Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Activity pack
Task 1: focus on language
Read the prologue and opening chapter to Artemis Fowl and find the following words:

bamboozles

gibbering

prodigy

villainous

devised

sweltering

testy

wild goose chase

rebuke

informant
From looking at the word in context, in the passage on the previous page, draw an arrow
from the word to its meaning. One has been done to show you how.
bamboozle
Adjective – unable to make sounds or speak clearly.
gibbering
Noun – a reprimand.
prodigy
Noun – a person with extraordinary ability.
villainous
Verb – to trick, deceive or confuse somebody
devised
Noun - a search for something that does not exist.
sweltering
Adjective – cruel, wicked, malicious.
testy
Adjective – suffering from oppressive heat.
wild-goose chase
Noun – a person who informs or gives information.
rebuke
Verb – planned or contrived.
informant
Adjective – irritable and impatient.
Now check that you are correct by looking each word up in a dictionary.
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Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Activity pack
Task 2: author research
Use the school library or the internet to answer the following questions about Eoin
Colfer, the author of Artemis Fowl.
1. How is ‘Eoin’ pronounced?
2. When and where was he born?
3. How many brothers does he have?
4. Is he married?
5. Name at least one job that he had before becoming a full-time writer.
6. How many books are there in the Artemis Fowl series?
Extension task:
Make a poster about Eoin Colfer, including all of the information above along with
any other interesting facts you have found.
Imagine you are Eoin Colfer – write a diary entry for the day when your book Artemis
Fowl was first published.
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Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Activity pack
Task 3: fill in the gaps
Read this summary of the novel and use the words below to fill in the gaps.
The novel Artemis Fowl begins in Ho Chi Minh City, in ..................... Artemis and his
manservant, ...................., trick an ancient fairy into allowing Artemis access to the
‘Book’, the handbook of fairy lore.
Although Artemis is only ...................., he is a genius. Using the latest technology he
cracks the code that is supposed to protect the .................... of the fairies from Mud
People, and hatches a plan to capture a fairy.
Artemis has a master plan: to restore the family’s fortunes by obtaining large
.................... of fairy gold. His father, also called Artemis is missing,
.................... dead, after a stinger missile sank the ship he was travelling on. Since
that incident Artemis’s mother, Angeline, has been bedridden, staying in her bedroom in
the dark, ....................by terrifying hallucinations, and cared for by Butler’s
.................... sister, Juliet.
Deep .................... the earth a fairy officer, Holly Short is sent on a mission to
contain a troll that has escaped and is causing havoc in Italy. When Holly’s commanding
officer, the .................... Julius Root, realises that she has allowed her
.................... powers to completely wane, he sends her to complete ‘the ritual’ that
will restore her magic.
Holly chooses the spot that Artemis and Butler are .................... out and the worlds
of ‘the People’ and ‘Mud People’ collide for the first time in centuries.
Fill in the gaps with these words:
beneath
presumed
staking
magic
temperamental
Butler
quantities
haunted
twelve
secrets
Vietnam
younger
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Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Activity pack
Task 4: multiple choice quiz
Select the correct answer from the choices given.
1.
How old is Artemis Fowl?
 12
 13
 14
2.
What Is Captain Holly’s surname?
 Berry
 Short
 Root
3.
Where is Artemis’s father?
 Missing, presumed drowned
 In prison
 On a secret mission for the government of Ireland
4.
Where does Holly attack the troll to protect humans?
 In a Spanish tapas bar
 In a pub in England
 In an Italian restaurant
5.
What do fairies have to plant to complete the ritual that gives them their magic?
 A hayseed
 An acorn
 A conker
6.
What sort of creature is Foaly?
 A centaur
 A leprechaun
 A dwarf
Extension activity:
Using your knowledge of the book, write three more questions of your own to test your
fellow students’ memories.
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Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Activity pack
Task 5: interviewing Artemis
Imagine you are Artemis Fowl. You have agreed to give honest and detailed answers to
the following questions. Try and think as Artemis might and write appropriate answers.
1.
Why are you so concerned with getting gold and restoring the Fowl’s family
fortune?
2.
What is your impression of Butler’s sister, Juliet?
3.
You told your mother that you had been skiing in Austria, which was a lie. How do
you feel about lying to your mother?
4.
What did you think of your fairy captive, Holly Short when you first saw her?
5.
When you tricked Julius Root by using Holly’s beacon you blew up a whaling ship.
How would you justify this action?
6.
Your father is missing, presumably dead; your mother refuses to leave her bedroom
and does not always recognise you. How do you see things turning out for both of
your parents?
7.
You are a prodigy and a genius, you don’t have to go to school or report to
anybody, but do you ever wish that you could just be a normal twelve year old boy?
Extension task:
Write five extra questions that you could ask the author of the Artemis Fowl books, Eoin
Colfer, about his young hero.
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Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Activity pack
Task 6: business cards
Business cards are used as a way of exchanging contact information and letting people
know about your skills or business.
Create business cards for each of the main characters in the novel. One has been
completed for you as an example. Create cards for: Artemis Fowl, Captain Holly Short,
Juliet Butler, Foaly and Mulch Diggums.
BUTLER PROTECTION
Offering a complete service:

Cordon Bleu Cookery

Personal Protection

Emergency Medicine
Mobile: 07734533211
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Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Activity pack
Task 7: book review
Your task is to write a review of the book Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. Use any relevant
information from your previous homework tasks as well as your reading of the novel to
help you.
You might like to use the structure below to plan and write your review.
Section 1
Introduce the book and the author. Offer some information about Eoin Colfer. (Pick out
some interesting facts for your readers.)
Section 2
Explain what the book is about and then briefly summarise the story. This section
should be quite short – you don’t need to retell the entire story, just sum up the main
points of the plot in an informed and interesting way.
Section 3
Write about two or three of the main characters in the book. Explain their role in the
novel and what you think of the presentation of these characters. Which character is
your favourite, and why?
Section 4
In this final section you should give your opinion of the book. Say whether you enjoyed
it or not, and why. If you did not like the book, then offer an explanation with
supporting details – writing ‘it was boring’ is not acceptable! Use examples from the
novel to show what you particularly like or dislike about it.
Offer a recommendation, for example, ‘If you liked Harry Potter, then you will love
Artemis Fowl’. Suggest an age range for the book, but don’t limit it too strictly – many
adults read this type of fiction with pleasure.
Proofread:
As you read over your review look for opportunities to improve.

Could you use more ambitious vocabulary? Use a thesaurus to add at least three new
words to your review.

Check the spelling of any words you are uncertain of.

Can you add in extra details at any point? Perhaps there is more to say about a
character. Maybe you could use a quotation from the novel.

Is your writing interesting to read? Ask someone else to read your work for you and
encourage them to offer suggestions for you to improve.
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