With both fantasy and history as its undertone, The 1,000-Year-Old Boythen foregrounds its bildungsroman-esque plot as the overarching genre. While we can agree that The 1,000-Year-Old Boyis very much a coming-of-age novel, the protagonist does not rebel against the idea of growing up as protagonists in coming-of-age novels are wont to do — instead, we are taken on a journey of self-acceptance and forgiveness as Alfie’s lust for life demands that he learns to become a child again if he is to grow up and grow old. This involves ridding himself of his mistrust of others and of the cynical worldview he has adopted over a thousand years.

The 1,000-year-old Boy by Ross Welford | Waterstones

This novel has everything you want from a children’s book – pace, plot, great characters who grow and learn from their experiences, and suspense. It has a happy ending. Although I believe that children should not be completely shielded from some of the tragic realities of life (Alfie’s mother is killed and for a time he believes his cat was also), I also think it’s important for the 9-12 age group that there is positive resolution and that good things can come out of bad. That way, I believe, we can help build children’s resilience, a role that books have always had in my life for sure. The dreary prospect of spending a lifetime making caskets instead of wonderful inventions prompts a young orphan to snatch up his little sister and flee. Where? To the circus, of course. Some books leave you, with a warm fuzzy feeling and a smile on your face. This is one of those books.There are lots of stories about people who want to live forever. This is not one of those stories. This is a story about someone who wants to stop… I think the author used symbolism in this book. I think the author used the Livperlers (life pearls) as a symbol to hope. Like Alfie wanted to find the one last life pearl right after the fire, I think the life pearls meant hope for him. Hope is something you have and set goals. You have to work hard with the motivation of hope, and you feel satisfied and glad when you have finally reached your goal with hope. In the book, Alfie wanted to find life pearls right after when his mother passed away, which I can say that it was the only hope for him- to start growing again. He had to go through all the difficulties and obstacles to finally get the life pearls which I think matches the definition. However, hope does not go to the person who has goals and wants hope, not in a good way. In the book, Jason also wanted to get the life pearls but died to try. I really enjoyed this book. It has the perfect blend of history and magic. And I instantly loved Alfie. A sweet, young boy who just wants to be a normal and age like a normal boy. He befriends Adrian and Roxy, two curious kids who offer Alfie what he craves the most - Friendship.

The 1,000-year-old Boy - Welford, Ross: 9780008256944 - AbeBooks

There are stories about people who want to live forever. This is not one of those stories. This is a story about someone who wants to stop... Alfie Monk is like any other nearly teenage boy - except he's 1,000 years old and can remember the last Viking invasion of England. Obviously no one believes him. So when everything Alfie knows and loves is destroyed in a fire, and the modern world comes crashing in, Alfie embarks on a mission to find friendship, acceptance, and a different way to live... which means finding a way to make sure he will eventually die. A heartstopping, poignant, epic adventure story about a boy destined to live forever, who only wants to grow up. I really enjoyed this book. It’s not at the very top of my rating scale, but it’s a great read. Both for adults and tweens, if you like to read about what matters in life. Bringing the concept of living a long life into a tween book is not always easy, but The 1000 Year Old Boy makes it close to home. It’s a fun read too.Alfie monk is left alone all of a sudden, all his life or more appropriately all of his 1000 years of life he had his mother whom he called "mam", but when she dies in a fire accident what will happen to him? Will he remain a child forever? Will his secrets be found out by the public? The only problem is, ‘young’ Alfie is lonely. He craves genuine companionship. But due to his condition, he is never really able to make true friends. You see, after a while, people realize that Alfie doesn’t grow up and see him as a weird kid, eventually abandoning him. After years of facing humiliation and rejection, Alfie has become secluded and avoids human company. Writing: The writing was...eh. It was pretty good, but it was mediocre. However, I did like that Welford wrote the book in two perspectives: Alfie's and Aiden's. It was cool seeing the story in two different ways and I really enjoyed it. It was also pretty interesting reading how Alfie thought different than Aiden because of the huge age gap. As expatiated above, we would be hard-pressed to class The 1,000-Year-Old Boyas historical fiction. So then what of the fantasy genre? This too I feel presents an interesting challenge. While most fantasy novels use fantastical elements to accentuate the novel’s own uniqueness — to wow and hook readers, propelling them into escapist comfort — Welford effectively subverts that notion by presenting the life-pearl, one of the few fantastical elements in the novel, as the central source of distress for the protagonist. Life without death is merely existing; to appreciate all that life has to offer, we must be able to die. Alfie Monk looks like any other 11-year old boy, other than a slightly odd dress sense and teeth that are badly in need of a dentist. However, as the title suggests, he is actually 1,000-years old: frozen in time through the magic of precious life pearls.

The 1,000-Year-Old Boy by Ross Welford Review and Analysis: The 1,000-Year-Old Boy by Ross Welford

It starts of with a boy called Alve Monk (But now called Alfie) at 11 he uses a life pearl which makes him live forever. He lived in a isolated house in the middle of the woods with his mum, as his dad was killed by a man called Jasper. He has been well hidden his whole life and every I’ve someone suspected him he would move house. One day a girl and a boy named Roxy and Aidan find out where they live and work out his secret. Unfortunately Alfies house burns down and kills his mum. He then is helped by his friends to hide him. He gets found out by the police and is put in a care home. He gets in trouble at his new school as he is very start about history. He realises that Aiken’s uncle Jasper has been following him. He needs to find the life pearl so he can grow up like normal. He goes searching for it and gets in trouble with the police a lot. He works out where it is a sails there but Jasper is following them. Alfie finds the place where the life pearl is but its not there because an women named Dr Heinz had already found it. She lets Alfie have it but then Jasper comes and tries to it of him. Jasper ends up falling of a cliff and later dies in hospital. The end was good because Alfie was able to grow up and Aiken’s family adopted him. he also found his lost cat from the fire. Bittersweet, heartwarming and life affirming, Ross Welford has created a wonderful story celebrating friendship, trust and hope, while blending modern living with history. Told from two different perspectives, Alfie and Aidan's stories are woven together seamlessly and it's clear to see how the three main characters use their different strengths to cement their friendship and support each other. Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.I long to grow up, to be a man. I long to be in a hurry to do something, before time runs out. I long for the feeling that life is precious, that I have to cram as much as I can into every sun-drenched day and every frost-filled night; to know that childhood is special because it dies not last forever; to have friends, like Aiden and Roxy, who will not look at me strangely, and then turn away from me when I fail to age like them."