Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian, And Why Juvenile Books Are OK

Surprise!

I have finished Dragon's Keep already, and have now started on another book. I'm so proud of myself, and dread the day this streak ends in a pit of fiery book hiatus.

Before you laugh at me for reading a book directed to an age group I surpassed two years ago, let me explain. My brother got this book from the library because it's the newest (and last) installment to the Artemis Fowl saga, a series I loved when I was younger. I had accompanied him into the library and I got Dragon's Keep while I was there. And I finished it within two days. Now he's moved on to another book, having read Artemis Fowl in one day, and I needed something to read.

What was I to do? I obviously started reading it, and got sucked into the fantastic universe that I had loved not two winters ago. I love Artemis, and his sassy intelligence. I love the valiant Captain Holly Short and her affinity for burning rulebook upon rulebook.

 And I feel guilty.

I cannot count the number of times I've slid the book back into my bag so one of you lot won't see what I'm reading (so obviously, to preserve the book's anonymity I'm writing a blog post about it). I constantly divert questions away from what I'm reading so I won't have to hear, "Oh, I used to love that series!"

I've seen so many of you reading mature books, with adult characters and deep reflections into the meaning of life and love and family. When was the last time you reread a book or series you used to love, just for the heck of it? Not to look cool, not to read what your friends read, not to appear well-adjusted and grown up?

I know I'm not talking about the book Artemis Fowl itself, and I'm sorry. But I think we'd all be happier if reading a book from your past wasn't so uncool and childish. We don't always do it to enjoy the book like we enjoy books for older audiences.

I remember the first couple chapters of this book, my mind automatically generating the old mental image I had for Artemis. The first couple chapters were the best, because it was pure childish joy. I just basked in the memories of my childhood and all the little things that author Eoin Colfer includes that make the series so well known.

I think we all need to read a book from our childhood to remember what it was like to love characters unconditionally, or we'll forget why we ever read in the first place.

Dragon's Keep: Predictions

Yes, I know, it's incredible. I've actually started a new book. That's right, folks; I have finished a book and started another one.

It's unprecedented. Sort of.

Dragon's Keep is about a princess prophesied to restore her family's honor on the throne. The only problem is, one of her fingers is a dragon claw. How is she supposed to be a good wife, mother and queen if one of her fingers is an actual, scaly, real life dragon claw? I'm not that far in yet, but the summary on the back cover reveals that there's a dragon plaguing their island kingdom, and this dragon captures Princess Rosalind. But, instead of eating her, he finds her dragon claw fascinating.

This is huge. Never in Rosalind's life has her claw ever been called anything other than a problem, a deformity, a mark of the devil. When something so savage and cruel tells her that her claw is, well, cool, she experiences a feeling that she's never even thought about feeling. Hope.

I predict that she'll eventually come back to her kingdom stronger and more prepared to be a good leader than she was before, because she'll understand that physical markings aren't a sign of true power. I also hope that the author doesn't get rid of her claw, but rather the people that think her claw is disgusting. If the claw were removed, then the message of the story almost becomes "Accept yourself for who you are so your flaws will disappear," rather than "Accept your flaws so you can live your life knowing your flaws are what make you so fantastically you."

And, obviously, I hope the dragon continues to kick some serious medieval butt.

STILL READING: How To Catch A Bogle

I wish I had more time to read. 

Well, that's actually not the problem. I do have free time when I could be reading, but I always spend it scrolling through miles of posts on Tumblr or texting or watching kittens do silly things on YouTube. It's a huuuuuuuuge problem, and I don't know how to fix it. Honestly, if you've got a suggestion, leave it in the comments. Thanks. 

Anyways, I do enjoy reading How to Catch a Bogle, and part of it is because of the dialogue. The book is set in the less civilized parts of Victorian London, and the dialogue is the perfect blend of authentic colloquialisms and modern day language for the sake of clarity. When I read the lines, I can literally hear a cockney person talking in my head. It's fantastic. For instance, on page 11, Birdie says, "There's nothing to fear. Why, it's no more'n catching a rat. For there's rats as big as bogles where I come from, and they ain't never eaten us yet!" 

It's nice to read a book where the voices in your head come alive, and the differences in accents between a posh older woman and dear Birdie are so drastic that you can actually hear them. It's like being part of the book, and I love that feeling. Being part of an adventure or something important is really the reason I read so many science fictions and fantasy novels. Real life is boring, wouldn't you rather catch bogles in Victorian London?

How to Catch a Bogle, by Catherine Jinks

Who's the author?

Well, her name's Catherine Jinks. We know that much. And she's written another series, the first book titled Evil Genius. I've read it.

And I didn't like it.

That was something that made me reluctant to open How To Catch A Bogle and read, because how on earth can I like a book if the author has written books I haven't liked?

So I googled her, and found out she's from Australia; Brisbane, to be exact. She's written 30 books, is two years older than me mum, and spent her formative years in Papua New Guinea. Plus she's got tons of awards for her writing, including the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award (three times), the Victorian Premier’s Award, the Aurealis Award for Science Fiction, the Australian Ibby Award, and the Davitt Award for Crime Fiction.

I'm considering re-reading Evil Genius, to be honest.

She's got a degree in Medieval History, which sounds very cool, and, unlike my traditional vision of an author, she likes movies and television. And look what she has to say about her experience with school:

"I didn't enjoy primary school much because my family moved around all the time. I enjoyed high school because I made some really, really good friends there. I liked English when it was all about writing stories and putting on plays, but when we started concentrating on essays for exams in the last two years, I lost my fondness for it."
 

Me too, Catherine Jinks, me too.

Review of How to Catch a Bogle