Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer

Now for a bit of fairy magic. The villainous mastermind, Artemis Fowl, wants to steal Fairy Gold. If he does, he can restore his family name to the reputation it once had and get the care for his mother that she needs. How old is this kid? 12. And how will he find the Fairy Gold? Well, first, he needs a special type of book...

Artemis and his bodyguard, Butler, plots the most devious of plans, with the intention of holding a leprechaun hostage. Seems like a simple plan to such a brilliant criminal genius. Except he finds the wrong fairy, Captain Holly Short, and quickly discovers he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Captain Short has a point to prove, being the only female fairy in her unit at LEPrechaun HQ and with a boss who clearly thinks women can't do a man's job. So when Holly gets captured by Artemis, she begins to plot her own schemes, including a devious escape, memory loss, and the not-so-helpful assistance of a dwarf called Mulch. Will Artemis steal the Fairy Gold? Or will Holly and her team mess up his plans - and his mind?

This is a very funny and entertaining story, full of plot twists and nail-biting excitement. My dad and I still read this series and love them. This is the first book in a series of eight.