Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

I love these books. Why can't I get anyone else in my house to read them? They are so much fun. I think my daughter doesn't want to read them because Artemis is a criminal. But, there is so much more to the story.

It is the story of a boy genius who is a criminal mastermind. He decides to search out fairies because he thinks they still exist. And thus begins the adventure with 6 books in the series so far. These books have a great mix of science fiction and fantasy.

My favorite part about these books are the characters and the dialogue between them. Mulch Diggums, the tunnelling dwarf, is my favorite, although I really love Artemis' bodyguard, Butler, too. There is a lot of humor mixed in which is why they are so fun to read.

Reading Level: Grade 4 & up

Gender: boys & girls

The Unicorn's Secret by Kathleen Duey

The Unicorn's Secret follows a girl, Heart, whose life has been very hard. She discovers a unicorn and then seeks out her own family. She finds friends along the way who help her. This series by Kathleen Duey is very easy reading. The chapters are short and the writing is simple. This is not just a happy-go-lucky book, but more of a serious nature. I really liked it and enjoyed how it ended. It has a total of 8 books in the series.

Reading Level: grade 3 & up

Gender: girls