Summer 2004 Review:

Henry's family is falling apart. His father told him on the way to Mr. Fogarty's that his mother was having an affair with his dad's secretary, Anais. Mr. Fogarty is an elderly man who needs help around the house and believes in fairies. At Mr. Forgarty's, Henry helps him tidy up the house, the garden, and the shed. The same day he found out his mother was a lesbian, he noticed Mr. Fogarty's cat had caught a butterfly. But it wasn't a butterfly, he didn't think it looked like one so he managed to get the cat's jaws off of the creature so he could make sure he wasn't dreaming. It was a fairy the feline had caught, not a butterfly. Henry takes the fairy to Mr. Fogarty to see what he can do about communication because he can't hear the fairy and the fairy covers his ears when Henry speaks. In a matter of time, Mr. Fogarty has a device with a microphone for the fairy. With the machine, they learn that the fairy's name is Pyrgus Malvae and that he wasn't supposed to be there in that form. He wasn't supposed to have wings and he wasn't supposed to be there, but he believes that something went wrong with the portal in the fairy world. He also tells them that he was sent to this world because he'd be safer here than in the fairy world because two factory owners by the names Brimstone and Chalkhill. Both are Faeries of the Night which is a community of fairies who are against the ways of the Faeries of the Light. Pyrgus's father is the Purple Emperor of the Faeries of the Light and he knows that his son is in danger which lead to Pyrgus being sent to the human world. Will Henry and Mr. Fogarty be able to help Pyrgus get back to his home safely so that Pyrgaus can tell his father he's all right and that he's still alive in the human world? 

I thought this was an unbelievably outstanding novel! I was excited when I got it because Eoin Colfer, author of Artemis Fowl, had given his idea of the book. The Artemis Fowl books are probably the best books I've ever read so when I saw that Mr. Colfer's ideas were on the cover, I knew it would be a great book. I'd recommend this book for ages 12 and older because younger children may not understand much of what's being said in the novel. This book was one of the best I've ever read! 

~ Kayla Aldan, 8th grade, Boardman Center Middle School