  | 1,000-year old boy Author: Welford, Ross | |
| Price: $22.38 | ||
Summary:
Alve Einarsson has lived for a thousand years and is destined to live forever, but yearns to find a way to grow older, just like any other eleven-year-old boy.
| Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 6-8 Reading Level: 4.40 Points: 18.0 Quiz: 77768 | ||
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (09/15/19)
Booklist (+) (10/15/19)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 10/15/2019 *Starred Review* It all started as a lark: Aiden and Roxy, his petite and very capable next-door neighbor, spying on the mysterious cottage in the woods, where Alfie, who looks about 11 years old, lives with his mother. But soon the real adventure begins. After Alfie escapes from the house fire that kills his mother, he hides out in Roxy’s shed. Befriending her and Aidan, Alfie confides that he, one of the legendary Neverdeads, is more than 1,000 years old. And gradually, reluctantly, they come to believe him. In order to retrieve a hidden life-pearl that will enable Alfie to grow up, age, and die normally, they carry out a plan that endangers them all. Shifting between the two boys’ points of view, the dual first-person narrative begins with Aiden lonely and out of sorts in his new neighborhood. It gradually builds in intensity as Alfie’s situation becomes increasingly desperate. The author of Time Traveling with a Hamster (2016) and What Not to Do If You Turn Invisible (2018), Welford is an English writer with a gift for storytelling and a good sense of what will intrigue readers, what will amuse them, and how to juxtapose the two effectively. This well-paced novel will resonate with thoughtful readers. - Copyright 2019 Booklist.
