The book Artemis Fowl is the first book in a fantasy meet crime children’s series by Eoin Colfer. This story’s antagonist has a lot of great things going for him, he’s filthy rich, a genius and has plenty of years ahead of him to enjoy it. Unfortunately, he’s also a criminal. Meet Artemis Fowl.

One of my favorite things about Eoin Colfer’s writing are his name choices. Artemis Fowl’s name speaks for itself – you can just smell his scheming personality. Our protagonist Holly Short is a also fairly descriptive name, as she’s small even for an elf and has a bit of a short-fused temper. We will also meet Foaly the centaur, Mulch the thieving dwarf and others with names that speak volumes.

Our 12-year-old villain has an evil plan to try to restore his family’s wealth, but not through any ordinary means like robbing. Rather his scheme involves an underground race of creatures most humans don’t realize still, if ever, existed. He aims to kidnap an elf. The strategy seems to be working, but all parties are in for a few surprises. Will he get the ransom or will he cause World War III?

This is an exciting fantasy filled with many mythical creatures. While the creatures are your typical types, each race is used a differently than we have come to expect, and this originality is why I enjoyed this book so much. The author’s creativity in this area, though, may ruffle some feathers.

The tale is a bit complicated, as the plot hops around a fair amount (but I think most could follow). This fact, combined with a few difficult words and sentences, may make this book a target for middle-grade independent readers (age 10/11+), but any child, who loves a tale with a variety of creatures, may enjoy this read if you don’t mind reading aloud.

Kate

Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, Book 1) by Eoin Colfer
Garden State Teen Book Award
(c) 2002, Disney-Hyperion
Publisher Reading Level: 9-12
ISBN: 0786817070
304 Pages