Artemis+Fowl

Colfer, E. (2001). //Artemis Fowl//. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.

This is a story about Artemis Fowl, a very unique twelve year old boy. Artemis is a child prodigy, a criminal mastermind, and from a family of much wealth. After his father goes missing, Artemis finds himself in need of a scheme to replenish the family fortune. He uncovers the presence of an entire world of supernatural creatures that consist of fairies, goblins, dwarfs, centaurs and more. They are known as the People. Artemis sets his plan in motion to kidnap a fairy to hold for a gold ransom. Unfortunately, Artemis and his bodyguard/servant, Butler, manage to kidnap a spunky Captain in the Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance (LEPrecon). The kidnapping leads to many interesting situations such as direct contact with LEP retrieval teams, failed negotiations, a troll attack, time stops, a blue rinse, magical healing, and an unexpected change in plans. This is the first in a series of awesome adventures with Artemis and the People.
 * Summary:**

//“If I win I'm a prodigy, if I lose then I'm crazy. That's the way history is written.” - Artemis Fowl//

Artemis is not like most twelve year old boys, but there are still things even a child genius or a millionaire has feelings about. Artemis' father has disappeared and he holds vigilant that his father will return. Artemis, in his own way, is trying to step into the role of the man of the house while his father is missing. His mother has sunk into a deep depression with the loss of her husband and slips farther from reality every day. Emotions and expectations revolving around a family unit are ones that all kids face, regardless of their age, gender or individual circumstances.
 * Critique:**

This is an appealing read for all kids from middle grades and up. Some areas that students may connect to or enjoy are: Artemis' lack of adult supervision, the super-cool tough body guard, the strong female character Captain Holly Short, or the humorous exchanges between some of the characters. Between Artemis' resources and the People's advanced technology, there are some very neat gadgets and inventions. This is a story that holds your attention too. As the story unfolds, we learn more about the individual characters and their special powers or motives, and it is hard to predict what Artemis has up his sleeve. Even though Artemis is a criminal and trying to exploit the People for money, you cannot help but like him and feel you understand him. For kids who spend time on the computer, there is also a large Artemis Fowl “following” of fans, on-line clubs, websites, blogs, and games, all revolving around the world of Artemis Fowl and his adventures.

__//English/Literature/Writing://__
 * Content Area Uses:**
 * Compare and/or contrast yourself with one of the characters.
 * Write an alternate ending to the story or an outline of an additional adventure/sequel.
 * Complete short answer essay questions involving the motives of characters or relationships between characters.
 * Research Irish mythology and compare to information given in book on magical creatures/ places.
 * Rewrite a scene in the book from the perspective of a different character.

__//Science://__
 * Create maps and/or designs of underground fairy world/travel chutes – noting the real composition of the earth's layer and the real locations of cities accessed from the chutes.
 * Research and experiment with high vibrations (like used by the fairies to shield).
 * Discuss, use experiments, and/or complete projects with heat and pressure (regarding propulsion in the chutes from magma flares).
 * Create descriptions with characteristics and special powers of the supernatural characters. Use scientific names for catergorizing into new genus species.
 * Discuss the fairies' connection and appreciation to the earth and nature. Then compare and contrast to the depiction of humans in the story and to our real world.
 * Discuss and participate in activities with memory and the brain (some fairy powers include memory “wipes” and a form of hypnosis called “mesmer”).

__//Math://__
 * Work with money conversions. Artemis demands 1 ton of 24 karat gold in small ingots. How much would that convert to in American money? How much in Euros, Pesos, Shillings, Pounds, etc? How do you convert amounts between different countries? How do exchange rates fluctuate?

__//Drama/Theater://__
 * Design costumes for different members of the People (elf, dwarf, troll, goblin, etc).
 * Pick famous people that could play the parts of the book characters and explain what characteristics would make them a good choice for that roll.

__//History://__ Discuss or research:
 * Reasons for different cultures not being able to live together (The book says that the People were driven underground by humans. There is also a reference to “the goblin-dwarf turf war”).
 * Examples of times and/or places that one “group” displaced another or took over an area.
 * Mythology/ folklore of Ireland in regards to magic.
 * Languages and codes. Find examples of when secret languages or codes were created and used. Could have students translate Gnommish code that appears on the bottom of the pages in the book, or have students create their own codes.
 * Other versions of guidebooks to follow for living, like the People's “Book” (The Book has rules to follow, such as a fairy cannot enter a human dwelling without permission. The Book also explains the Ritual that must be followed to replenish magic).