Eoin Colfer
In the spring of 2004, I had a wonderful brunch with Eoin while he was on an American tour. His time in the states was filled with school visits, bookstore signings and interviews. His arrival in Washington, D. C. from New York City was most civilized-he came by train. Some of the other cities on his tour schedule were San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Dayton, and Chicago which included a visit to Book Expo. Eoin said that that show "made him feel like a kid in a candy store." Other US tours have included a Disney cruise where he gave talks. It was a great opportunity to get the family involved, and he was able to bring his 1 and 6 and 1/2 year old sons on the cruise. This time, Eoin was on his own and as he noted "it is hard to be away for a month." On the other hand, many writers would love to be in his shoes-on tour for a month.
His Artemis Fowl books have become so popular that he recently sold the movie rights. The process of moving the story into film is slow, but he feels pretty encouraged. Filming is supposed to get underway this year. He himself will not be involved in the script writing. However, his fondest wish is to have a non-speaking role in the film.
If you had run into Eoin Colfer three years ago, you would have found him actively teaching. He had always considered writing just a pastime-he wrote amateur plays and by the age of twenty-one had completed his third book. He started by using story telling as a teaching tool. For example in the field of history, he developed a story about a young boy making blocks for the pyramids along with his father. Prior to that, Eoin had been living in Tunisia where he felt that he would be steeped in inspiration. At that time, he had no children and at the age of thirty, would work until 2:30 in the afternoon and then sit by the pool. Finally he created Benny and Omar and their story resulted in his first published book. Now that his books are so successful, he is devoting full time to this part of his life.
As a former teacher, Eoin doesn't charge for school visits-he feels an obligation to do them and happily spends time with the students. He even serves as one of the sponsors of a book festival in is hometown-the Wexford Book Festival shows a picture of Eoin and the other sponsors. It generates lots of good will, and he does it to encourage everyone to read books, especially the kids.
Wexford, for those who may not know, is a good sized city with a population of about 20,000 located on the Southeast coast of Ireland. It is historically a fishing village and is very pretty. Eoin told me that the coast is often used as the site for WWII movies to represent the beach in Normandy. He really found it amusing when he saw Saving Private Ryan and recognized not only the beach but also many of the local townsfolk who were serving as extras in the battle scenes. He still lives in the same house that he had when he was teaching, but of course, he has been able to afford renovations. Ultimately, Eoin would like to move out of town into the nearby countryside-he is just trying to find the perfect place.
While there will be at least one more book in the Artemis Fowl series, Eoin has launched a new character and potential series with his latest book, The Supernaturalist. It is science fiction, not a ghost story. He wanted to create a new world, but one that would immediately trigger a bit of recognition. It is unusual in the first book of a series to kill off the protagonist, but Eoin said that was essential to the continuation of the story. The story is filled with twists and turns-and after all, today's kids are pretty sophisticated, yet the clues are all there and the story is filled with plenty of action. Eoin develops his characters based primarily on their actions and therefore, he really doesn't spend a lot of time with character development.
I was curious about the idea for the "shrinkwrappers" and Eoin stated that he was looking for a way to get away from guns and didn't feel that kids needed to know all the authentic details of today's modern weaponry. His characters are hurt but not necessarily killed. The idea came from Saran Wrap(r), but the challenge was to come up with a way to get anyone who was "shrink wrapped" out of the stuff. While the readers have some contact with reality, Eoin has taken a bit of physical license and has his characters move slowly from normal to heroic-the movement allows kids to suspend belief, but it is not ridiculous technological action à la James Bond.
One of Eoin's personal goals is to get that 10-year-old boy who may not be doing much reading hooked and once reading perhaps that boy will move on to other writers such as Mark Twain, Philip Pulman and Harper Lee (author of To Kill a Mocking Bird). He wants his books to be light entertainment. Kids have it tough these days and when they read Eoin's books, he will count it a great success if they come away with a smile.
Writing seems to be in the genes. Eoin's father is an academic and has a book coming out this year. His mother is a writer also, but she is a playwright. It was natural for Eoin and his brother to also want to write and paint. At an early age, they had a chalkboard in the house and to write or draw on it was encouraged. The family was a good size with Eon having one older and two younger brothers. Like most siblings not everyone got along, but as time passed they became friends. His mother had one pram and when she would put two of the boys-Eoin and his bother Paul-into it, her comment was "it was like a piranha tank when she would drop in a banana." Like many writers, Eoin puts his family members in his stories. His brothers are the goblins in the Artimis Fowl series. Actually everyone he knows believes that he or she is represented in the books.
Currently he is working on another detective book. It isn't that easy, since kids watch a lot of TV and have picked up on police procedures and the lingo. The Legend of Spud Murphy is currently out and it will be very interesting to see how it compares to some of the other detective stories for the same age group.
