Recommendation
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Kids who love adventure and imaginative narratives will love this book. It flows well and there are many positive messages.
Reading Level
5-9th grade
Review for Parents
This book is clean aside from some made-up swearwords that the fairies use.
Series Review
This section will be updated upon completion of the final book review in the series.
Plotline: Spoiler-Free
This book follows twelve-year-old super genius Artemis Fowl and his only friend Butler who happens to be, well, his butler. As a genius, Artemis finds it hard to make friends with kids his age. The Fowl family has a history of criminality and Artemis is no different. Though he may be a criminal, and a good one at that, his heart shows through at many points in the story.
Artemis is a criminal at heart, a criminal with above-average intelligence. With his intelligence, he also has the determination to restore his family’s fortune after the disappearance of his father. He uses his family connections and the skills of Butler to kidnap an LEPrecon officer named Captain Holly Short as she is above ground on police business. Artemis holds Holly hostage and requests a large ransom from the LEPrecon police force.
LEPrecon is the police force for “the people” also known broadly as fairies who live underground—driven there by the vast population of mud people (humans) that cover the entire earth. Because humans reproduce rapidly compared to fairies, they were forced underground for survival. Even their magic wouldn’t help them in a fight with mankind.
Because Holly is the first, and only, female officer she is treated harshly by nearly everyone, nobody is harder on Captain Short than her commanding officer, Commander Root. Commander Root, though he doesn’t show it, has a soft spot for Captain Short and wants her to succeed.
After Captain Short is kidnapped, Artemis demonstrates his competence. Even though he is only twelve, he is more than a match for Commander Root and the LEPrecon team dispatched to retrieve Holly but even Artemis Fowl, smart as he is, makes mistakes.
Commander Root realizes that this unconventional situation requires an unconventional effort. He decides to bring in reinforcement from an unlikely source. Dwarfs are good at tunneling after all, why wouldn’t one be able to tunnel underneath the massive Fowl manor?
The entire book, Artemis is one step ahead of the fairies even though they are far more technologically advanced and have a super genius of their own, a centaur named Foaly. So, who will win? Will Artemis continue to outsmart the LEPrecon or will Commander Root with his team rescue their fellow officer? Will Artemis make a mistake, or will he be outsmarted by a team of expert police?
My Thoughts on Artemis Fowl
The character arcs in this book are great. There is a lot of growth from Artemis as he’s finding what’s truly important to him. Because of his great competence, Artemis has a hard time relating to kids his age. He has a hard time relating to people in general. Artemis thinks he’s the smartest person in every room but oddly enough, I don’t find him annoying. You can tell that in the absence of his father Artemis is misguided and though he engages in evil acts, kidnapping for example, to reach his monetary goals, it’s also clear that he has potential for great good. I’m excited to see if and how this potential will be realized throughout the series.
Captain Short is a well-rounded female role model. She has great values and is willing to put herself at risk for those that need help even if she must go against orders to do so. She cares about people, even about her enemies. I think that Artemis will learn a lot from Holly throughout the series as he watches the type of character that Holly has.
Commander Root is a great commanding officer and role model for Holly. Even though he’s harsh on her, he has good intentions for being the way he is. What I find great about Commander Root is that he tells Holly why he’s harsh on her. This allows her to rise to the challenge instead of creating resentment for him. He loves his officers and though rough around the edges, I get the feeling that he would do anything for said officers.
Foaly is probably going to play a major role in the series, so I thought I’d analyze him as well. He is a lot like Artemis because he is smarter than everyone else. He’s paranoid about the humans finding the fairies living underground. He seems to get along with Holly and even though he’ll never admit it, Commander Root likes him too. Foaly is loyal to his friends. This combined with his quick quips makes him a fun character to read.
Butler is quite possibly my favorite character. He’s there for Artemis through thick and thin. Butler is the father figure for Artemis in the wake of his father’s disappearance. Though he rarely tells Artemis what to do or how to act, he is a man of honor and he’s good at what he does.
The Butler family is world-renowned for being the best at what they do. They are highly sought-after bodyguards. If there is no member of the Fowl family to protect, they are snatched up by high-paying celebrities. Once a Fowl is paired with a Butler, they are bonded for life. Because he is a bodyguard, he tries not to have emotions that involve Artemis; emotions get in the way. However, Butler likes and even respects Artemis which may cause problems in the future because he isn’t emotionally independent.
