Artemis Fowl

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. When I picked it up as a kid, I didn't get into it. Who knows why—maybe I was having a bad week—but I didn't. I realize now what I was missing out on. Let me start by saying that this does not mean your kid won't like this book. My nephews ranging in age from 9-13 LOVE this series. As, now, do I. 

Artemis Fowl is a twelve-year-old genius, the youngest Fowl boy in a long line of Irish criminal masterminds. His father has gone missing and is presumed dead after a dastardly plot goes terribly wrong. After his disappearance, Artemis’s mother suffered an emotional breakdown, leaving Artemis in charge of the manor and the family business. Determined to get his family’s dwindling fortune back and to help his poor mother, Artemis learns about the secret world of the fantastic, mainly fairies and LEP-Recon (who are actually super soldiers, not little green men, thank you very much). Although his plan is reprehensible and his motives are abominable, Artemis is really just a sweet kid with a good heart (but don’t tell him I said so). The book is a quick, fun read that will change every preconception you ever had about the magical world.

Author: Eoin Colfer
Recommended for: 9+
Cautions: None
Available in: Hardcover, Paperback, Audio
Sequels: Artemis Fowl and the: Arctic Incident, Eternity Code, Opal Desception, Lost Colony, Time Paradox, Atlantis Complex, Last Guardian
277 Pages

Wings

This book is certainly unique. I bought it on a recommendation and then it sat on my shelf while I got distracted by other books. When Aprilynne Pike came to SLC with an author tour I was already attending, I fished it out and took it along to get it signed. I started reading while I was waiting in line, and finished within a few hours. It's really not a difficult read, and, as I said, it's very unique.

Laurel is your average 15-year-old vegan hermit, who has lived with her parents being homeschooled on a huge plot of land for most of her life before moving to a less-small town to attend public school. Everything is normal, except the fact that she seems obsessed with peaches and eating only one of them a day, until she gets a lump on her back. Initially, she believes it to be a tumor, until, of course, a flower springs from it a few days later. Turns out she's a plant. But not just any plant! She is a faerie, the highest evolved species of plant. ... Right.

Despite my charmingly sarcastic tone, I really did enjoy the unique storyline of this book. It was refreshing to have a fresh take on an old myth. I wasn't thrilled with the love triangle, but both of the guys were cute and likable.

Overall, it was a cute, quick read, and I liked it without having my world set on fire.

Author: Aprilynne Pike

Recommended for: Ages 12 and up

Cautions:It's pretty harmless.

Available in: Hardcover, Paperback

Sequels: Spells, Illusions, and Destined; not sure if there are more.

294 Pages