Contributor: Marilyn CourtotReviews
Artemis Fowl
Eoin Colfer
The title character is a genius, a criminal mastermind and a millionaire--not bad for a twelve-year-old. Artemis, scion of a famous crime family, has a cunning plan to recoup his family's fortunes, which suffered from a bad business deal by his now-deceased father. Since he's no ordinary boy, it's no ordinary plan--he wants to kidnap and ransom a fairy, after high-tech preparations that would make James Bond nod approvingly. What Artemis doesn't know is that the LEPrecon Unit is no slouch when it comes to high-tech rescue. Thankfully, Colfer mixes in times of quiet reflection with the full-throttle action--even giving Artemis a chance to redeem himself. The author jabs gently at action-adventure clichés--the old officer who resents technological advances, the desk jockey who gets on everyone's nerves but comes through in the end, the female soldier who has to prove herself. It is a work that will inevitably draw comparisons to the "Harry Potter" series, with its emphasis on the existence of a magic world. But Artemis Fowl is no copycat. It's an original. Read it out loud to your kids, and the whole family will end up missing normal bedtimes. 2001, Talk Miramax Books/Hyperion, $16.95. Ages 9 up. Reviewer: Donna Freedman (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Bulletin Blue Ribbons, 2001; Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books; United States
Children's Book Sense 76 Picks, Spring/Summer 2001; Book Sense 76; United States
Teens' Top Ten List, 2001; American Library Association-YALSA; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Borders Original Voices Awards Nominee 2002 Young Adult United States
Golden Duck Awards-Hal Clement Award for Young Adults Honorable Mention 2001 United States
Seal of Approval Winner Spring 2001 Children's Books United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 2003; Nominee; Maryland
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award, 2003-2004; Nominee; Colorado
Indian Paintbrush Book Award, 2003-2004; Nominee; Wyoming
Lone Star Reading List, 2002-2003; Nominee; Texas
Massachusetts Children's Book Award, 2003; Nominee; Massachusetts
Nevada Young Readers' Award, 2003; Nominee; Nevada
South Carolina Book Awards, 2003-2004; Nominee; South Carolina
Young Reader's Choice Award, 2004; Nominee; Pacific Northwest
ISBN: 0-7868-0801-2
Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident
Eoin Colfer
This second Artemis Fowl novel portrays the struggles raging under the earth which endanger the lives of Artemis, Butler his bodyguard and the fairy captain Holly Short, struggles which must be successfully resolved before the protagonist's father can be rescued from his Russian kidnappers. But just as striking as the depiction of this unrest is the author's superb manipulation of language and popular culture, which characterised his first novel, Benny and Omar. Highly visual sequences inspired by cartoons and video games coalesce with more literary and verbal references to authors whose work has become film classics. Ian Fleming's James Bond movies are alluded to primarily in the guise of the inventor and computer expert Foaly -- what else could an Irishman call a centaur? -- and Raymond Chandler's influence is often to be detected in the novel's linguistic quirks. 'The reporter,' we are told, 'was a middle-aged elf with a quiff the size of a Honolulu roller.' While satirising the iconic in adult entertainment, Colfer never loses sight of the ambivalence of his pre-pubescent target readership. Young Artemis, portrayed as a Finn MacCoul of the intellect, is saved from death by a dwarf's potent and noxious fart. In contrast to the lavatorial obsessions of childhood, the novel ends with intimations of adolescence, with its protagonist uncharacteristically shy and uncertain in his first tentative sexual advance. Colfer is a skilful, witty and astute writer who knows his audience and knows his market. 2002, Puffin, 293pp, 12.99 (hbk). Ages 9 to 12. Reviewer: Carole Redford (Inis - The Magazine of Children's Books Ireland, Fall 2002 (Vol. 1, No. 2)).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Bisto Book of the Year Award Shortlist 2002-2003 United Kingdom
Red House Children's Book Award Shortlist 2003 Older Readers United Kingdom
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award, 2004-2005; Nominee; Colorado
Soaring Eagle Book Award, 2003-2004; Wyoming
ISBN: 0-670-89963-1
Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code
Eoin Colfer
The most exciting growth I've seen lately is in Eoin Colfer's protagonist, Artemis Fowl in his latest installment, Artemis Fowl in The Eternity Code. Though there isn't a huge chronological jump, Artemis has matured and so has the series, which now has a depth it once lacked. The less mature Artemis was cocky, risked everything easily, was ready to conquer the world. His thinking was black and white and the books had more action and techno glitz than substance. There are several factors that make the change in Artemis believable. His father, transformed after a near-death experience, is no longer the power-player capitalist. The elder Fowl's motto has switched from "Gold is power" to "I want to be a hero and will you make the journey with me?" If that weren't threatening enough, Artemis has to snatch Butler, his stand-in parent and protector, from the jaws of death. These are the times that try a bratty boy's soul and Artemis, caught in a surprise attack, wonders if he has the clout he once imagined he wielded. Artemis has changed before, but never convincingly. In this third book, he still schemes and there is plenty of action, but his reflections have made him respectful and he seems a more genuine character. 2003, Hyperion, $16.95. Ages 9 up. Reviewer: Susie Wilde (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Best Children's Books of the Year, 2004; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, March 31, 2003; Cahners; United States
