The Boy Who Was facts for kids

The Boy Who Was is an exciting historical fantasy novel for children. It was written by Grace Taber Hallock. The story is about a special boy named Nino. He has a gift: he can live forever! Nino gets to see 3,000 years of history unfold around the Bay of Naples in Italy.

Nino witnesses many amazing events. He sees the destruction of Pompeii by a volcano. He is there when Rome is attacked. He also sees the Children's Crusade and the arrival of Garibaldi, a famous Italian hero. The book has cool illustrations by Harrie Wood. It was first published in 1928. In 1929, it received a special award called a Newbery Honor.

Story Overview

The book starts with an artist visiting Sorrento, Italy. This artist meets a young goatherd named Nino. Nino agrees to let the artist sketch him. In return, the artist helps Nino paint some small figures he has carved. These figures represent important people and events from the past 3,000 years of history in the area. They start with the mythical Odysseus and the Sirens. They end with the Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi.

Nino's Special Gift

The first two chapters explain Nino's amazing secret. About 3,000 years ago, Nino became friends with a magical siren. To thank him for his friendship, the siren gave Nino a wonderful gift. He would live forever and always be healthy! Because of this gift, Nino gets to experience history firsthand.

Ancient Times

Building a Temple

In one part of the story, Nino sees the ancient Greeks. They are building a huge temple for their god, Poseidon. This temple is in a place called Paestum.

The Volcano and Pompeii

Later, Nino experiences a terrifying natural disaster. He is there when Mount Vesuvius erupts. This powerful volcano destroys the Roman city of Pompeii.

The Fall of a Kingdom

Nino also witnesses the end of the Ostrogothic kingdom in southern Italy. This was a time when different groups fought for control after the Roman Empire ended.

Medieval Adventures

Normans and Pirates

Nino helps tell a story about brave Norman soldiers. These soldiers lived sixty years before the time of Robert Guiscard. They successfully fought off an attack by Saracen pirates on the city of Salerno.

The Children's Crusade

Nino meets a young boy who leads a special journey. This journey is known as the Children's Crusade. The story is told from two points of view. One is from a minstrel who sings about it. The other is from the young leader himself, whom Nino befriends.

Students and Spies

Nino gets involved with John of Procida. John was a very clever diplomat and spy. He worked for the Hohenstaufen rulers of southern Italy. He worked against the French ruler Charles of Anjou.

Later Eras

Redbeard the Pirate

Nino sees a raid by a famous Muslim privateer named Barbarossa. Barbarossa attacks the town of Amalfi. But a miraculous storm saves the town from destruction.

The Carbonari

In a later adventure, Nino helps a secret group. This group is called the Carbonari. They wanted to change how Italy was ruled. Nino helps them capture an Italian Prince. This helps the Prince understand their cause better.

The End of the Story

The book ends with a short poem. The author wrote this poem especially for Nino. It brings the story of his long life to a close.