The 1000-year-old Boy
by Ross Welford
Genre: Fiction/Children’s Book
Published: 2018
Ratings: 5/5
Alfie Monk, his mother (Mam) and cat (Biffa) were living in a cottage located in the woods, close to the Whitley Bay for many years. They lived in seclusion to avoid curious residents, who heard rumours that Alfie and Mam remained ageless while their acquaintances got older.
Alfie believed that his actual age would have been more than 1000 years old. His body remained as an 11-year-old boy because of a life-pearl liquid he rubbed on his wound, which resulted in him becoming a never-dead.
Alfie longed for a friend, but his Mam was wary. Matters got complicated before, and the experience with an old friend, Jack McGonagal, had taught Mam to avoid any sort of attention that would resort them to moving house.
Then, tragedy struck.
Alfie’s cottage caught fire and claimed his Mam victim. For the first time, Alfie felt lonely and vulnerable without his Mam. Mam was best at providing advice on keeping their secret. While the authorities were on the lookout for Alfie to assist in the fire investigation, he managed to struck up a friendship with Roxy Minto and Aidan Linklater.
Roxy and Aidan have been helping Alfie on many occasions. At first, Alfie managed to stay under the radar at Roxy’s garage, with both of them keeping mum. Unfortunately, he was spotted by Aidan’s younger sister, who reported him to the police. Alfie got handed over to the social services department and was made to attend school. Later events proved that Alfie was too experienced for a boy his age.
Alfie’s final grand plan came up while he was grieving for his Mam. Alfie decided to embark on a mission to hunt for the last life-pearl that Mam hid and end his forever existence by resuming the ageing process. He depended on Roxy and Aidan to fulfil his mission by stealing a boat and sail to Coquet Island to find the life-pearl.
A thrilling read for all ages. There were many interesting characters and historical references added to the plot—references mentioned were fictitious, though. The 1000-year-old Boy is available for purchase at Kinokuniya online store or go to the NLB Mobile app to loan the electronic copy.
