We had a discussion in class about the hero being the protagonist, most of the time. Artemis is the perfect example of the "bad-guy" being the protagonist. He is a rich, mastermind criminal that kidnaps a fairy for a large ransom of 24-carat gold to help rebuild his family's wealth.
Artemis was a fun character that grabbed my students and they loved reading his adventure in this book. We will be reading the second book and seeing if the kids have the same admiration for this twelve year old!

I was given the opportunity to read this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a great action and adventure filled book! With the new movie that was recently released, and this updated version, this book will definitely appeal to my 4th & 5th grade students!

I had a really difficult time connecting to this book. I think maybe it was just not for me. I didn't really care for most of the characters or the writing style. There were too many technical descriptions of how the technology and machinery worked and I found myself getting very bored. I honestly just wanted to finish this as quickly as possible. That being said, I'm sure there are some people that would find this book entertaining. So there may be some customers I could recommend this to.

To coincide with the blockbuster movie release next spring, Disney-Hyperion has reissued Artemis Fowl, the initial book in the incredibly popular series about an Irish tween criminal mastermind who attempts to use supernatural beings as part of his nefarious worldwide crime syndicate.

Although a senior citizen myself, I adored the 12-year-old prodigy, despite Artemis Fowl II’s being utterly ruthless. And no wonder! He’s the scion of an Irish family of wealthy criminals dating back centuries. In this book, Artemis kidnaps the fairy Captain Holly Short (a LEPrecon, officially, which stands for Lower Elements Police Recon). Artemis hopes to secure a ransom of a literal ton of gold from Holly’s species of underground fairies. But, although brilliant, Artemis hasn’t factored in how formidable Holly — and her fellow fairies — really are. The fairy folk call the humans the Mud People, and they aren’t about to let Artemis, genius or no, get the best of them.

To reveal more would ruin this fun middle-grade fantasy, but let me say that I am very grateful to have had the chance to enjoy this gem, first released in 2001, at long last.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review.

This book is part of a fantastic series that I enjoyed re-reading. These books are a favorite of my students! I highly recommend this author's books!

I really enjoyed reading this book! I read it years ago when my son was in elementary school and I've read it again as an adult. I enjoyed the book so much that I have the first several books in my classroom library and I encourage students to read the book at school. Great book!!

I think this is a great book for a certain niche of students. Some of my students have picked up this book and disliked it but others have gone through several books in this series.

I think this book can be easy to read for the right students. This book is written for children, which is why I wasn't as big of a fan of the book reading it as an adult but I understand why some of my students do find this intriguing. It's a great book to keep on reserve for kids that love the mystery and action books.

Why have I not read this before?!? This is a story that makes you want to never put it down. And when the story ends, all you want to do is read the next one! Surprising, given that it is about a 12-year-old genius who wants to lead an evil empire… and leprechauns.

And yet, I fell in love with this book right from the first page. Colfer does an outstanding job bringing the reader into a world full of magic and hilariously weird creatures. There is love and loyalty, even if it is misplaced. Mystical creatures who have everyday problems and humans with magical problems. Good and evil battling it out, even though the evil is wrapped in a 12-year-old package who wants his mom and dad back.

Frankly, I loved all the characters and while I rooted for the “good guys,” I couldn’t help but also wish for Artemis to get what he wanted as well, his family back.
This is a fun story and I cannot wait to finally join the rest of the world in reading more of his adventures!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy to read. All opinions are my own.

I am a third and fifth grade teacher and for years I have seen kids with this book in their hands. It is a favorite, and it is certainly well written.

That being said, it was not really for me. I could not connect with Artemis. I pretty much felt like he was a heartless jerk, and I pulled for the fairies all along. Maybe I was supposed to! I did enjoy Butler and almost all the fairies, but I don’t think I will be picking up the next one.

From the Publisher:
Twelve-year-old Artemis is a millionaire, a genius-and above all, a criminal mastermind. But 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 the bedtime stories-they're dangerous!

