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Both Eoin Colfer’s parents were teachers and young Eoin was taught by his dad Billy at Wexford’s Christian Brothers primary. Eoin remembers his dad’s presence in school as “witty…[he] made school fun.” Colfer junior’s first attempt at serious writing came in the sixth grade. “I wrote a play for the class about Norse Gods. Everyone died in the end except me.”
Eoin followed in his parents’ footsteps and trained to be a teacher but his writing didn't stop and his first book, Benny and Omar, appeared in 1999 and instantly achieved bestselling status in Ireland. Then in 2001 the first Artemis Fowl book was published and he was able to resign from teaching and concentrate fully on writing.
Apart from the hugely successful Artemis Fowl series his books include The Legend of the Worst Boy in the World, And another thing.... and his most recent adventure novel W.A.R.P.: The Reluctant Assassin.
Eoin Colfer was nominated for the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Award.
picture copyright Michael Paynter.
Here's a hilarious clip from Eoin Colfer Virtually Live:
WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT EOIN COLFER... Praise for Artemis Fowl
“Wildly original… and you thought fairy stories were just for kids.” - T2 (The Telegraph)
“It’s a highly original adventure story with an action-packed plot which twists and turns right to the end – a kind of William Gibson meets the Hobbit/Irish Legends. It has all the right ingredients.” Marc Lambert, Children’s Programme Director at the Edinburgh Festival
“Make sure you buy it!” Denise Van Outen, Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast
November 2020 Book of the Month | Hot on the hilarious heels of The Fowl Twins, this second instalment of Eoin Colfer’s new Artemis Fowl series is a boisterous banquet of entertaining, fantastical adventure. Colfer is a master when it comes to compelling his readers to turn the pages at breakneck speed while making them splutter with laughter. All manner of mayhem (and serious menace) is unleashed when Artemis Fowl’s younger twin brothers Myles and Beckett take the Fowl Jet for an unauthorized spin and end up having to ditch it in the Atlantic. Unsurprisingly, Artemis Senior isn’t best pleased. In fact, as a result of their “missile crisis”, he bans the boys from all “fairy-related antics”, and from “fraternising with known criminals except myself”, and they’re placed under house arrest. But despite being out of sight, they’re certainly not out of mind and Myles is abducted, resulting in Beckett and pixie-elf hybrid Lazuli embarking on a tense trans-continental chase. Meanwhile, it falls to brainier brother Myles to figure out what’s really going on. Fuelled by razor-sharp dialogue and ingenious plotting, this second book in the second-gen Artemis Fowl series is as fresh and funny as the criminal mastermind’s very first adventures. The contrast between the twins makes for a whole lot of laughs, and Lazuli is a dream of a larger-than-life character (notwithstanding her small stature!).
Fans of Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl novels will relish this action-packed, gadgets-a-go-go new series. In fact, this cracking book heralds a second cycle of Fowl escapades as the eponymous eleven-year-old Fowl Twins are none other than the younger siblings of Artemis himself. But only Myles bears any resemblance to the twins’ big bro. A stickler for dressing smart, Myles is smart in mind too, with an exceptional IQ and a penchant for taming his wild hair with special seaweed gel that nourishes both the hair and brain. Beckett, on the other hand, is more of a crash-bang-wallop kind of boy, and prone to sulk when forced to wear any kind of clothing. But it falls to them both to step into Artemis’s shoes when the fairy folk need help while he’s away. As they bicker and irritate each other to hilarious effect, the twins are visited by a mysterious nun who sends Beckett’s imagination into overdrive: “Myles, it’s a nun with a helicopter! You hardly ever see that. This is the start of our first real adventure. It has to be - I can feel it in my elbows.” And he isn’t wrong, for it turns out that stylish Sister Jeronima of Bilbao is on a mission to prove that magic creatures really exist, and her “organisation has eyes everywhere.” Adding to the cast of jump-off-the-page characters, we meet the dastardly Duke of Scilly, who’s desperate to get his hands on the tiny troll Beckett finds near their fortress, and Lazuli, an ambitious pixie-elf hybrid known as a ‘pixel’. Heady with high-stakes high jinks and high-octane action, this fiendishly funny firebrand of a book will keep kids reading long after the lights were supposed to be out. And when they’ve raced through this, they’ll be desperate to dive into book two, The Fowl Twins: Deny All Charges.
Longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2020 | Shortlisted for the Children's Book Awards 2019, Books for Younger Readers Category | Patrick is delighted to go to stay at his grandparents’ house, especially when he is told he can choose a rescue puppy. Oz, the puppy has had a terrible start but Patrick is determined to help, until his own life falls apart and he daren’t love his dog. Colfer explores his subject with an empathy which makes the characters and dilemmas very real. A great read.
Longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2020 | Shortlisted for the Children's Book Awards 2019, Books for Younger Readers Category | Patrick is delighted to go to stay at his grandparents’ house, especially when he is told he can choose a rescue puppy. Oz, the puppy has had a terrible start but Patrick is determined to help, until his own life falls apart and he daren’t love his dog. Colfer explores his subject with an empathy which makes the characters and dilemmas very real. A great read.
Interest Age 5-8 | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month June 2018 | | Clever Mariella, a super-inventive nine year old scientist, is never short of ideas. But she is often short of time! How can she crack the problem of bedtime interrupting some of her very best inventions? According to her science teacher the only way is to travel west always keeping ahead of the darkness. Undaunted by this huge challenge, Mariella sets off…. Her adventures are a super science story full of invention from the bestselling creator of Artemis Fowl.
