Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Modern Fantasy/Chapter Book

This book is about a young genius named Artemis Fowl who finds and decodes a book, leading him to the discovery of a secret fairy world. He kidnaps a fairy, Holly, and holds her for ransom, demanding fairy gold. The fairies and other creatures retaliate, attempting to rescue Holly. The story is written in 3rd person and focuses on Artemis's side of the story, as well as the fairies'. The story involves a multitude of made-up creatures and customs, creating a completely different world which is very complex.

Because of the narration, I could easily use this book to cover standards involving learning about point of view, including RL.4.6 - compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narratives. I could also address the standard RL.3.9 - compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters. Since this is the first in a series, it would be  a perfect one to use for this standard, especially if a student had a special interest in the book. I think this would also make a great Lit Circle book, and due to its intriguing content, would be an interesting add to the classroom library.

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