My thoughts:
Artemis Fowl, kind of like a Richie Rich of the fantasy world (if Richie Rich lived in the future and if he were a criminal mastermind) is not a new story. I bought the original book for my middle school classroom library back in the early 2000s from a Scholastic book fair. I subsequently added to the series and even picked up some of the graphic novels like Artemis Fowl Arctic Incident in 2009. What this means is that the author, Eoin Colfer, found a good character (like Rowlings and Harry Potter) to tell a great story, and he has been able to profit from that and leave his teaching gig behind. No shame in that. In addition, Disney has picked this up and there is a movie coming out to add to the other multimedia products Colfer has been able to conjure up from his main character.



That being said, nothing was wrong with the story, so that is not different in this version. What is different is the artwork on the covers. The artwork too needed to be punched up and is a little closer to the graphic novels art.

The Artemis story is almost 20 years old, which technology wise is jurassic, however, because Artemis' world is in the fantasy/fairy realm, although he is a tech genius, this story does not suffer from contemporary stories that take place in real time, like Laurie Halse Anderson's graphic novel Speak. The technology is not a hindrance to the plot like it is in Speak. Colfer successfully repackages Artemis for my grandchildren. That just goes to show that good storytelling is good storytelling.

**I received this ARC in return for a fair and impartial review***
I'm having a hard time writing this review. I liked the book inasmuch as it was a quick, fun read. I disliked it in that I felt I was being pandered to and spoken down to the entire time. Is the age group for this book only 10? Is that why I felt like it was leveled down? I'm not sure. It was a fun read, it's always nice to see new takes on the supernatural genre. But, there was just something about the writing style that was off putting.

Just as fun as reading it the first time!
Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for the opportunity to read and review Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer!
The author has created a code at the end of the book for the readers to decode a secret message. The infamous prologue, introducing the twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl, opens the book. An enigma, a genius and a thief all wrapped in one, make up the preteen Artemis. Artemis's bodyguard and all-around protector, Butler, takes his job seriously AND he's very good at it. Artemis's mother floats in and out of reality since her husband, Artemis's father, has been missing. Artemis's goal is to figure out what happened to his father. Holly Short is an elf who works as a leprechaun. She's feisty and good at her job. Sometimes she butts heads with her boss, Commander Root. Artemis has discovered fairy secrets and captures Holly for ransom while she's performing the ritual to restore her magic. Root gets Mulch Diggums, the dirt and rock devouring dwarf and thief, to infiltrate the Fowl mansion and rescue Holly. The elf community and Artemis each get more than they bargained for because of underestimating each other's intelligence. This fun, adventurous fantasy is now being made into a movie summer 2019 for the U.S. and I can't wait to see it! 5 stars!

I loved this book. I purchased it years ago and forgot about it. As a former bookseller, kids came in droves for this series, then, as a librarian, kids continually checked it out, but I never read it until now. Perfect for middle aged/YA readers. Lets face it, Artemis Fowl is a rich, pampered brilliant bad boy. He's not a great role model, and yet his thought process is a bit like Sherlock Holmes; he is completely thorough and prepared.

The Fowl fortune took a big hit when his father, Artemis, invested (unwisely) in shipping to Russia after the communist break-up. the Russian mafia was not pleased and blew his ship out of the water, taking a good portion of the family's investment and Artemis senior with it. Artemis mother, delicate in nature, took to her bed and young Artemis is left to his own devices, for the most part. He decides that he needs to restore some of the family fortune, and decides finding that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is his answer. He tracks down and deciphers The Book; the bible of fairies, and he captures a fairy - except he probably chose the wrong fairy for this endeavor.

Holly Short was technically an elf, fairy, and leprechaun by trade (LEPrecon). Trying to make her way in a male dominated field, Holly allows her "magic" to slide by not performing the Ritual which would keep her powers intact. When she goes missing, Commander Root is not going to stop until Holly is safe. It's a test of wills, wits, skills, and magic between Artemis Fowl and the entire LEPrecon force.

