Children's Fantasy Book Review

The Golden Acorn by Catherine Cooper was recipient of the Brit Writers' Award Unpublished 2010, an award that attracted 21,000 entries across its 8 categories and offered the largest prize ever for unpublished writers, £10,000. After reading it, we here at Fantasy Book Review found it to be a charming and magical book that fully deserves the accolades that it is currently receiving.

Joseph Delaney’s The Wardstone Chronicles are a series of books that have maintained the very highest standard for nearly a decade. 2010 sees the publication of The Spook's Nightmare, the seventh instalment, and it is a worthy addition to what is arguably the best ongoing fantasy series accessible to older children.

Reading Lucinda Hare’s debut novel The Dragon Whisperer is like riding a dragon. You have to hold on tight during the twist and turns, take time to stop and enjoy the breathtaking view (in the form of David Wyatt’s wonderful illustrations), prepare yourself for the sudden lows, enjoy the soaring heights and make sure you’re not on the wrong end of that fiery breath!

In 2009 David Whitley’s debut The Midnight Charter was published and I reviewed it here. It was a beautiful and compelling read that marked one of the most promising debuts in recent years. And so expectations are high, both from the industry and myself, for the second book in the series, The Children of the Lost.

Teenage criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl has a new mission – and this time it's personal. Artemis's mother is dangerously ill, and the only way to find a cure is for Artemis – with Holly Short by his side – to go back in time to battle his younger, more evil self . . . Action packed and full of humour – a must-read for boys and girls aged 10+.

Ten millennia ago, the fairy People were defeated in a great battle with mankind, forcing them to move underground. Only the eighth family of fairies remained undefeated: the demons. But now one demon has discovered the secrets of the fairy world, and if humans get hold of this information the fairies are in BIG trouble. Only one person can prevent this disaster - teenage criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl. Action packed and full of humour - a must-read for boys and girls aged 10+.

This fourth outing for Eoin Colfer’s teenage criminal mastermind, Artemis Fowl, is--as ever--full of dramatic action, explosions, treachery, high speed chases, windy escapes from Trolls and a generous helping of fairy magic. There are plenty of laughs amidst the action and more new technical gizmos than you could fit into James Bond’s latest car. At the end of Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code, Artemis was left with his memory erased of all previous dealings with the fairy folk, any underground realms he may have visited, a certain LEPrecon police officer called Holly Short he may have been acquainted with--even the flatulent, burrowing, kleptomaniac dwarf, Mulch Diggums. Everything. It was part of the deal he struck when he helped save the fairies and they aided his rescue of Fowl Snr. from captivity. But, having been accused of a heinous crime, Holly now needs Fowl’s expertise once more to clear her name and save Fairykind from oblivion. Opal Koboi, the most dangerous pixie who ever lived, has eluded capture and is out for revenge. She’s framed Holly and tried to kill Artemis and his trusty bodyguard Butler. Holly must try to bring Artemis up to speed quickly in order to foil Opal’s dastardly plan to expose the fairies down below to the humans on top. Like J K Rowling, Colfer has complete mastery over the cast of characters he has created in this popular series of novels. Half of the pleasure of the Harry Potter novels is to be had by simply enjoying how the familiar characters interact--savouring their established foibles and characteristics and revelling in all the new things they get up to. In The Opal Deception, Colfer pairs up his heroes and villains brilliantly and has the same amount of tremendous fun with them. It’s witty and enjoyable and will be appreciated by all.

The third instalment of high-tech, criminal whizz-kid adventures set in the fairy-magic-filled world of Master Artemis Fowl may be reassuringly familiar but it is also bulging with author Eoin Colfer's trademark wit and thrilling seat-of-the-dwarf-pants adventure. Following on from Artemis's opening encounter with the fairy underworld in Artemis Fowl and its thumping sequel Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Encounter, The Eternity Code takes the books' eponymous young anti-hero, who with each successive adventure turns out to be a little less bad after all, on his most dangerous mission yet. Artemis and his bodyguard Butler have set up a meeting in Chicago with dangerous international businessman Jon Spiro. In his latest eager attempt to make money, using a priceless futuristic cube of purloined Fairy gadgetry that can do just about anything, Artemis has underestimated Spiro and arrived at the rendezvous under-prepared. Big mistake. It is an ambush, and though Artemis escapes with his life, Butler is mortally wounded. The cube may be lost but Artemis refuses to accept his friend's demise and quickly deep freezes Butler in the restaurant kitchen. He calls on the only people he knows who might be able to get him back--Holly Short of the subterranean Fairy police and her race's super-advanced technology. Holly and Artemis must find a way to bring Butler back from the dead and retrieve the lost Eternity Cube that could change the balance of power between humans and fairies forever. It is a Herculean task and the price exacted upon Artemis for such assistance is very high indeed. What Colfer's latest plot may lack in depth or sophistication is more than made up for by the sheer verve and energy of his settings, characters and action. These books are very entertaining indeed and hugely readable, and once you're a Fowl fan you'll be hooked until Artemis decides to go straight. Recommended for ages nine and above.

This is the seventh outing for Eoin Colfer’s anti-hero Artemis Fowl and avid followers of this collection will attest that this is one character whose strong storylines and even stronger one line put-downs have in no way diminished from the fresh and innovative original.

Dr John Dee has destroyed Paris in his mission to find Nicholas Flamel and Sophie and Josh Newman. The two missing pages of the book of "Abraham the Mage" are still with them and the "Dark Elders" need them for the Final Summoning. They will not rest until they are in power and the human race has been destroyed. Nicholas Flamel knows he must protect Josh and Sophie and the pages from the "Dark Elders". For this he must rely on Clarent - the sister sword to Excalibur - and the sword's evil power makes it nearly impossible to use without darkness seeping into the soul of whoever wields it. What will be the price to pay for the twins to remain protected and the Dark Elders to be defeated?