The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey is a young adult fantasy novel starring protagonist Alfred Kropp, whose odd proportions and penchant for failure has made him feel like an outcast among both his family and his classmates. Alfred is sure that he is just a normal, goofy-looking kid until the day he becomes an accessory in the petty theft of a sword from his uncle's office building, which plunges him into a hidden world of Arthurian legends and modern-day knights. The novel, published in 2005, received a Carnegie Medal nomination. The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, the first in a trilogy by Yancey, is followed by Alfred Kropp: The Seal of Solomon and Alfred Kropp: The Thirteenth Skull. The book begins with an introduction to the life of fifteen-year-old Alfred Kropp, who lives with his uncle in a small apartment. A shy kid, uncomfortable around girls and with few friends, he is cursed with unusual proportions – his head, hands, and feet are abnormally large, leading his classmates to believe he's mentally handicapped. They give him nicknames like Frankenstein. Because of this, Alfred spends most of his time in his bedroom listening to music, rather than going on dates and playing football like the other kids his age. Alfred's family history isn't a particularly cheery one. He never knew his father, who left before he was born, and his mother died of cancer when he was twelve-years-old. For the three years following, Alfred lived in half a dozen foster homes before his Uncle Farrell took him in. Uncle Farrell is kind to Alfred though not particularly intelligent. However, Alfred makes light of his home life and his sad fate with his incredible sense of humor. The action in the novel begins when Uncle Farrell comes up with a scheme to steal a sword from the office where he works as a security guard. Alfred isn't sure about the legitimacy of the plan, but Uncle Farrell is convinced selling the sword will help them get rich, and that nobody will suspect him of the crime. But when they go to steal the sword, something strange happens – Alfred and Uncle Farrell are attacked by three hooded monks, whom Alfred somehow defeats though he's never fought with a sword before. Uncle Farrell and Alfred run back to their apartment with their loot, but once they get home, they are attacked by Arthur Myers, who kills Uncle Farrell but takes mercy on Alfred. Later, Alfred learns from Bernard Samson that the sword he stole is Excalibur and that the monks who attacked him are the ancestors of Arthurian knights who have vowed to protect the sword. The final thief and murderer of Uncle Farrell, Arthur Myers, is a terrorist. Bernard, telling Arthur that he is going on a mission to get his sword back from Myers, asks Alfred to pray for him. Taken in by another foster family, Alfred isn't satisfied with his normal life; he struggles to live with the guilt of stealing the sword and putting the world in danger. Alfred starts hanging out at local coffee shops, where he runs into Bennacio, one of the hooded monks who attacked him the night of the theft. Through an interaction with Bennacio, Alfred learns that Excalibur has the power to heal, and because he was cut with the sword during the theft, he now has that power as well. Eventually, Alfred convinces the reluctant Bennacio to help him track down the sword and find Arthur Myers, whom the knights and Bernard know as Mogart. The two are chased, hijacking cars and evading the police to reach Stonehenge, where the international organization responsible for protecting Excalibur has agreed to an exchange with Mogart for a large amount of money. However, Mogart double-crosses them and all the knights are killed, even kind Bennacio. Alfred is saved by Mike Arnold, who takes the sword, but suspecting Mike of collaborating with Mogart, Alfred steals Excalibur and runs away to a nearby hotel to hide. Mogart calls Alfred, threatening to kill Natalia, Bennacio's daughter, if Alfred does not give back the sword. Alfred travels with the sword to Merlin's Cave to save Natalia. During the fight, Alfred reveals information that Bennacio gave him before he died – that he is Bernard Samson's son, and thus, an heir of Lancelot. Outraged, Mogart tries to kill Alfred, who passes out and has a vision of a beautiful woman in a garden. In the tradition of the King Arthur myth, Mogart cannot extract Excalibur from the stone where it is stuck. Alfred returns to consciousness, takes the sword from the stone, and kills Mogart. The novel ends with Alfred, certain that he could never return to his normal life after such a wild adventure, calling the international organization responsible for the care of Excalibur and asking them if he can join their ranks in the fight against “agents of darkness.”

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Richard (Rick) Yancey

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