ISBN: 0-7868-1914-6
Benny and Babe
Eoin Colfer
Self-absorbed Benny Shaw is a boy striving to be a 'little hard man'. On holidays, on the Wexford coast with his grandfather, a light-house keeper, he meets Babe, a girl who is as tough as he pretends to be. Babe frequently puts Benny at a disadvantage and even Babe's dog, Conger gives Benny the 'evil eye'. Grudgingly, Babe and Benny become business partners, selling bait back to fishermen. A 'bait war' breaks out between Benny and Babe and Furty Howlin--a war that ultimately leads to near tragedy. Benny sees his actions reflected in the eyes of those closest to him and has to deal with their disappointment. Most readers will empathise Benny at his first disco when 'walking on hot coals' is preferable to crossing the dance floor. Boys, in particular, will sympathise with Benny's confusion when the 'weird tomboy creature' Babe turns into 'one hundred percent girl'. Benny and Babe is much more than a simple boy/girl adventure story. A wonderful gallery of characters is created--Benny's granda, the story-telling Captain, younger brother Georgie, the Crawler, and most memorably Furty, whose problems are 'crushing any spark of youth' inside him. With great humour and insight, the author traces the events of Benny's thirteenth Summer as he steps away from childhood towards self-appraisal and self-knowledge. 1999, O'Brien Press, D4.99. Ages 9 to 12. Reviewer: Rosemary Hetherington (Children's Books In Ireland, Winter 1999 (No. 22)).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Bisto Book of the Year Award Shortlist 1999-2000 United Kingdom
ISBN: 0-86278-603-7
Benny and Omar
Eoin Colfer
Benny Shaw is a scrappy 12-year-old who wants nothing more than to join his hurling team in their attempt to win the All-Ireland Final. But when his father is transferred to a job in Africa, Benny's whole world changes. No one in their new Tunisian home has heard of hurling and no one appreciates Benny's cheeky sarcasm--until Omar comes along. Omar is an orphan who lives by his wits and speaks English only in television phrases. He and Benny become fast friends, which involves Benny sneaking off from the village and taking breakneck rides on Omar's decrepit motorbike. Omar is also determined to save his younger sister from a mental hospital, and of course Benny is enlisted to help. Their adventures are told in a funny, sardonic voice with a quickly shifting perspective. Some degree of stereotyping is present but not overwhelming; issues of loyalty, along with occasional touches of real emotion, add a fully human feeling. Readers who like sports and fast-paced adventures will love both the plot and the challenge of puzzling out Omar's television-talk and the Irish and Tunisian slang. KLIATT Codes: J--Recommended for junior high school students. 1998, O'Brien/dist. by Independent Publishers Group, 237p., $7.95. Ages 13 to 15. Reviewer: Rebecca Rabinowitz (KLIATT Review, September 2001 (Vol. 35, No. 5)).
ISBN: 0-86278-567-7
Going Potty
Eoin Colfer
Illustrated by Woody
The O'Brien 'Flyers' series is, according to the publisher, intended for confident readers who can take on the challenge of a longer story. The series, which is presented as the second stage of reading, is evidently proposed as a follow on from O'Brien's 'Panda' series for beginner readers. It's arrival is heralded by three titles: Going Potty, Trouble for Tuffy and The Big Fight. The books are numbered 1-3 so we can presumably expect further titles in the future. There are features common to each book, notably their design and layout, which lend a certain homogeneity to the series. Of particular interest are the notes on authors and illustrators included in the opening pages of each text. A quirky feature is the task which is set for the reader of locating the flyer or aeroplane within each book, a kind of 'Where's Wally?' puzzle. The first book in the series is Going Potty written by Eoin Colfer and illustrated by Woody. This tells the story of seven year old Ed's fear of using the school toilets and how his Gran comes to the rescue. The 'hero' of the tale is a family heirloom, the potty of the title, which in the past saved Great Uncle Pat during a World War 2 bomb raid. Now it is instrumental in saving Ed from his fear of the big boy's toilet. Ed's Gran is an eccentric character and the manner in which she solves the problem is highly original. Ed's fears are dealt with in a humourous and sympathetic manner. Woody's illustrative style complements the unusual subject matter. 2000, O'Brien, D3.99. Ages 5 to 8. Reviewer: Bronagh Naughton (Children's Books In Ireland, Summer 2000 (No. 23)).
