Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception
Author: Eoin Colfer
Publisher: Puffin
Genre: Fantasy, adventure
Duration to read: 2 days
No. Of pages:
Artemis Fowl is the child genius of the age in this series. His knowledge about the fairy People was wiped
from his mind in the last book. In this book, Opal Koboi is lose and plans to bring man kind in contact with
the People, thus destroying the fairy world. Captain Holly Short of the Lower Elements Police Recon unit,
(more commonly known as LEPrecon) is blamed for her commander’s death, and needs Artemis’s help.
The problem is, he doesn’t remember a thing about Holly, Opal Koboi or anything else about the People.
This book was everything but boring. The tension, plots within plots, and fabulous humour created a great
story. The humour was constant, and the way the characters were described made them seem real. There
was also some good science facts in the book too. The description about the characters, the places, and
the general goings on were all perfect. The layout of the story, showing you what happened in the hotshot
chutes, and then the story would flick to Police Plaza so Foaly (the genius centaur, also Opal’s rival in
school) could discover Opal’s escape, and back to the chutes. It gives you a great idea of what’s going on
everywhere.
This book was excellent. In my opinion, there were no weaknesses.
My favourite character would have to be Holly Short, the first female LEP recon officer in history. Her heart
is true, and she’s always around to help. Her personality is what everyone wants to be. She’s a great pod
pilot, and she has a great sense of humour. Headstrong, brave and daring, Holly Short is a great fictional
character.
In conclusion, I would give this book a 10/10. The humour, facts and story are all perfect. A great story. The
characters are well thought through, and detailed carefully. I’m definitely going to see if the library has the
rest of the series.
317 words
READING – Written Task Criteria
Learning Outcome: To challenge yourself in your choice of reading material by reading fiction novels that are ones
that you would not normally choose and write a review of one giving an indepth personal opinion.
Written Task
1
Little or no personal
challenge in the novels
chosen.
2
Some willingness to
challenge self in choice of
novels.
Summary of
Book
Summary is too short or
too long; weak in content
and difficult to follow.
Summary is reasonable in
length, content; may lack
some detail.
Personal
Response
Little or no personal
response (opinion) to the
book.
Gave a reaction but offered
no explanation
Brief personal response but
it fails to offer any in-depth
opinion or thoughts. Didn’t
expand on reasons or give
examples.
Organisation of
written work
Poorly organised, lacks
information related to
task/s.
Aspects of task generally
well covered and
organised.
Word choice
and Sentences
Has little sentence variety.
Basic vocabulary used
throughout.
Mechanics
Too many unchecked
errors. Work has not been
carefully proofread /
edited.
Has a good variety of
sentence – length,
beginnings. Has attempted
to use vocabulary
appropriate to task.
Some errors which distract
reader from the work.
Choice of
Reading
Material
3
Has challenged self in
choice of reading. Read a
variety of quality novels
from different genres and
authors.
Summary is very clear and
precise; is informative and
strong in content.
Offers a strong, in-depth
personal response. Careful,
thoughtful opinions on
aspects of the book.
Explained reactions in
detail using clear
explanations and examples
from the text.
Well organised writing.
Ideas are well linked.
Aspects of task/s
completed fully.
Has an extensive variety of
sentences used effectively.
Excellent use of vocabulary
appropriate to task
selected.
Error free or a few minor
errors.
Teacher Comment:
You have given a basic summary of the book but really needed to expand more to give readers a
better insight into this story. You have given some opinions as to what you thought about the book
but need to support your opinions with examples of text. For examples, you mentioned the
humour in the book so some examples of what you meant would have been helpful.