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Artemis Fowl and The Arctic Incident (#2) by Eoin Colfer

03 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Artemis Fowl Series, Junior Fiction, Young Adult Tags: artemis fowl, eoin colfer, fantasy, four stars, junior fiction, young adult

Published: May 6 2002
Publisher: Puffin Books
Pages: 288
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction/Young Adult Fantasy
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Someone has been supplying Class A illegal human power sources to the goblins. Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit is sure that the person responsible is her arch-enemy, thirteen-year-old Artemis Fowl. But is he? Artemis has his own problems to deal with: his father is being held to ransom and only a miracle will save him. Maybe this time a brilliant plan just won’t be enough. Maybe this time Artemis needs help…

After Artemis’ attempts to restore his family fortunes using ransom and blackmail, his focus shifts to finding his father. Held up in a prominent boarding school Artemis, now thirteen, devises a plan to escape and track down his missing father. Using the skill and sly wit we’ve come to know and love from Artemis he is soon on his way to rescuing his father with Butler ever present at his side.

In a different style to that of the previous book, Artemis has no interest in tracking down the People, however this does not mean they are not looking at him. There is something suspicious going on underground and with the events of the past still present in the LEP’s memory, the finger is pointed in Artemis’ direction. This suspicion brings Holly and Artemis together once more as she intercepts his travels and for the first time takes him down into her world where it is soon revealed that there is something a lot bigger and sinister going on than they first thought.

One of the things I really enjoyed in this story was that the underground world of the People was explored to a greater extent, and not just as a connection to Artemis’ story. As a civilization and a race Colfer weaves this wonderful image of their world and how it operates. We are invited into their world starting with the greater picture, we see their laws and issues, and their daily routines, and we get to see how they live as a society. With this extensive look and separate storyline we are also introduced to new characters such as the pixie Opal Koboi, more goblins and a sinister Frenchmen to name just a few. It is not all new faces however, with plenty of familiar faces both above and below ground; dwarf criminal Mulch Diggums, technology whiz centaur Foaly, and LEP Commander Root return with Holly, as do a few others, each with the humour, quirks, and unique personality that we grew fond of the first time around.

As these two worlds overlap to help each other solve their own mysteries, they do so with a growing trust and a cautious but more cooperative and friendly partnership than they had in the past. As much as I liked the humour and interactions between characters in the first book, I do think when both sides are cooperating and being friendlier it makes for very different comments, wit, and interactions; not necessarily better, but different. Either way it is really unfair to compare them side by side, they are a progression of a story rather than separate works really, both were really enjoyable reads. The great thing I’ve found about Colfer’s writing is you can enjoy reading about Artemis’ world on its own, you can enjoy reading about the People’s world on its own, and some how it still manages to get a little bit greater and more enjoyable when the two worlds collide, no matter whether it is friendly or not.

What I like most about these books, it isn’t just the wit and the irrepressible charm these characters have in their own individual way, and as much as I adore the writing style Colfer has, what I love most in these books is mainly Artemis. There is something about that boy that makes you love and be in awe of this kid and how he logically thinks things through, plans everything and knows everything that needs to be known at the time. Though we do get to see a new aspect of Artemis in this book, it is great watching him squirm ever so slightly in an environment he is not used to. He begins to grow as a person and we see this as he shows a more moral side, and he becomes less of an evil schemer as others take the reign; this works especially well since most of the action involved in this book is based around the LEP world. He has not changed completely mind you, there are some classic Artemis moments when he is in his element, but seeing the new side was a treat.

There are twists and turns as always in Colfer’s narrative and we get to see action from everyone’s point of view which is always a great thing. Colfer does not just switch between characters as the story progresses, he lets us experience the same event from everyone involved. This is a brilliant choice because each character offers so much, and is so complex in their own right that usually any time anything is happening it is the work of every one throwing something into it. Artemis’ brilliance and cunning excelled in this book. As I say, you get to see a different side of him, but not so much you can forget the calm, calculated thirteen year old who is so meticulous no matter what his circumstances. I do hope he stays this way through the remaining series. A brilliant read, as funny, action filled and cleverly created as the first, and it is certainly a great stepping stone into book number three.

Artemis Fowl (#1) by Eoin Colfer

01 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Artemis Fowl Series, Junior Fiction, Young Adult Tags: artemis fowl, eoin colfer, fantasy, four stars, junior fiction, young adult

Published: April 26 2001
Publisher: Viking Press
Pages: 280
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction/Young Adult Fantasy
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius—and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren’t the fairies of bedtime stories. These fairies are dangerous. Artemid thinks he’s got them just where he wants them, but then they stop playing by the rules.

