book data
568 ratings, 3.80 average rating, 120 reviews
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published
September 11th 2001
by Laurel Leaf
binding
Mass Market Paperback, 208 pages
literary awards
2000 Printz Honor Book
isbn
0440229081
(isbn13: 9780440229087)
description
"I thought he was dead. He was sitting with his legs stretched out and his head tipped back against the wall. He was covered with dust and webs like everything else and his face was thin and pale. Dead bluebottles were scattered on his hair and shoulders. I shined the flashlight on his white face and his black suit."
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 719)
Our teacher read this book to us in sixth grade. It was really interesting. But wierd. It is adventureous (if thats how you spell it) and exciting. I would recomend it to anyone.
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I wept. Buckets. And was happier for it.
My son had this book for a school project so I read it to help him out. He had to prise it from my fingers after an hour and a half, and I wanted to go back and read it again. It embodies all that I think is good in Young Adult fiction, an unspoiled, simple but honest and direct approach - the themes are complex, but the storytelling is pure. I think adult fiction is just too pretentious sometimes, and this shows how a story can be emotive, mystical...more
My son had this book for a school project so I read it to help him out. He had to prise it from my fingers after an hour and a half, and I wanted to go back and read it again. It embodies all that I think is good in Young Adult fiction, an unspoiled, simple but honest and direct approach - the themes are complex, but the storytelling is pure. I think adult fiction is just too pretentious sometimes, and this shows how a story can be emotive, mystical...more
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There's a homeless some one (or something) living in the garage. The main character befriends him.
It has been a while since I read this (i.e. bad summary), but I wanted to let folks no how great this book and author is. He has a unique writing style- or maybe story style. There's a marriage of darkness with elements of hope. This is often cited as his best, though I personally prefered Kit's Wilderness.
It has been a while since I read this (i.e. bad summary), but I wanted to let folks no how great this book and author is. He has a unique writing style- or maybe story style. There's a marriage of darkness with elements of hope. This is often cited as his best, though I personally prefered Kit's Wilderness.
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recommends it for:
Anyone with a little imagination
What is Skellig? That's the beauty of this book; you never really know for sure.
David Almond leaves you to decide and imagine for yourself.
If you want to be moved, intrigued and inspired, read this.
David Almond leaves you to decide and imagine for yourself.
If you want to be moved, intrigued and inspired, read this.
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recommends it for:
9-10 graders
This is an enchanting fantasy set in modern times. It's a quick read and written very poetically.
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recommended to Mirkojeck by:
teacher
a very interesting book. it's about a teen aged boy, called Michael. he just moved houses and isn't liking it, his parents started repairing the house, the baby came early, and the whole family is in a mess. when he first moved into the house he had several strange encounters, the first was meeting Skellig, who to him appears to be a homeless guy living in his garage, then there's Mina, a girl around the same age of Michael, who is home schooled by her mom. later Michael learns more about Skelli...more
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Read in September, 2008
recommended to Woojae by:
Schoolrecommends it for: Young readers
This book is a easy book and it makes you think what will happen. David Almond, the author of this book, never gives you a definite solution, situation and makes you to imagine. Skellig is not defined as an angel or just a evolved human-bird. This is where you think. Is he a angel? Or not? However, what Mina says is ""We can't know. Sometimes we just have to accept that there are things we can't know" and this concludes all the questions about Skellig and Mina and Michael realizes...more
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Who is Skellig? Or, more correctly, what? When Michael discovers the ragged, dusty man existing on dead flies in the garage, he is shocked. But the riddle of Skellig must compete with Michael's constant worry about his baby sister, who can't seem to get well. British writer Almond, in his first book for young people, weaves a story that is part mystery, part dream, part anxious everyday life. Michael, who has moved to a new house that is sadly in need of repair, finds friendship with a girl next...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone who likes mystery books
Skellig was about a boy named Michael who just moved into a new house with his mother and father. As soon as they move in Michael's baby sister is born and she has to stay in the hospital because she was born too early (a few months early). Michael finds a person/thing/animal in the garage... he keeps feeding him what he wants, if he wants 27 and 53 or also known as the Food of the Gods (two orders from a Chinese Take-Out Restaurant, brown nectar (gin), and aspirin. Michael then becomes friends ...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Wayne by:
Cenrecommends it for: Laura
An interesting and strange book. Michael (his age is never said but I picture him about 12) has just moved across town. While he still goes to the same school he is in a new neighborhood. At the same time as the move Michael's mother gives birth to a little girl. The baby is too early and not very healthy. She is in the hospital near death for most of the story.
