Half-Moon Investigations

by Eoin Colfer

Overview

Fletcher Moon has never been like other kids. For one thing, he has had to suffer the humiliating nickname "Half Moon" because of his short stature. But the real reason Fletcher is different is that ever since he was a baby, he's had a nose for sniffing out mysteries. And after graduating at the top of his Internet class, he is officially certified as the youngest detective in the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423132400
Publisher:	Disney Press
Publication date:	12/06/2009
Sold by:	DISNEY PUBLISHING WORLDWIDE -EBKS
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	620L (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	10 - 15 Years

About the Author

Eoin Colfer is the New York Times best-selling author of the Artemis Fowl series, The Supernaturalist, Eoin Colfer's Legend of Spud Murphy and Legend of Captain Crow's Teeth, and The Wish List. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.

Hometown:

Wexford Town, County Wexford, Republic of Ireland

Date of Birth:

May 14, 1965

Place of Birth:

Waterford City, County Waterford, Republic of Ireland

Education:

Bachelor of Education, 1986; Education Diploma, 1987

Website:

http://www.eoincolfer.com

Editorial Reviews

His classmates have dubbed him Half Moon, but pint-sized or not, Fletcher Moon has a knack for sniffing out mysteries. Now armed with a badge as the world's youngest detective, he finds himself confronted with his most pressing case yet: If he can't find the culprit within 12 hours, he might have to take the rap himself! This is a hilarious, suspenseful detective story for boys and girls.

Both author and reader are certainly seasoned professionals: Colfer writes the popular Artemis Fowl series, and Reilly has worked steadily in films, television and on stage. But their joint effort here doesn't quite click. There's a coy, often overly cute (and possibly offensive) tone to the audio version of Colfer's story about a 12-year-old Irish lad named Fletcher Moon known as "Half Moon" by his classmates because of his short stature who earned the right to call himself a private detective (complete with a shiny badge) from a dubious academy on the Internet. It could be the fault of the dialogue, but Reilly makes many of the characters sound like "stage Irish" the sort of people Hollywood used to hire Barry Fitzgerald to play. And while part of Fletcher's charm is supposed to be his indifference to being the butt of his peers' jokes, he is too much of a nerd and rampant fantasist to gain listeners' sympathy. Ages 10-up. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 4-7-Diminutive Fletcher Moon may not be the most popular 12-year-old in his Irish town but he's proud-maybe a little too proud-of the badge that he constantly flashes to let everyone know that he's an online graduate of a private detective academy in Washington, DC. The other kids admit that Fletcher, aka "Half Moon," has solved several tough cases at Saint Jerome's Elementary and Middle School, so they come to him when they have a problem. But when super all-in-pink girly-girl April Devereux hires him to find a lock of a pop star's hair that she claims was stolen by one of the Sharkeys-a family of well-known criminals-everything starts going wrong for Fletcher. His precious badge is taken, he finds a single huge footprint at every crime scene, and he's picked up by the local police for arson when the Devereux playhouse burns down. When Fletcher goes on the run, who becomes his number-one ally? Young Red Sharkey. A typically funny Colfer offering without the mania of the "Artemis Fowl" series (Hyperion), the story wittily delivers the message that some people aren't-for good or ill-who they appear to be. Kids who enjoy comic mysteries will have a great time with Half Moon, and the conclusion drops plenty of hints that this could become a series.-Walter Minkel, New York Public Library Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Combine Sam Spade's manner, Encyclopedia Brown's curiosity and Columbo's deductive tenacity-that's Fletcher Moon, kid crime-solver. Never mind that he's only 12-Half Moon (he's short) is a real detective with an official badge from the Bob Bernstein Academy to prove it. When classmate April Devereux hires him to find her missing lock of pop star's hair, the case gets tangled in her all-girls' club, the snarkey Sharkey family notorious for thievery and talent-show contestants at St. Jerome's school. With unlikely ally, Red Sharkey, Fletcher follows clues that point to some kind of weird conspiracy, but he's forced undercover when someone tries to frame him for the crimes. Mystery-solving readers will ignore the European words-euros for dollars, guards for cops, cola flagon-to smugly sidestep red-haired herrings, giggle over Fletcher's disguise and grin deviously when the cast of suspects line up on stage for the grand inquisition. Half Moon is full-fledged fun and a sure-fire booktalk: Just describe Moon's eight-year-old, snot-nosed snitch who always has green yo-yo's hanging from his nostrils that he snorts in and out. A sub-theme of "information is power" is cleverly embedded in the fast-paced romp, while the ending leaves a trail for future investigations. (Fiction. 10-14)First printing of 250,000; $200,000 ad/promo

Kirkus Reviews

Fletcher “Half” Moon is only 12, yet he is an accomplished investigator. Having graduated from an Internet course offered by a prestigious detective school, he proudly carries his certified detective’s badge. He is must continually prove himself to others. Sean Patrick Reilly narrates this story, set in his native Ireland, with aplomb. The mix of hard-boiled detective and Irish brogue is a delightful combination, adding to the many humorous situations. Using elements of the detective story, Colfer offers Half Moon as a new and fresh character for preteens. Reilly’s pace and intonation are just right in this contemporary school-yard mystery, and Half Moon is a great young alternative to Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series. D.L.M. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

OCT/NOV 06 - AudioFile