The Fowl Twins Deny All Charges

September 1, 2020
A scheme to inveigle Artemis Fowl's younger sibs into helping steal a huge trove of gold doesn't go at all well for the schemers. Introduced in Fowl Twins (2019), 12-year-olds Myles and Beckett kick off their second round of exploits, dealing in midair with a guided missile to which their hybrid pixie-elf chaperone Lazuli Heitz has been strapped, then go through a series of equally ridiculous captures and rescues to several showdowns with bad guys, saving not only tons of gold, but thousands of Irish teens at a flash convention from the vengeance of a maddened, human-hating warrior dwarf. How, you ask? By employing a unique skein of complementary abilities: Myles, as dapper and at least as egotistic as his older brother, brings the mental wattage, and Beckett supplies the clever hands, unexcelled martial prowess, and a gift of tongues that extends to animals and plants. Along an improbably daft plotline that even the seldom-reflective Beckett finds "fart-centric," Colfer also strings dazzling displays of high tech, heartwarming peeks at the family dynamics of the closely knit if decidedly eccentric Fowl clan, dolphin-back rides, huge blobs of slime (some of it explosive), and a climactic exhibition of prejudice gone off the rails that is intense enough to leave readers queasy. As a teaser for future adventures, Lord Teddy Bleedham-Drye, arch archvillain from the previous volume, pops up for a cameo at the close. The human cast presents as White. More high-octane Fowl play. (Fantasy. 10-12)

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October 1, 2020
Grades 4-7 As heirs to their big brother Artemis' legacy, the young Fowl twins Myles and Beckett are taking it from here. From now on, if the denizens of the land of Faerie brew up any shenanigans, the twins are sure to be involved. After 20 years of the Artemis Fowl series, this new branch of stories stands out thanks to the protagonists' spooky, ESP-like connection and their loyalty to one another in spite of their differences. This time around, some belligerent dwarves team up to kidnap Myles and use his intelligence to figure out how to enter a building where an ancient trove of gold is being held. Beck?all action, as usual?and his friend Holly leap to the rescue despite the Fowl patriarch's new rule against the twins mingling with the Faerie world. James Bond-type gadgets, plenty of action, and more than a few punny jokes regarding exactly how dwarves expel the excess dirt they dig make this another treat for Fowl fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

November 20, 2020

Gr 3-7-The second of this "Artemis Fowl" spin-off series doesn't hit the same funny bone as its 2019 predecessor, The Fowl Twins, but fans of Myles and Beckett will enjoy their time with the goofiness anyway. In this installment, the white, male Irish twins' parents put them under house arrest in their mansion, which only works until Myles gets kidnapped and Beckett goes to the rescue. This book's villains, an ambitious dwarf family, aren't nearly as hilarious as the bad guy of the first book, although what they can accomplish with spit and farts is impressively creative. Action sequences are bogged down with distractingly long, multi-paragraph explanations of backstory and world-building. Myles' cleverness remains to be marveled at, as is Beckett's physical prowess. There are some rather spectacular flatulence and magic technological feats along the way. Other than the dwarves, there are no new characters, nor are there any fabulous locations. VERDICT Recommended only for those who intend to stay through the whole series.-Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day Sch., Washington, DC

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