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Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Summary

Artemis Fowl is a one of the greatest criminal minds the world has ever seen. He is heir to the Fowl family empire—a centuries old clan of international underworld figures and con artists. He is arguably the most cunning Fowl of all. He is also twelve years old.

Artemis' interest in mythology and an obsession with the Internet leads him to discover proof of the existence of "The People"- otherwise known as fairies, sprites, leprechauns and trolls. He learns every fairy has a magical Book. If he can find the Book, it will lead him to "The People's" vast treasure of gold. With his brutish sidekick, Butler, he sets his plans in motion. Artemis tricks a drunken old fairy woman into loaning him her Book, a tiny golden volume, for thirty minutes. He scans it with a digital camera and emails it to his Mac G6 computer. Back in his mansion in Ireland, he is the first human to decode the secrets of the fairies.

Artemis needs a leprechaun to help him with this plan. He and Butler hunt down Holly Short, a tough, female LEPrecon, part of a gung-ho Fairy commando unit, who is on a reconnaissance mission. He kidnaps her, and a major battle begins. It's satyr against gnome, man against elf, and for the first time in his life, Artemis must decide what he values most.

Booktalk

Atemis wants to capture a fairy. He knows that if he does, he can demand gold as ransom. He searches and searches and finally locates a sprite at a pub. There he puts into the sprite's drink holy water, which will poison and kill the sprite in 24 hours. Then he tells the sprite that if it will allow him to read it's copy of the Book, the fairy bible, he will cure him.

The sprite agrees, Artemis copies the book and returns to Dublin and his home. After days Artemis deciphers the Book and its fairy language, Gnommish. In the Book is everything that he needs to know to capture a fairy. He now has the knowledge and he doesn't wait a minute to begin his search.

On one particular night Artemis is at the site that a fairy, Holly, has decided to go to for her acorn. Once there she sees nothing out of the ordinary. Butler, Artemis' friend, shoots a tranquilizer dart at her. Holly wakes up in Fowl manor, where Artemis tells her that he knows all about the fairies and that he knows she can't leave if he tells her not to. She is trapped in Fowl Manor.

But fairies don't let captured fairies stay that way long. They try to save Holly. Is Holly saved? Does Artemis receive the ransom?

277 pages, 5th grade and up

Discussion questions

Warning! Some of the questions contain key elements of the plot. Do not read if you don't want to know what happens!

  1. What was your first impression of Artemis Fowl? Did it change as you read the novel? In what way?
  2. Describe Artemis. What kind of person is he?
  3. How is the fairy world different from the human world?
  4. What is your favorite technological invention from the fairy world?
  5. Did you figure out the fairy code? How did you break it? Did you like having it included?
  6. Was this book a fast read? What makes a book go fast for you as a reader?
  7. Does Artemis Fowl seem like a twelve year old to you?
  8. Though this book is set in a fantasy world, did the world make sense to you?
  9. Do you have any criticisms of the book?
  10. What do you predict will happen in the next Artemis Fowl book?
  11. Do you think this book would make a good movie? What elements would have to be included? What could be left out? Who do you think should play the lead parts?

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