Twelve-year-old villain, Artemis Fowl, is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. His bold and daring plan is to hold a leprechaun to ransom. But he's taking on more than he bargained for when he kidnaps Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance Unit). For a start, leprechaun technology is more advanced than our own. Add to that the fact that Holly is a true heroine and that her senior officer Commander Root will stop at nothing to get her back and you've got the mother of all sieges brewing! Eoin Colfer describes his new book, Artemis Fowl, as "Die Hard with fairies." He's not far wrong. Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. With two trusty sidekicks in tow, he hatches a cunning plot to divest the fairyfolk of their pot of gold. Of course, he isn't foolish enough to believe in all that "gold at the end of the rainbow" nonsense. Rather, he knows that the only way to separate the little people from their stash is to kidnap one of them and wait for the ransom to arrive. But when the time comes to put his plan into action, he doesn't count on the appearance of the extrasmall, pointy-eared Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaisance) Unit--and her senior officer, Commander Root, a man (sorry, elf) who will stop at nothing to get her back. Fantastic stuff from beginning to end, Artemis Fowl is a rip-roaring, 21st-century romp of the highest order. The author has let his imagination run riot by combining folklore, fantasy, and a fistful of high-tech funk in an outrageously devilish book that could well do for fairies what Harry Potter has done for wizardry. But be warned: this is no gentle frolic, so don't be fooled by the fairy subject matter. Instead, what we have here is well-written, sophisticated, rough 'n' tumble storytelling with enough high-octane attitude to make it a seriously cool read for anyone over the age of 10. --Susan Harrison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Booklist Gr. 6-8. Tell readers to suspend disbelief and read this wild and wacky story for the fun of it. Artemis Fowl is a 12-year-old genius and the scion of a legendary Irish criminal family whose fortune was diminished when Artemis Senior tried to horn in on the Russian Mafia. Determined to restore the family wealth, Artemis Fowl the Second concocts an elaborate plan to relieve the fairies of some of their magical gold by locating and tricking one of them into giving up the fairy's Book, which spells out the history and commandments that govern fairy life. Enter elf Holly Short, the first female officer in the underground LEPrecon (related to leprechaun, of course). Her assignment--to track a rogue troll on the loose in Italy--ends in disaster and leads to her being kidnapped by young Artemis and ransomed for a ton of small, unmarked, 24-karat gold ingots. The result is sheer mayhem, laced with high technology and magical goings-on. Characterizations and dialogue enhance a rollicking tale that will have readers rolling on the floor and eagerly anticipating the planned sequel as well as the movie in the works for 2002. Sally Estes Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. See all Product Description