Having just finished number five in this series I feel we must start gushing about them on here so you can all enjoy them as well (or gush ahead along with my reviews on goodreads). What is interesting when I read this review again how tame and unsure I was, who would know how engrossed and, well, obsessed I’d become. I’d like to think a lot of it was mild shock about the narrative, I had never read anything like it before. The enjoyment I had whilst reading it, and afterwards, was certainly enough to keep me going, and I am definitely glad I did. I had this book referred to me by a friend and she was insistent on its greatness, so with her backing I dived in and I am very thankful. So, this was my first impression upon finishing Artemis Fowl, and if my simple little review doesn’t initially make you instantly add it to your TBR list, I assure you it is worth it, trust me.

When I first finished this book I had no idea what to say about it; I knew I enjoyed it, I knew it was different and well written but I could not find the words to review it. After having had the time to ponder I think I may have myself sorted out.

Artemis Fowl is a 12 year old boy of incredible genius whose sole purpose in this book is to try and regain the family fortune. What makes this book so great is the very nature of it – just simply a 12 year old and his bodyguard taking on the underworld of faeries with wit and an appealing arrogance from someone who does not act his age at all.

There are always books that try and claim that faeries are not the tiny winged creatures living under mushrooms we’ve always believed; instead there are pixies and faeries who are practically human with a deep magic within them. There is nothing wrong with that by any means, but what Colfer does it different again. What he does is make them a civilization that deals with its own issues and problems, has been repressed by humans and are fighting to keep their secrets safe.

Fowl’s interactions with the People (as they’re called), is fantastic. He rarely wavers in his air of self importance and own brilliance which makes him intriguing if not an odd sort of charming. What’s great is that there are no grand corporate plots, evil nemesis’ and no faery political struggle infringing on the human world. None of that, it is just a 12 year old who found a way to get the money he wants, and if it means dragging the magic world into his then so be it. Artemis’ thinking is perfectly sound and he will overcome any impracticality he faces with wit, quick thinking and trickery if need be.

This is only the first novel in a long series but it a great start, certainly one to get you involved and eager to keep going. Colfer changes perspective between the humans and the faeries, and within the faerie recon squad there are great characters that have just as many quirks, flaws and tempers as the best human characters. We are introduced not only to elves but also criminal dwarves, and amusing and terribly sarcastic centaurs, there really is something for everyone.

In all and many unexpected places this story is filled with humour, action, suspense and some really clever writing, not to mention imagination in this intricately constructed underground world. I look forward to continuing the series.

Freaky Friday (#1) by Mary Rogers

29 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, General, Junior Fiction Tags: four stars, junior fiction, mary rogers, movie

Published: 1988
Publisher: Puffin
Pages: 154
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Annabel thinks her mom has the best life. If she were a grown-up, she could do whatever she wanted Then one morning she wakes up to find she’s turned into her mother . . . and she soon discovers it’s not as easy as it looks

This is a great book that covers the wonderful scenario of a child wishing they were a grown up for a day and some how thinking it was going to be fantastic. I rather enjoy these kinds of stories, not entirely sure why but there is the fact we get to read about a 10 year old or a 13 year old or whatever being in an adult body but still having the intellect and thought process of someone younger. Hilarity ensues.

Freaky Friday doesn’t use a child, Annabelle is 15, but she is someone’s child which is the better focus of the story. Her behaviour is that of a self-centred teenager sometimes and she is portrayed well in that respect. Personally, I don’t think the same story would not have worked if she was any younger or older. Being 15 she is old enough and yet not old enough at the same time which only adds to Rogers’ storytelling.

I used to read this so much when I was a kid, I never found myself wanting to switch places with my mother but I enjoyed the mystery surrounding it and what it was that caused the switch. We do not get to see the switched Annabelle’s side of this story through her mother’s eyes, we just see the results at the end and hear the odd mention as the day progresses.

Adult Annabelle has to deal with the maid, keeping control over the family problems and the issue of missing children. Rogers is very good in writing through the voice of Annabelle as she tries to behave like her mother. You can see she is trying to be responsible while still reverting to age appropriate reactions and slip ups.

Not analysing the short story too much but there is a lot of trust involved here, who knows what Annabelle could have messed up or done, not to mention no one really thought just how weird it could get if your daughter become you and having to deal with all the possibilities your husband might pose. That takes away from the innocence a bit I guess, it wasn’t meant to be a long switch that was the result of something unchangeable.

What I did like about this book as opposed to others in this story is that it was not just a child wanting to be a grown up version of themselves, it was Annabelle envying her mother’s life. I think that’s what gives it that little bit extra, it wasn’t about the child so much as it was about the child and the mother, they are connected. Annabel isn’t being selfish she is being jealous. There are no extreme morals thrown in our faces by Rogers but you do get a sense by the end that every one has had it tough and you can’t just wish things to be better and you should be happy with who you are.

