Regarding Airman

In Eoin Colfer's Airman, Conor Broekhart was born to fly. That is, he was born flying. His mother gave birth to him while in a hot-air balloon high above the ground. Because his father is a close friend of King Nicholas of the Saltee Islands, Conor spends his childhood playing in the palace with Princess Isabella. Then he turns fourteen and becomes a witness to treason. He is then banished to Little Saltee, the prison/diamond mine island. He has only one hope of escaping: To fly off the island.

Pros: It's fast-paced and has some surprising twists and turns. I really liked Linus Wynter, Conor's American cellmate, and Isabella, though neither were in the book nearly enough. Its humor is reminiscent of Brian Jacques (Redwall), particularly in the character of Arthur Billtoe.

Cons: While it mentions God, prayer, and such relatively often, it also mentions that "Jupiter" must have helped Conor in one scene. Sometimes killing (in self-defense, etc.) is slightly colored as murder (deliberately killing an innocent person), though there's really a world of difference between the two.

Notes: The Saltee Islands actually exist, though they apparently never possessed a diamond mine, nor have a long history of kings and queens. Nowadays they are privately owned and are famous for their excellent bird-watching.

My Rating: T (intense, aforementioned confusion of murder and killing)

Picture from eoincolfer.com