’s friend. Blair is a mermaid, and she often projects a superior air, though she complains that traveling by water around the island is much slower than cutting across on foot. Mimic is a shapeshifter who can transform into any shape he wants, and he usually appears as a human, teasing Blair whenever he can. The Wanderers are joined by Tiger Lily, an indigenous person, and Caiman, probably the most unpirate-like pirate there could be.
Trees are dying from the inside out, food is becoming scarce, the song of Prism Falls is out of key, and creatures are fleeing the Never Sea. Saving his mother’s plants is the most important thing to Caiman, but he says a flower found in a forbidden area may be the key to saving the island. However, something happens to him, and shadow creatures begin to appear. Tink fears he’s dying, so she makes a rash decision that may, or may not, make things better. She knows Mainlanders aren’t supposed to enter Never Lan, especially since the presence of the pirates has disrupted the peace. Lives are at stake, and she makes another risky choice that affects future events.
What didn’t work as well:
Readers know little about the Wanderers, even though the book opens by featuring them. They almost feel like strangers when Tink reunites with them later on. Also, the infatuation between Tink and James, an orderly at the orphanage, seems strange. This aspect of the book must be why Amazon suggests it’s for young adults, not middle grade. There’s a small amount of violence, which is not graphic.
The final verdict:
There’s no reason upper middle-graders can’t enjoy this book, despite Amazon indicating it’s for ages twelve and older. It’s an entertaining version of the Peter Pan story, with the focus being on Tinker Bell. I recommend you check this book out for yourself.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story started a little slow for me, but once I got into it I was really into it. I had some small problems with some of the writing (for example, at one point its mentioned that tiger lily said something while mounting her horse, and then a couple paragraphs later it says tiger lily mounted her horse. there were some other places where things like this happened and it tends to sound weird to me), but overall I really enjoy Jen Calonita's works. Her writing is always rich and detailed, pulling you in and really letting you immerse yourself in the world shes created. This world of pre-Peter Never Land is so unique, and its amazing to watch the Never Land we know come into existence. My favorite part was the characters, and watching them become the characters we already know and love. Fearless Peter and his Lost Boys and Captain Hook and the croc that chases him. It was cool seeing Skull Rock be made, and seeing Tink's James in the future, who he becomes. I loved seeing more of Tiger Lily, she was always a character that I wish we saw more of. I loved getting to know the reason why Peter goes to Wendy's window in the first place. The way things in this book were woven into the original was spectacular. All these Disney origin story books and stuff coming out raises some questions sometimes, and this one definitely raised one for me - if both this book and the Tinkerbell movies are official Disney, then what's the timeline? Did the Tinkerbell movies come before all this? The first one at least had to, as its her origin story. And if this is the case, why do we not get any mention of her friends? It also disrupts the croc's origins - there's an origin story here and in Tinkerbell and the Pirate Fairy. For now I've chosen to believe they are different universes, so that there's no inconsistencies. This book was so good though. I always love getting more about Tinkerbell, and getting this intimate look at her was amazing.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tinker Bell: An Enchanters Tale is the second story in the series and I hope they continue to write more. The beloved side kick magical entities need to be shown more love because the original stories couldn’t be told without them. This time, Tink gets her backstory and what a story it is! I absolutely adored this book. Jen Calonita did a phenomenal job keeping the true energy of Tink in her writing. I read the Tales of Pixie Hollow books to my children when they were younger so I have fond memories of the adventures of our favorite pixie dust sprinkling fairy and hoped that this new storyline would keep the nostalgia going. I didn’t need to worry. It absolutely does. You get to see a few of the characters from Pixie Hollow and get introduced to new ones that will captivate your imagination. I cannot wait to add this story to my classroom library.

[Alina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a Tinker Bell origin story from a Peter Pan lense (no Pixie Hollow characters). It started off really slow and I wasn't sure I was gonna get into it honestly. It picked up by the middle though and had all the action towards the end and ended up being quite sad as well as we learned where the lost boys come from. The book and plot was just okay and I didn't feel a strong connection towards it.

But my main note...excuse me did I read that right? Forbidden love between Tinker Bell and the Darlings' DAD????? What da hell 😭 and why call him James when that's Captain Hook's name lol like if the plot twist was him becoming Captain Hook that would've been just as bad? Idk if I vibed w that.....

Interested to see if this series continues and would still recommend the first fairy godmother book more instead!

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up watching Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. So when I saw Jen Calonita was writing The Enchanters Tale about Tinker bell I was excited because I knew she was going to find a fun spin on it. Jen Calonita can find the original plot and keep beloved characters while showing her own artistic spin. I didn’t want to put the book down!

[trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love stories/movies about Tinkerbell and Pixie Hollow. The plot was interesting but I didn't understand why James and Tinkerbell had feelings for eachother? Was kind of weirded out by it. I wished they talked more about how the cove/land was saved at the end instead of saying it was slowly being restored and not going back to it

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like a warm hug. I love Peter Pan retellings so much, and while this one started out very slow, it ended so so well. I love that the author had us thinking a certain way about a character, and then a big plot twist changed it all for the better.

[Cecilia Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Never Land, Tinker Bell lives in Pixie Hollow.
When her friend Caiman becomes ill, she flies to the Mainland to find something to help.

This story references the Tinker Bell/Pixie Hollow adventures.

[Stephanie Ponce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why I couldn't really get into this one. I loved the Fairy Godmother book. For this one I didn't really feel attached to any of the characters and I felt like noting really happened until the very end. It was cute overall but not my fave.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. Jen Calonita does such a great job of giving the characters we love more of a story and still keeping to everything we already know and love. If you love pixie hollow you need to read this book.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting back store for Peter Pan.

[Melissa Strader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is just what I needed to take my mind off of things. Seeing tinker bell and her back story was something I have always wondered about since I was a child.

[Kaitlin Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

tinkerbell journey through story was amazing I'm so glad I picked this book to read

[kailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved hearing how Tinker Bell met Peter and the Lost Boys and that Wendy’s parents have a connection to Neverland! I also loved getting to learn more about Neverland and its magic.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Lisa Öhlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading to Epilogue of this book was so heartwarming🫶🏻 and the whole book was really cute

[Brianna Petno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about the history of tinker bell before she ever met Peter Pan! Slower to get into than other books in this series but enjoyed the light disney nature.