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 for ever . . .

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1988 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-19
• Original language: English
• 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 )

Synopsis
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 for ever ...

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, and his most recent novel, CLAY, was shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award, and 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

utterly pointless
This is just about the worst book I have ever read. The characters to me were about as lifless as rag dolls, The story line is about the most feeble out of any book I have ever read and over all I think it was very badly written and not worth purchasing.

Skellig,an excellent read
I read this book to my class of Year 5 children and they thouroughly enjoyed it.The story has lots of themes and patterns within it,some rather sad, which provided some excellent points for discussion. After listening to the story, the children produced some amazing written work.
As a class, we would recommend this book to people of any age over 9.

Okay but not really worth reading
By Alex aged 10


Skellig is a story with a very sombre mood, but as we progress Almond shows us the possibility of the relief of pain through human kindness.
Michael is a well thought out character. He has layers of personality that we do not comprehend at the start of the book. At the beginning he seems to be full of despair and sadness, but, as the book moves on, he opens himself up to the possibility of things he had never imagined possible. Mina is a very interesting character, particularly as she is home educated. Mina proves to be a very good friend to Michael and acts as a sounding board for him. She even helps him find a place for Skellig to stay.

For me Skellig was not a page turner. Despite it being written in the first person, I didn't find myself drawn into the story enough to want know what was going to happen. I did actually finish it and I could see the author's aim, but it just wasn't for me.