Artemis Fowl

This story is delightful, and the introduction to a series. Eoin Colfer captures your attention with a devious but still lovable character and a hint of another world. There is adventure, imagination, and perhaps a bit of moral learning. Will our characters survive? Will they do the right thing? Most of us can't relate directly to the youthful Artemis (filthy rich boy genius with a personal amazing bodyguard/servant) or the spunky Holly Short (being a fairy and all), but the characters are well written and fun. Somewhat predictable, this story (and series) is fun and worth following.

I'd recommend this book (series) to readers of any age at this lexile. There's something for girls and boys, with strong protagonists from both. There is some cartoon style violence.

I am doing this review well into the fourth book, and I'm happy that I can report that the story gets better, and our devilish Artemis becomes a better role model for younger readers over time, er, book(s).