"Half Moon Investigations" by Eoin Colfer

Half Moon Investigations  is by far one of my favorite books. I read this in something like fourth or fifth grade, but I try to reread it every year or so. There are so many reasons why this is a great book, so I'll try to keep is brief.

1) Eoin Colfer. Colfer is a really strong author, and is really well known, in my age group, most likely for the Artemis Fowl Chronicles, or series or whatever it's title is. The reason Colfer is such a successful youth writer is that he can keep the content youth appropriate, but make the story itself mature. What I mean by that is Colfer doesn't over sexual or over dramatize the pre-teen and teen experience to make it a good and still interesting read for teenagers and pre-teens, but doesn't make it hard to believe that these characters are, in fact, teenagers. He's able to make the tone of the story really mature, and develops these characters to be their own person, and doesn't try to make them 'squares.' These children are their own characters with their own wants and desires, that make them really believable.

2) Tone. I love the tone of this book, which has to do with the speil about tone and maturity I wrote up there. This book, to me, pretty much reads as a witty noir for teens. But the best thing about it, no matter how cheesy that may sound, or you may think it will be, Colfer retains really individual and interesting ideas in the story that keep it in modern context and in a relatable place for teenagers. He's able to take a mystery about a fiercely competitive talent show and add at least three fight scenes and menacing kidnapping scene, and a little bit of gore. Talent. Also, this book really makes me want to go to Ireland.

3) Mystery. Colfer is able to write a great mystery story. He leaves enough clues sprinkled around the book for people to deduce it on the own, but keeps you guessing the whole time. This makes the story really a great deal of fun to read, let alone the second or third time, when you start to really notice the little hints Colfer drops throughout the story.

So I guess the point of this was...
Eoin Colfer is a very good writer.