Review: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

 

I'll be the first to admit when I'm wrong.  And here goes for today:  I didn't think I'd like Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer.  I had seen it at bookstores, but just hadn't really been interested in it.  And then, it was offered as the Pick of the Week free download by Starbucks and I figured, "Well, its free.  Now's as good a time as any."  

Thank you, Starbucks and Disney Hyperion for offering this as your Pick of the Week!

I loved Artemis Fowl from the beginning.  Subterfuge, dastardly plans, fairy magic, kidnapping, what's not to like?  That us "mud people" confused fairies and their LEPrecon team and created the "leprechaun".  At times, I forgot that Artemis is just a 12 year old child; he was able to stay one step ahead of everyone, knew all these technologies, bossed people around....oh wait, that's a perfect 12 year old boy!  

 I have a hard time picking my favorite character, so I'm going to say I liked them all...even Curmudgeon (he was dastardly in his own right and was dealt with appropriately).  I loved the WWE-obsessed Juliet, the stoic-yet-surprisingly tender Butler, Captain Root (Beet Root!), Holly, Foaly...ALL OF THEM!  

I wasn't even finished with the book before I started recommending it to my students.  I had one that asked me to write down the title so when he went to the library he could ask the librarian (he couldn't remember the title).  

I can see girls thinking this was a "boy book", but they are wrong.  Yes, its adventurous, but I don't feel that its limited to just boys.  I have a couple rabble-rousing girls that would get a kick out of Mr. Fowl, Jr.  

I'm so happy this is a series!  I can see myself becoming thoroughly obsessed and reading all of the books in a short amount of time.

Here is the summary (this and the picture are from Amazon):

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius—and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit.  These aren’t the fairies of bedtime stories; these fairies are armed and dangerous. 
 

Artemis thinks he has them right where he wants them…but then they stop playing by the rules.