Artemus has done it again! The young criminal mastermind is always in trouble. This time he must rescue his father while also fishing the LEP out of trouble. His bright mind might be working overtime to make up plans, but will it be enough? Hit the jump for more…
With his mother now completely recovered from her depression, Artemis is feeling some constraints on his plotting. Suddenly however he gets a message about his father. His father has been kidnapped, and for some reason it has taken 2 years for the threats and wanted money to come through! Artemis however is split – his fairy ‘friends’ are in trouble too.
Again, this is a plot driven book. It’s fast-paced, and there is never a dull moment. Even though I’ve read it many times before, I couldn’t stop thinking about the action taking place inside the pages. I didn’t stay up past my bedtime, but that’s only because I started reading early.
Artemis is really the focus of the novel, and his character development is slowly taking shape. He’s 13, and his mind is that of a wizened, crabby old man! He softens though, and the thought of getting his father back is a scary but longed for one.
The other characters, such as Root, Holly, Butler and Mulch lack the same character development. They are a little flat, but they play their supportive roles well. They always behave as expected. I wouldn’t say that was a bad thing – I personally love Mulch and his, well, toilet humour.
Colfer has crafted this book as a series book again nicely, fitting things in that allude to other books in the series. That being said, this book is an enjoyable nugget all on its own. I wouldn’t have said you needed to read the first book before this one, but why shouldn’t you, when Artemis is so fascinating to watch?
If your young reader isn’t into reading books with lots of words, this novel has been made into a graphic novel. I haven’t read it myself, but if it is anything like this book, it’s well worth reading and might just sucker them into reading the rest of the books in the series! I’ve tagged this book for children and teenagers. There is some blood, but most of the book is just suspenseful!
Please excuse the blurry photograph. Like the first book, it just didn’t want to come out clearly! It’s very shiny. Shiny…. You get the idea. This is an original book, so I’m pretty sure you won’t be able to buy this cover anymore 🙁 I’m willing to trade it for a new copy though, as I’d love for all my books to match!