I will also add that personally, if I had to choose a movie adaptation, I would got with the 1976 Jodie Forster and Barbara Harris version. Disney, for some unknown reason, has adapted Freaky Friday three times over the years, the first screenplay being written by the author, which could explain why it was a better story. But then as we must modernise and make it more relatable to the kiddies a 1995 version was made that wasn’t completely bad, but by 2003 when Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan took a crack, I must say that is where they completely ruined the story for me and I had to go read the book again just to try and forget what they’d done. Though because this was one of my most read books as a child I must always let it win over any movie version.

What I did learn however is that 1. This is the first in a series which I never knew about, and 2. Apparently in 1882 a similar story was written involving a father and son. I think seeing a father and son switch places would be extremely interesting, but coming from the 1880s that has to make it even greater. I found it on The Project Gutenberg site and as soon as I finish I will regale you in its wondrous tale (fingers crossed it is as wondrous as I hope it to be).

The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

25 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Birthdays, General, Junior Fiction Tags: birthday, fantasy, four stars, junior fiction, kate dicamillo

Happy Birthday Kate DiCamillo! I discovered Kate DiCamillo a couple of years ago and I have fallen in love with her work and with her words. A couple of DiCamillo’s books have been made into films, the first being Because of Winn-Dixie, the other The Tale of Desperaux; great books, but both of which I offer the ‘Better Than the Movie‘ guy.

Now, I have gushed in the past about DiCamillo’s skills as a writer, I think so much of what she has written has been so eloquently described, beautiful in description, and heart warming in terms of story. One of my first blog posts was a review of her gorgeous story The Tale of Desperaux, which also made it into my Top Five of 2012. DiCamillo once said “I decided a long time ago that I didn’t have to be talented. I just had to be persistent.” I would disagree with her and say that she has got a talent, and for someone that has the ability to write such beauty with such simplistic tools and environments, she manages to make even the smallest aspects of life magical and terribly profound; you only have to read Despereaux or Edward Tulane to see that. Today, in honour of her birthday, I am posting the review of another of her works that I thought was very touching: The Magician’s Elephant.

Published: September 8th 2009
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pages: 201
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction/Fantasy
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

What if? Why not? Could it be?

When a fortuneteller’s tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller’s mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe it’s true.

This is the story of Peter Augustus Duchene, a ten year old who went to a fortune teller and made magic happen. Peter’s story is as an orphan in the care of a soldier, looking for answers and wishing for miracles. When miracles begin to happen it is the start of something extraordinary.

The magician’s elephant is unintentional and yet her arrival is one of great joy for Peter, if only he knew what to do about it. The magician himself is an interesting character in the story, he plays such a large role yet he is limited as well. So much of his story is unknown, yet what we see of him is his remorse and his confusion about his actions. I think that for him we do not need a glamorous and detailed back story, for me I think watching him reflect and deal with the aftermath of his magic gave a beautiful insight into who he was as a person.

Behind Peter’s storyline of looking for answers and discovering truths is the strange relationship between the magician and Madam LaVaughn, as well as many others in the city. All the characters in this story have their own sense of magic about them that make the so likeable, even those who do not possibly deserve it at first glance. DiCamillo manages to give them histories and depth in so few words, it really is amazing. There are connections between these characters and you feel connected to each no matter how fleeting they appear.

There are some great quotes in this book, some are very beautiful and touching, but there are funny ones as well, one favourite was “Is the child having some hat related fit?” Little things like that make characters come alive and add that little something extra to a story. It isn’t probably needed, but that what makes them so great.

I thought this book was not as emotionally profound as her previous books like Despereaux or Edward Tulane but it still managed to be heartfelt and beautiful nonetheless. DiCamillo’s books always show that she is such an eloquent write. So many of her books are filled with such simple scenes and characters, yet they are somehow also filled with such depth and beauty. It is superb.

The ending is magical and we are given answers to the questions in the same way we are not given answers. This is ideal because we can take what we can from it ourselves. There is a lot in this book about humanity and how we see the world, but also about kindness to one another. There is also a lot of emotion displayed on the surface of this story that makes it wonderful, it does not always need to go any deeper than that. A very special story that reveals humanity at its best and with its failings I think. Such a small snippet of human life, such a seemingly innocent action, told like it had the importance and magic of the world. After all, the magician “had intended lilies; yes, perhaps. But he had also wanted to perform true magic. He had succeeded.”

