Skellig by David Almond
Dec. 1st, 2011 09:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Michael steps into the crumbling garage. What is this thing beneath the spiders’ webs and dead flies? A human being, or a strange kind of beast never seen before? The only person Michael can confide in is Mina. Together, they carry the creature out into the light, and Michael’s world changes forever …
Having recently moved into a house that needs renovation, Michael and his parents have to put the work on hold when his baby sister (always sickly) falls suddenly ill and is rushed to hospital. While his parents worry about his sister, Michael checks out the dangerously derelict garage where, to his surprise, he discovers a strange and scrawny man with white wings hiding out there. The man, Skellig, just wants to be left alone, but Michael coaxes him back to health, with the help of Chinese food, beer and his friend the other-worldly Mina who lives next door. Together they persuade Skellig to leave the dangerous garage and when they do, Michael’s world changes forever …
David Almond’s novel justly won the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year in 1998. A delicately told novel with strong themes of love and faith, it’s about a boy who wants desperately to believe that the strange winged man in his garage is an angel, only to be confronted with the fact that the man has lost all faith in himself. Michael has to confront and express his own feelings of worry and concern for his sister in doing so learns about himself and how he relates to other people.
Although I thought that Michael was brilliantly and sensitively depicted, while Skellig is a strangely animalistic, decrepit being, for me the star is Mina. Intelligent, curious and with a unique view on life, the book really comes into its own when she’s on the page. There’s a real mystery about what Skellig is and I loved the fact that Almond leaves it to the reader to decide for themselves.
All in all, I thought this was brilliant, sensitive and touching read that had me in tears at some points. Well deserved its award wins and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
The Verdict:
David Almond’s award-winning middle grade novel is a brilliant, sensitive and touching read about faith and love that frequently reduced me to tears. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Thanks to Hodder Childrens Books for the free copy of this book.
Michael steps into the crumbling garage. What is this thing beneath the spiders’ webs and dead flies? A human being, or a strange kind of beast never seen before? The only person Michael can confide in is Mina. Together, they carry the creature out into the light, and Michael’s world changes forever …
Having recently moved into a house that needs renovation, Michael and his parents have to put the work on hold when his baby sister (always sickly) falls suddenly ill and is rushed to hospital. While his parents worry about his sister, Michael checks out the dangerously derelict garage where, to his surprise, he discovers a strange and scrawny man with white wings hiding out there. The man, Skellig, just wants to be left alone, but Michael coaxes him back to health, with the help of Chinese food, beer and his friend the other-worldly Mina who lives next door. Together they persuade Skellig to leave the dangerous garage and when they do, Michael’s world changes forever …
David Almond’s novel justly won the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year in 1998. A delicately told novel with strong themes of love and faith, it’s about a boy who wants desperately to believe that the strange winged man in his garage is an angel, only to be confronted with the fact that the man has lost all faith in himself. Michael has to confront and express his own feelings of worry and concern for his sister in doing so learns about himself and how he relates to other people.
Although I thought that Michael was brilliantly and sensitively depicted, while Skellig is a strangely animalistic, decrepit being, for me the star is Mina. Intelligent, curious and with a unique view on life, the book really comes into its own when she’s on the page. There’s a real mystery about what Skellig is and I loved the fact that Almond leaves it to the reader to decide for themselves.
All in all, I thought this was brilliant, sensitive and touching read that had me in tears at some points. Well deserved its award wins and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
The Verdict:
David Almond’s award-winning middle grade novel is a brilliant, sensitive and touching read about faith and love that frequently reduced me to tears. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Thanks to Hodder Childrens Books for the free copy of this book.
