Artemis Fowl, The Seventh Dwarf (2004) Eoin Colfer, Puffin
ISBN 0-141-31800-7
This is a short book written for world book day and available to children for just a pound or free with a book token received from school. It is part of a set of books about the character of Artemis Fowl. Artemis is a boy whose father is missing. Nobody has been able to find him. Artemis cannot accept that his father is gone, and being highly intelligent, sets about finding his father by himself. He also wants to do something for his mother, who is devastated by the disappearance of his father, “I will find him,” he whispered once in his mother’s arms.
Finding out about the secret world of fairies, Artemis is convinced that this world can help him. There is just one problem, humans must not know about the fairy world. This world is different to our own, yet has a clear set of rules, and there are limits to the special abilities of those within it. This use of clear boundaries helps us to see it as more real, as if you could stumble across a secret world of fairies.
This is a stand-alone story that also fits with the other books. The characters are well drawn, and the plot clear, so it is fine if you have not read any of the previous novels. Even though the story can be read independently, there are references to other tales, making the reader curious. Extra details about characters background and past actions help to give them further depth.
There is also plenty of dialogue in the text, helping to keep the story fast paced. This is great for a children’s story as it keeps their attention throughout. The dialogue also helps to give further insight into the characters themselves, and to reveal details of the plot.
There are often little placement lines written in italics at the start of a section of text. These quickly allow the reader to know exactly when and where they are. For instance, “police plaza. Haven City. The Lower Elements.” This is useful to younger readers who may find it harder to work out where they are or keep track. More cleverly, it enables the writer to keep the text shorter by omitting such information from the main body of the text, which would have to be written in a longer style. It also helps to break the text into manageable chunks, easier to cope with for young readers.
I had not read any of the books about Artemis Fowl before, although I had certainly heard of them. They are clearly best selling children’s books for a reason. They are well written, have an original concept, and they are easy and entertaining to read. I hope to read more of these soon.
What I have learned so far;
· Fantasy worlds should have limits and rules just like our world.
· To use such rules and limits to inform/drive plot and characters.
· A characters history and background is important as it gives depth.
