Product Description

When a move to a new house coincides with his baby sister's illness, Michael's world seems suddenly lonely and uncertain.

Then, one Sunday afternoon, he stumbles into the old, ramshackle garage of his new home, and finds something magical. A strange creature - part owl, part angel, a being who needs Michael's help if he is to survive. With his new friend Mina, Michael nourishes Skellig back to health, while his baby sister languishes in the hospital.

But Skellig is far more than he at first appears, and as he helps Michael breathe life into his tiny sister, Michael's world changes forever . . .

Special tie-in edition to coincide with the Sky1 feature film on TV in Spring 2009, starring Tim Roth and John Simm. (20040515)

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3004 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-19
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Review
' . . . gripping, beautiful and brilliantly written . . . Everyone is raving about this unforgettable book.' (The Sunday Times )

'Touched with a visionary intensity, this strange, hugely readable and life-affirming tale exercises every muscle of the imagination.' (The Guardian )

'A stunning debut . . . An extraordinary book.' (The Sunday Telegraph )

'the most lyrical children's author now writing' (The Guardian )

'Truly original, mysterious and affecting . . . Almond treads with delicate certainty, and the result is something genuine and true'

(Philip Pullman, The Guardian )

'Tremendously innovative, highly original and very moving.'

(Melvin Burgess )

'it's a wonderfully original and beautifully written story and, oddest of all for a children's book, it manages to address the unlikely theme of spirituality with beguiling delicacy.'

(The Irish Times )

'His characters are proper, complex portraits of children that don't succumb to the gender clichés prevalent in children's fiction.'

(The Irish Times )

'A deep and lovely book'

(The Times )

About the Author
David Almond is twice winner of the Whitbread Children's Book Award. His first novel, SKELLIG, won the Whitbread Children's Award and the Carnegie Medal. His second, KIT'S WILDERNESS, won the Smarties Award Silver Medal, was Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal, and shortlisted for the Guardian Award. THE FIRE-EATERS won the Whitbread, the Smarties Gold Award and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. David is widely regarded as one of the most exciting and innovative children's authors writing today, and his books are bestsellers all over the world. He lives with his family in Northumberland.

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Customer Reviews

Skellig
Brilliant book. It kept me interested every the time that I read it to my grandchildren. They enjoyed it too. It's a book which starts out a bit scary but ends well. It also deals in a sensitive manner with the trials and sorrows of children.

Really Good Read
I bought this book for my daughter for her 10th birthday. She had seen the adaptation on Sky and really enjoyed it and I thought she would like the book. She read it quickly and really enjoyed it and I read it after her as I like to see what the books she reads are like and I thought it very different to the usual childrens books and very well written.

Beautiful
A very clever little book for young teenagers and kids - subtle themes as well, and really touching.