The 1000 year old boy is a brilliant book which in a very simple way explains quite a strange and difficult concept. This book tells the story of a boy called Alfie. He is a 
completely normal boy. Except for the fact that he has a lucid memory of the last viking invasion. Completely normal.
This book explains without any confusion about death. It tells how Alfie is tired of being immortal and wishes to be a normal person who never gets older. It says how he wishes he could be a normal person who will eventually die.
I love the way that Ross Welford has created the powerful meaning of this book in a really simple and light way. His words paint pictures in your mind and I love the way he has structured the story so that he has written in first person for lots of different people. There is also lots of humour along the way. He is almost manipulative because of the way that he can make you look at everything from one characters point of you and make you agree with that one. Then, he will switch the character he is focusing on and just as easily make you follow that person’s story! I love how at the end there are lots of loose ends which aren’t sort of left dangling in a way that disappoints you. But, instead in a way that enhances your imagination and sets it free. If I had to rate this book I would give it a nine out of ten! Sometimes, you can find that the switching of character can be a bit tiring, not confusing, but a bit unnecessary. Apart from that what’s there not to love? A 1000 year old boy, two nosy children, one tiny pearl and one huge adventure!
The Books On Our Shelf 