story identification - SF novel featuring children on a spaceship

I remember reading a story that included a group of children traveling on a spaceship that cared for them. The ship was made of regular and fake matter and could adapt to different situations. The children gave their leader the title of “Pan”. They were sent to fight an alien threat. The ship, although very advanced, could not make the important decisions, and the children were there to decide.

Decades have passed since I read that story and would like to read it again, but I don’t recall the name or author. Help would be appreciated.

Answer

There is a slim chance that this could be Anvil of Stars by Greg Bear. It was published in 1993, not sure if that qualifies as the decades since you read it but its a decent passage of time.

More pertinently it features survivors from earth, on an alien spaceship that does indeed care for them and can remodel itself to adapt to situations. The passengers on this ship base their developing culture on Peter Pan and refer to themselves as Wendys and Lost Boys.

Note that this is not an exact match for your description which is why I say slim chance... You specifically mention children but as I recall this story featured adults who were referencing Peter Pan. You can read more details here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anvil_of_Stars

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