One of our Books of the Year 2016 | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month October 2016 | There are so many adjectives you could use to describe this book - extraordinary, dazzling, original, funny, irresistible, quirky, imaginative, clever, stunning - but none go far enough. A truly unique work of art, it combines the talents of two superstars of the children's book world into something so simple yet so clever. It is a must for every family to share and will bring a positive glow to each and every reader and listener for no sooner than it pulls at the heart strings it will have you chuckling out loud too. A truly special picture book and a classic in the making.
Interest Age 5-8 Dotted with knock knock jokes and including an hilarious bit of involuntary roller skating, this little book will have young readers smiling. Anna Liza wants to be a psychiatrist like her mum, after all, she says, a job where you can make sad people happy again must be the best job in the world. Unknown to her mum, she’s set up a practice in the waiting room which is where she meets Edward. Edward’s sad because his daddy is sad, and Anna Liza is determined to help. Her unorthodox approach – it’s where the roller skating comes in – certainly does the trick. Lots of children will know an adult who is unhappy like Edward’s dad, and this amusing story touches lightly on the subject of depression while reminding us all of the things that make life worth living. For more gently, funny treatments of depression for children, see Brilliant by Roddy Doyle and Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot by Horatio Clare. ~ Andrea Reece About the Little Gems series: Little Gems are in a gorgeous new chunky format, with high-spec production including coloured endpapers and jacketed flaps with activities. Additional features include high quality cream paper, Barrington Stoke font and illustrations on every page. They are perfect for 5-8's. These quality stories promote good reading practice for all newly independent readers. High quality cream paper and a special easy to read font ensure a smooth read for all.
Julia Eccleshare's Pick of the Month, November 2015 Children’s Laureate of Ireland Eoin Colfer tells a touching story of a young boy trying to live up to his father which means doing something that goes against his nature. Bobby’s father is the bravest and best fisherman in the area and, now school is finished, Bobby has joined him on the boat. But times are hard. The fish are all being eaten by seals. Bobby’s dad puts a bounty price on the head of seals; every person who brings in a seal fin will get £1. But can Bobby kill a seal? Especially, can he kill his pet seal? Bobby’s dilemma is delicately explored in Eoin Colfer’s words and Victor Ambrus’s illustrations. ~ Julia Eccleshare Barrington Stoke constantly prove that dramatic, thought-provoking stories can be told in less than 100 pages. Eoin Colfer’s short often very funny novel concerns a boy facing a difficult decision: should he follow his father’s instructions and club a seal to protect his family’s livelihood, or should he ignore his responsibility and let the animal live? The choice he makes will mark him adult or child. In fact, by a twist of fate happy for boy and seal, he doesn’t have to make the decision, but just considering it defines him still. In this snapshot of one crucial episode in Bobby’s life, Colfer gives us details that bring the boy, his friends and town completely to life. Victor Ambrus’s illustrations are equally vivid and dynamic, showing us exactly what the characters are thinking and feeling. ~ Andrea Reece The Conkers imprint has quickly and successfully established itself: offering the very best authors and illustrators, all heavily illustrated throughout, in a range of gorgeous formats.
Contributors include: Eoin Colfer, Roddy Doyle, Derek Landy, Siobhan Parkinson, Paula Leyden, John Connolly, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, Oisin McGann, Jane Mitchell, Sarah Webb, Jim Sheridan, Enda Wyley, Pat Boran, Seamus Cashman, Mark Granier, Geraldine Mills and Kate Newmann.
Longlisted for the UKLA 2017 Book Award and One of our Books of the Year 2015 -Julia Eccleshare's Pick of the Year 2015 There are so many adjectives you could use to describe this book - extraordinary, dazzling, original, funny, irresistible, quirky, imaginative, clever, stunning - but none go far enough. A truly unique work of art, it combines the talents of two superstars of the children's book world into something so simple yet so clever. It is a must for every family to share and will bring a positive glow to each and every reader and listener for no sooner than it pulls at the heart strings it will have you chuckling out loud too. A truly special picture book and a classic in the making. ~ Julia Eccleshare
One of our Dyslexia Friendly Books of the Year 2013 - Interest Age 5-8 Reading Age 6+ Best-selling Eoin Colfer’s Mary knows better than most about a bad hair day. Her hair is bad every day! Determined to improve on her horrible curly mop Mary takes matters into her own hands. Literally! The results are disastrous and Mum says she is never to cut her hair again. But Mum didn’t say she couldn’t dye it or perm it! Mary’s battle with her hair and the crafty solutions to her problems are hilarious. About the Little Gems series: Little Gems are in a gorgeous new chunky format, with high-spec production including coloured endpapers and jacketed flaps with activities. Additional features include high quality cream paper, Barrington Stoke font and illustrations on every page. They are perfect for 5-8's and with a reading age of 6+, these quality stories promote good reading practice for all newly independent readers. They are also suited to children of 7-10, reading below this leve and to dyslexic or reluctant readers.
April 2015 Book of the Month Best-selling Eoin Colfer gives readers a thrilling and action-packed new episode in his series of titles about Chevie Savano, a time travelling FBI agent. Chevie can use her time travel to save the past and change the future. Chevie has been back into the past before. This time she is trying to save the past from an attack with weapons using lethal technology from the future. Can Chevie save the day?
