Artemis Fowl

For an excellent read for older boys and girls you might want to pick up the first book in a series about Artemis Fowl. The series is a sci fi fantasy story but quite different from ones your kids might see on Clone Wars. For starters it's a bit darker.
Artemis Fowl is an anti hero. Artemis prefers evil, but occasionally to his disgust finds that it is more profitable to do good.
In the first book we are introduced to two worlds. The world of humans and the world of fairies. Artemis, a human is the son of a crime lord. He should be in school, but he has written an excuse to get himself out of it because his father is missing. His mother has had a nervous breakdown, leaving Artemis to cope on his own with his family's problems. Artemis is a genius who is always exploring the Unknown. Soon his experiments convince him of the existence of fairies. Artemis hatches a plan to steal their holy book, "The Book of the People" in order to hold it for ransom.
Captain Holly Short, an elf, is given the assignment of getting the book back. With the help of a criminal dwarf named Mulch Diggums, she enters the Fowl house but is unable to outsmart Artemis. Between his security systems and his security guard Butler, Holly is forced to a stalemate. But when Butler is almost killed Holly steps in to cure him, earning both Artemis' gratitude and more importantly, the sacred book.
My daughter Sarah introduced me to this book a long time ago, when she was in high school. As I said it is a book for older children, probably around 10 an up but there is no reason at all why adults can't enjoy this story too. Particularly if they happen to be science fiction or fantasy fans. The story splinters at some points, only to intersect at others. This might make reading difficult because you have so many characters and situations to go through. But as you go along in the story you will find things begin to meld and make sense. The main characters are so thoroughly well written that it is easy to follow the who's whos once you get into the book.
 Artemis is a character we love to hate. Reading about him is fun, because like all really good bad guys we secretly want to be like him. Most kids have daydreamed about being either a hero or  the evil genius. Artemis makes evil genius look cool. In some of the other books, he tones down the evil a little bit, but there is still enough there that we can still enjoy seeing him get his comeuppance from the resourceful Holly.
Holly is an excellent role model for young girls. Brash, confident, the first female elf police officer, she is always determined to put her best foot forward and show the world that she won't knuckle under.  Helped by her superior,  Commander Julius Root and Foaly, the police force's technical adviser, Holly is able to do things that young female elves aren't supposed to do. Even better Holly makes it look easy.
This month the 8th Artemis Fowl book makes its debut. Each of the stories has been an exciting read. If your children enjoy science fiction, if they love fantasy or if they have plans to take over the world, the the Artemis Fowl series is one they should enjoy. Pick a copy up for yourself and see why.