Eoin Colfer, the second of five brothers, was born and raised in Wexford, in the south-east of Ireland. Artemis Fowl, his first book featuring the brilliant young anti-hero, was an immediate international bestseller and won the WHSmith 'People’s Choice' Children's Book of the Year and the Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. This is Eoin's third book for younger readers.