ISBN: 0-86278-602-9
The Legend of Spud Murphy
Eoin Colfer
Illustrated by Glenn McCoy
Overwhelmed by the prospect of summer vacation with their five boys 10 and under, Will and Marty's parents decide the older two will spend several afternoons a week reading at the library. The boys think this is a punishment worse than death, for every kid in town knows that the "lovely old" librarian uses a gas-powered spud gun which can fire a potato half-way across the library to make kids behave, keeping them on the small carpet in the children's area and limiting them to reading the four shelves of books there. After several boring afternoons of sitting on the carpet, pretending to read, and a couple of run-ins with Spud (although none with her infamous gun), they start actually reading the words in the books each holds. Sucked in by the magic and adventure, the boys become converts to reading and libraries. Narrated by young Will, Colfer's latest is an easy read, with several amusing moments. His skill as a storyteller holds up a rather weak plot. The adroit writing allows young readers to "see" Mrs. Murphy and travel with both Will and Marty as each eventually travels beyond the patterned carpet, although not necessarily for the right reasons. Certainly not a conventional librarian (at least I hope not!), Mrs. Murphy has a rational for her behavior and a sense of humor to boot! Put this in the hands of a young reluctant reader, and he or she may well be a convert too. 2004, Hyperion Books for Children, Ages 7 to 10, $12.95. Reviewer: Peg Glisson
ISBN: 0-7868-5501-0
The Supernaturalist
Eoin Colfer
Some years into the future unwanted children like Cosmo Hill are sent to a special institute. Reminiscent of the workhouses and asylums of the past, the boys are guinea pigs for new drugs and other products. It is a dangerous and unhappy existence in this place called the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys. Cosmo is different, he is not willing to let his life just slip away and when he gets a chance he makes an escape along with a few other kids who can see what are called the supernatural parasites. They believe that these creatures are causing death and unhappiness among humans. Under the leadership of Stefan, they become a group of vigilantes and spend their time tracking and destroying the parasites. If these battles aren't enough they also must keep and eye out for the guards from Clarissa Frayne who would like nothing better than to capture these escapees and shrink-wrap them for good. The action never stops and the world and characters created by Colfer are engaging and the whole idea of shrink-wrapping people instead of shooting them is quite imaginative. You want to keep turning the pages. The tale takes a bit of a twist and the world that Cosmo and the other Supernaturalists live in gets turned upside down when they learn the truth about the parasites. The ending is different for a book that is bound to be a series, so we will all have to wait and see where Mono, Cosmo and Ditto head for their next adventure and what other companions will join them in their quest. 2004, Hyperion, Ages 10 up, $16.95. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Childrens's Literature)
ISBN: 0-7868-5148-1
The Wish List
Eoin Colfer
This book is not for readers wanting peace, happiness, or hope in a story. It is for those seeking suspense, irony, and satire. Meg is a teenage delinquent haunted by her mother's death and tortured by her stepfather's existence. In an attempt to get enough money to run away, she agrees to be an accomplice to a crime. This is her fateful mistake, for during this crime, she dies. Meg's spirit is immediately transported to a forked tunnel; one way leads to heaven and the other leads to hell. Because of Meg's mixed up life of both good and evil, her spirit is caught in purgatory and only she can determine its ultimate path. Saint Peter wearily explains that she must return to Earth and help someone. Should she accomplish this, her soul will go to heaven. The remainder of the book is about Meg's adventure as a spirit on Earth, assisting poor old Lowrie in accomplishing his final four wishes before death. Of course, the story would not be a suspenseful one without the evil spirit, Belch, and his sidekick, Elph, trailing them and trying to win Meg's spirit back for the devil. There are many twists and turns throughout the story and the fate of Meg's spirit is not known until the very end. Perhaps the intended message of this story is the importance of being good. However, the message that comes across the loudest is that you never know if you are being good enough. 2000, Hyperion Books for Children, $16.95 and $6.99. Ages 12 to 18. Reviewer: Andrea Sears Andrews (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, October 13, 2003; Cahners; United States
School Library Journal Book Review Stars, December 2003; Cahners; United States
ISBN: 0-7868-1863-8
ISBN: 0-439-44336-9
The Wish List (Audiobook)
Eoin Colfer
Read by James Wilby
James Wilby's reading really captures the haughtiness of Satan, the resentful obsequiousness of Beelzebub (sometimes referred to as No. 2) and the resilience of Meg Finn, as well as her surprise at her own kindness. Trying to "do good" comes more naturally to Meg than even she expects and her conversations with Lowrie, as they learn each other's stories and gently tease and nudge each other into a better life are welcoming warm. Some may be taken back by the deliberate "over the top" exaggeratedly oriental Satanic computer whiz but this is a recording all in good fun and I was willing to overlook it. 2004, Random House, Ages 12 up, $26.00. Reviewer: Edie Ching
ISBN: 0-8072-1880-4
Updated 2005
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