As I leave you with these thoughts on this fine Monday morning, I offer you something else. I discovered last night, as I snooped around the interweb until all hours of the morning, that Reading Rockets has posted snippets of an interview with DiCamillo that is really interesting to watch; she talks about becoming a writer, her novels, and she offers advice to new writers. It is always interesting to listen to authors in interviews; some offer the same advice, some recall their hardships into publishing, but somehow, no matter how many versions of ‘to write you must read’ you hear, it is always comforting to get that little bit extra motivation to follow in the footsteps of those writers you adore.

The link to this interview is below, watch it, enjoy it, then ignore the socially imposed unhappiness of Mondays and read something spectacular.

Reading Rockets interview with Kate Dicamillo.

Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by May Gibbs

06 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Classic, General, Junior Fiction Tags: australia, classic, four stars, junior fiction, may gibbs

Published: June 18th 1985
Publisher: Blue Gum Publishers
Pages: 224
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

The story follows brothers Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, and their adventures in the Australian bush. As well as many friends, along the way they encounter the wicked Banksia Men.

I am certainly glad I fulfil the 7+ category this book seems to have been given. Personally I think when it comes to books like Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, Peter Pan, Blinky Bill, any of these classic children’s literature there should be no age. Everyone must enjoy them as soon as they are able. There is nothing in this book a six year old wouldn’t understand, they’d love it.

Snugglepot and Cuddlepie is practically an Australian institution. I do not know how legitimate these claims are but I think it is a fair call. The edition I own is a very old second hand book from 1984 which incidentally fell apart as I was reading. But before it became two separate sections of stained pages clinging for life with its thin cover the only protection and support, it was the collected works.

What I never realised what how the story of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie came about, yes they were brothers but apparently not exactly. Blown in by the wind Cuddlepie is adopted by Snugglepot’s parents as a baby, and thus the duo was created. Isn’t that sweet? Though I do wonder about poor Mrs Cuddlepie who had her baby blown away by the wind hours after it was born, and never see or hear from it again. That’s gotta be tough.

When the pair grow older they wish to have adventures, stories of the humans pass through the bush and Snugglepot is intrigued and curious of them. Tagging along is Cuddlepie and soon the start of their many adventures begin. In the first book there is an anti human feel about it, understandable of course, but it was interesting the fact that the original story was written in 1918 and the same issues about trapping and arson are relevant. There is a constant threat of death and many characters appear dead until they recover, but Gibbs isn’t shy of making you think they’re dead from whatever horrid thing they’ve experienced. It is what it is, and that’s what makes it great.

As a pair they tend to wander off a lot, often right in the middle of something they had been doing. This I think accounts for the majority of trouble and kidnapping situations they get themselves into. Each of the three main stories are very fast paced and filled with mini adventures that connect together, and there are a lot of new friends and characters to meet. Some of which are reoccurring through all three books, some are only seen once. One of the things that did annoy me was that in one of the most Australian books we’ve got, Koalas keep being called bears. No Gibbs, no! They are not bears! Surely you knew this in 1918, if not by 1918 then by 1934 you had figured it out for your final story? Yes? Apparently no.

So aside from the fact we keep hearing about the “bears” this was a rather quaint and charming little set of books. What interested me was how the Banksia story came about. Everyone knows about the Banksia men, everyone knows they are the enemies of the gumnuts but I was rather surprised to find out why. I am not going to tell you because that ruins them magic, and there is a lot of little magic moments in these stories. They are very blunt and jumpy and seem to just go from one thing to the next like a distracted toddler but they also manage to connect in some strange bizarre kind of way.

Gibbs talks to her readers like she is reading the story to them, in that sense it would work very well to read to your child, again the under sevens. Why over seven? Anyway the animals in this book are for the most part very sweet, and in the beginning I was suspicious of every animal that came along pretty much because lizards don’t generally do nice things for birds and I was confused. But this is a sweet, innocent and joyful story so everyone is nice, and all the bad characters are easily identified to avoid confusion once you realise how Gibbs writes. She also uses a lot of strange phrases which I cannot tell is supposed to be old Aussie rhyming slang or something, or just bush talk that all these creatures use, because it is strange.

The second and third stories follow these same patterns, mini adventures after another, sequels to the previous stories. Other characters get some more history as the stories continue and the continuing adventures of the duo and their friends manages to fill in all the missing information that remained from the previous book. It is rather a good system. You find out more about new places and people, an entire town goes to the dentist, Winky still will not wake, and despite being brothers Snugglepot and Cuddlepie spend a lot of time apart and move in with people very quickly.

There are some grubby bits about death and injury but there are no elaborate details, and Gibbs doesn’t exactly cover death in a deep, serious way. Sure the Banksia men want to drown the gumnuts, sure people get choked a lot, there is also a brilliant conversation that simply goes ‘Why did I get blown up?” to which the reply is ‘It was an accident…they will happen.’ And that they do Ms Gibb, that they do.