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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
This is a great middle grade read! Both my middle grade reader and I really liked it. I think it would be a good one for the classroom library as well.
Every single one of Ross Welford's books are on my TBR, but this is the first one I have actually read. Alfie Monk has lived for 1,000 years and in this book we hear the story of his (incredibly long) life, entwined with what is happening in the present day. Horrifically, Alfie's home is destroyed in a fire, leaving him with nothing and no-one. He is forced to trust the only people he has spoken to in a long time, after learning not to get close to people because they get suspicious, to help him carry out a plan that he promised his mother before she died. We watch as Alfie goes to school and correct the history teachers, accidentally gets into an awful lot of trouble, and discover what true friendship is.
adventurous
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am going to preface this by saying I didn’t look at the reading level when I picked this book! 🙈 I read the review, thought it was interesting and went from there. I thought it might be something like The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared… instead it is for 10 year olds! 😂
That said, it is an engaging read for the right age. Alfie Monk is an interesting character… he’s not presented as heroic, even the way he came into his ‘immortality’ is rather foolish but the book does raise a lot of questions on the negative side of being an eternal 11 year old. Including how the challenges changed over time along with practical things like dental care. It seems being immortal doesn’t mean your teeth are!
But Alfie doesn’t exactly act like someone who is 1000 years old. The off hand comments about seeing historical battles or knowing long dead writers come across as quite clunky. However his relationship with the other main characters – Aidan and Roxy – is beautifully presented and really encapsulates the importance of childhood friendship when everything is “Serious” and the adults just don’t understand.
All in all it was an enjoyable read with a lot of action and adventure. If you have a kid who likes to read, get them to give it a go!
Very cute! I enjoyed the world of this, it was expanded to the right amount I felt and the historical side fit in with the rest of the plot well. There were a few awkward scenes where I was a bit like oh okay I don’t really need to read about twelve year olds peeing on a fire in a book about the strains of immortality but here we are. And the pacing annoyed me a little, they were always referencing something about to happen in the next chapter- but that’s more of a personal preference. I thought the characters were great, and the relationships in this book were really lovely and felt very strong. There were lots of nice extra details, like Alfie’s teeth being worn down and Roxy’s relationship with her mum, that really added to the feeling of the book. I really liked it! Feels a bit nerdy to admit but as soon as I finished it I thought “I’m going to put this in my classroom”.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Alfie has lived with his mother for over 1000 years. Moving from place to place they have to hide their existence from ordinary people. Until the fire when he loses everything and is left on his own. Now he has no choice but to trust in the people who call themselves his friends.
There are stories about people who want to live forever.
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.
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.
I am not into fantasy at all.
This is my first one in some time.
I feel in love with the cover and the plot for this one.
And I must say, it is a rather cute story.
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.
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.
I am not into fantasy at all.
This is my first one in some time.
I feel in love with the cover and the plot for this one.
And I must say, it is a rather cute story.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This book was based on such a smart and creative concept that I would love to revisit many times more. It delves into an idea that humanity as a whole has wished for or considered since time began, but instead of making the point that to live forever is a blessing, it is shown to be a curse. This made the plot all the more interesting.
Unfortunately the book didn't really grasp my attention as much as I thought it would going into the story, so it took me quite a while to read as I read it in sporadic bursts during the times where the book hit highs, and trudged through the lows quite slowly.
However, the author makes you root for Alfie to get where he wants to in the end, paints a sinister picture with Uncle Jasper, sees a grudging friendship grow between Aiden and the group, and utilises Roxy's firey personality to command the scenes that she's in.
I'd absolutely love to give this another crack, as I tend to enjoy a book more the second time round when reading it. Once being familiar with the characters, I grow a fondness to them in the second round.
The message projected overall in the story is a beautiful one, to not take life for granted, because without the safety of immortality, there's only so much we can do in life, so we should grasp the ever wasting time in both hands and treasure its importance.