I get the attraction for kids. It's a fun, rollicking masterminded adventure for kids. Not to be taken too seriously, yet it provides fun entertainment and ignites the power of imagination.

I was given a copy by NetGalley to review; the book was actually published in 2001, and a movie is currently being made, reigniting interest for young readers and movie goers. I found it fun, easy reading for middle grade readers

Artemis Fowl is a cunning criminal, a child who is after the faeries' secrets and gold in order to bring his family back to power. With his loyal Butler, Artemis uses his uncanny intelligence and his technological resources to steal the faeries' book of secrets and attempt to blackmail the faeries into giving him some of their gold as a ransom for Holly, the fairy he kidnaps. Who will win, Artemis, or the faeries?
Overall, this was a unique middle grade book that I believe children would enjoy. I can see why this book has been such a popular choice for so many years. I suppose it's because I'm not the target audience, but I thought this book was rather crude in the humor used as well as the disgusting descriptions used throughout the story. It was certainly a little much for me, as well as the sheer criminality and almost soulless thoughts and actions of Artemis Fowl. One thing I did enjoy was the fast paced plot and a few of the characters (Holly, Foaly, etc.). I didn't care for the language used either, so I wouldn't recommend this book to elementary students because of the subject matter and the language.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I read this with my two boys, who are very excited by the idea of the movie! My older son loves fantasy, so this was right in his wheelhouse. My younger son really enjoyed the mystery & puzzle aspects.
Artemis felt a little bit ruthless to me, but overall it was a fun book to read aloud. We can’t wait to see how the movie brings the story to life!

Just in time for the new Disney movie, Artemis Fowl is just as wonderful today as it was when it was first released almost twenty years ago. This is a high-stakes, action packed foray into the world of missing fathers and ransomed fairies. This is a page-turning read that will keep you up past your bedtime.

This was a fun middle grade novel! I can see why so many of my friends loved this book growing up. I'm happy I had the chance to read this before the movie comes out and I can't wait to watch the movie!. I will be including these books in my classroom library when I get my hands on the hard copies because I think they will be great options for my students!

This will surely be a hit with middle grade readers. An exciting tale that will keep readers’ attentions.

Twelve year old criminal mastermind, Artemis will stop at nothing to get what he wants, but does he really know what he is getting into when he kidnaps the fairy Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit?

This is not a new book, it has been around for a while but there have been talks of it becoming a movie for years, and years, oh, and years. But the wait is over and now, this summer, we will see Artemis and Holly (and I suppose Root, Foley, and Butler as well) on the big screen. So in preparation they are re-releasing the series with new killer, artwork on the covers. These books were awesome then and are still just as good now, full of action and suspense, not mention the farting and explosive pooping tunnel dwarf. This really is a great series that can span generations and I am totally happy I survived the wait to finally see the movie version, and so is my nephew.


will be posted on my blog 4-29-2019

Artemis Fowl the Second is a genius. At ten, he became interested in all things fairy, By twelve, he had devised a scheme which allowed him to decode their language and set a trap for them. After all, Artemis wanted to restore his family's fortune and good name and what better way to do it than to take the fairies' gold. After the disappearance of his father, Artemis Fowl the First, and the decline of his mother to a bedridden state, Artemis had been left to his own devices, so he did just that with the help of his rather imposing bodyguard, Butler. The story that follows is an account of how Artemis tries to part the fairies from their beloved gold.

Artemis Fowl is a precocious child who, because of circumstances outside of his control at the moment, was left without parental supervision. He decides to turn to crime to solve his problems and the problems of his family - a family tradition, you could say. The story is fun. Middle grade readers will enjoy the action, the whit, and fact that the hero is a 12 year old boy. The schemes are imaginative because Artemis is creative, willing to think outside of the box, and 12 years old. Besides, he is dealing with magical, mystical creatures who don't play by human rules.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Disney-Hyperion through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.