Following a sold out run in London’s West End, the celebrated young adult novelist and stand-up performer Eoin Colfer is taking his live show, “Fairies, Fiends and Flatulence,” on tour throughout the United States in July. The tour, which has a couple of local stops, coincides with the publication of “Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox,” the sixth title in Colfer’s best-selling series of novels for young readers. The author will appear at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, at Tivoli Theater, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove, and 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 16, at La Grange Theater, 80 N. La Grange Road, La Grange.

Colfer, the creator of boy criminal genius Artemis Fowl, is an ex-teacher who imparts lessons through the hilarious tale of his childhood with four mischievous brothers. Cute photos of the five devilish-looking Colfer brothers provide a simple backdrop for Colfer's gags about fiends, fairies and flatulence, each of which is delivered with perfect deadpan timing. The show won an award at the Edinburgh Festival while wowing pre-teen audiences across the United Kingdom.

Sales for the Artemis Fowl fantasy series have exceeded nine million copies, and the books have a constant presence on the New York Times list. Artemis Fowl has topped every other imaginable best-seller list as well including USA Today, Publishers Weekly, BookSense and The Economist.

In “Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox,” Artemis’s mother has contracted a deadly disease, and the only cure lies in the brain fluid of African lemurs. Unfortunately, Artemis himself was responsible for making the lemurs extinct five years ago. Now he must enlist the aid of his fairy friends to travel back in time and save the lemur. Not only that, but he must face his deadliest foe yet: his younger self.

To see a clip of Colfer’s one-man show “Fairies, Fiends and Flatulence,” click here.