While reading Artemis Fowl I never got bored. It is a really big page turner. I can't wait to read Book 2 and see if Artemis learns his lesson, or if more is revealed about the deal he made with Holly. Artemis Fowl is exciting and riveting. All of the characters have a unique voice that's well-developed and doesn't just stay one-dimensional for the protagonist's point of view. I found myself not liking Artemis that much, but I really related a lot with Holly Short and the position she was in. I am not a fairy, but this book was about humility and doing the right thing despite an unpleasant situation you may be faced with.
I am not sure why Eoin Colfer has chosen to characterize Artemis as inhumane almost toward fairies, for the mere inheritance of more wealth. It's evident that Artemis already has a lot of wealthy by mere association of his name and thus his relations, such as his parents. Why on earth does he speak to Butler about wanting to be notorious and not promising that their next adventures won't be illegal? Artemis' upbringing is alluded to as being sketchy since his father was mostly away for most of it and his mother was in a 'fog.' Even still now, this time in his development at 12 years old is when he critically needs a family, but Butler, Juliet, and the fairies, dwarfs, and troll(s) (even though those of the Lower elements, are his enemies) appear as a makeshift family. Artemis Fowl can control this 'game.' In my opinion, it's also the reason why he wants his own wealth because he wants his own importance and his own independence within his own family. ( )

Artemis Fowl is a criminal mastermind, who’s twelve. He hatches a scheme of kidnapping a fairy and holding her for a ransom of gold. This took about a day to get through, and it was an enjoyable fast-paced adventure story. The reader bounces between Artemis and the fairy world – all of the characters being sympathetic in one manner or another. I’m not sure if I will continue on with the series, but this was a fairly enjoyable way to pass a rainy day. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I was not sure i would like it at first but when I finally started reading it I could not stop. It was like I was a moth and this book was the flame. I recomend this book for all ages and family reading. I still like this book two to three years after innitially reading this book. ( )

Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Themes: Young Adult, Mythical Creatures, Fairies, Trolls, Criminal Mastermind

Age / Grade Appropriateness: Teen - Grade 7-9, Age 12-14

Awards:
• BBC's Big Read (Best loved novel, 2003, No 59)
• South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominee (2003-2004)
• British Book Award (Children's Book of the Year, 2002)
• Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice (2004)
• Garden State Book Award (Teen Fiction Grades 6-8, 2004)
• Whitbread Shortlist (Children's Book, 2001)
• BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2001)
• ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2003.03 | Flights of Fantasy: Beyond Harry and Frodo, 2003)
• Book Sense Book of the Year (Children's Literature Honor Book, 2004)
• Iowa Teen Award Nominee (2004-2005)

Censorship Issues:

• Magical characters
• Child Criminal
• kidnapping

Plot Summary (Summarize the plot in 250 words or less):

The story of Artemis Fowl begins with the description of Artemis himself, an accomplished child criminal. Artemis is on the hunt for a fairy to steal his book of magical secrets. Once the book is secured, Fowl uses the information to abduct a fairy trooper as she is attempting to replenish her magical powers. Fowl holds the fairy hostage to ransom the fairy government for gold.
The fairy government refuses to negotiate with Fowl and the place Fowl’s mansion under a time-stop, which encapsulates the estate in a time frozen space while the rest of the world continues as if nothing has happened. Through a series of “invasions” into the mansion, Fowl establishes his position over the Fairies through the knowledge he has gained from the book of magical secrets. In the end, the fairies hand over their gold, thinking that they will “bio-bomb” the Fowl estate, thus reclaiming their gold. However, Fowl outsmarts them again and wins the gold in the end, but he begins to respect the Fairies.

Critique:
My opinion of this book was that it was that it tried to fit the criteria we discussed, but it misses the mark. The story incorporates the viewpoint of a twelve year old, but he is a jet-setting, criminal mastermind. What other twelve year old can relate to that? The only aspect of the book that would appeal to YAs is the fantasy element. The creation of a new world complete with its own set of rules is engaging to the reader to “figure out,” but the story was definitely geared towards the younger audience due to the simplicity of the story. After finishing reading this book, I was not interested in continuing the story in the remaining books.

Curriculum Uses:

The only possible curriculum uses that I could come up with are (1) to encourage reluctant readers and (2) to encourage young criminals? (haha) ( )

I read this out of an interest in popular children's fantasy. The Artemis Fowl books had gained enough popularity to show up on my radar (and I am around children basically none of the time), so I figured I might as well check it out. Artemis is a 12-year-old criminal mastermind with a faithful bodyguard named Butler, a missing father, and a mother who has completely lost touch with reality. Despite this, there remains a good deal of humor in Artemis's kidnapping of a fairy and her people's attempts to retrieve her. Artemis, while believable as a criminal genius, is not very convincing as a 12-year-old boy. Holly the fairy is pretty one-dimensional, but her comrades Root and the centaur Foaly are entertaining enough to keep the plot moving forward. In short, this is a decent story for children but not engaging enough to convince this adult reader to check out the sequels. ( )