The house that his family moves into needs a lot of work and in the backyard is a separate garage that is virtually falling dow...more
The house that his family moves into needs a lot of work and in the backyard is a separate garage that is virtually falling dow...more
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Read in March, 2008
English 425 Submitter’s name _Cati Howard__
Book Bank Book Bank subject: __Horror___
Reference information:
Title Skellig
Author David Almond
Publisher Dell Laurel-Leaf Year 1998
# of pages 182 Genre Horror
Reading level 4.3 Interest level 10-12 year olds
Potential hot lava: none to speak of
General response/reaction:
I was a little disappointed by this book after I read it. I felt like this story lacked the depth and detail that, if possessed, could make it a book ...more
Book Bank Book Bank subject: __Horror___
Reference information:
Title Skellig
Author David Almond
Publisher Dell Laurel-Leaf Year 1998
# of pages 182 Genre Horror
Reading level 4.3 Interest level 10-12 year olds
Potential hot lava: none to speak of
General response/reaction:
I was a little disappointed by this book after I read it. I felt like this story lacked the depth and detail that, if possessed, could make it a book ...more
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English 425 Submitter’s name __Kelly Boehm____
Book Bank Book Bank subject: Horror
Reference information:
Title: Skellig
Author: David Almond
Publisher: Laurel-leaf Year: 1998
# of pages: 182 Genre: Fiction
Reading level Interest level: Middle School
Potential hot lava:
General response/reaction:
This book was ok. I didn’t really dislike the book or like the book. I could see this book being taught focusing on characterization and trust.
Subjects, Themes, and Big ...more
Book Bank Book Bank subject: Horror
Reference information:
Title: Skellig
Author: David Almond
Publisher: Laurel-leaf Year: 1998
# of pages: 182 Genre: Fiction
Reading level Interest level: Middle School
Potential hot lava:
General response/reaction:
This book was ok. I didn’t really dislike the book or like the book. I could see this book being taught focusing on characterization and trust.
Subjects, Themes, and Big ...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
all ages
This was a tremendous book with a mysterious and fantasy plot. To give a short summary about the book, it is about a boy named Michael who moves into a new house with his family. However there is something different and special about this house that lies within the broken down garage. When he enters the garage, he finds a mysterious creature who he later finds out is an angel! As the plot moves on, it gets even better and more interesting. You find out that his baby sister is having a life...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
reluctant readers
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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recommends it for:
Everyone in the whole world.
Skellig is the kind of book that literature-addicts dream about. The story is fresh, original. In a world where teen fantasy almost equates a story about an apprentice so-and-so becoming an unlikely hero in order to fulfill a destiny and save the world, Skellig brings something new. Rather than an action-packed quest, the story is one that deals with the heart. Rather than take you to mythic realms you have never seen before, David Almond shows his readers our world in a new light. It is the tal...more
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Read in June, 2005
A young boy's family moves to a new, old, house. The boy's infant sister is very sick and will undergo heart surgery. In the decrepit shed/garage on the new property, the boy discovers an old man, apparently a vagrant eating bugs and wasting away. When the boy tries to help the man, he discovers a pair of very frail wings folded on the man's back.
This was a wonderful, lyrical story...the kind that shows that writing for children can be very strong and powerful. There is some wonderful subtex...more
This was a wonderful, lyrical story...the kind that shows that writing for children can be very strong and powerful. There is some wonderful subtex...more
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Read in April, 2008
When Michael and Mina encounter the strange creature——a bird? an angel? a human? a dinosaur?——they learn to accept the mystical elements of love and life that entwine them in the healing of Michael’s yet-unnamed baby sister. William Blake celebrated these notions in his poetry, and the author draws references to Blake when Mina and her mother quote the pre-Romantic poet. Almond carefully avoids creating a concrete image of Skellig; instead, he leaves the reader to interpret this somewh...more
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Read in September, 2008
Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, David Almond’s “Skellig” is a story for dreamers. Having moved to a new home, Michael has a lot on his plate, from the rundown house that is, literally, falling down around his ears to his new baby sister, born premature, that the whole family worries about losing. But while dealing with all of this a mystery enters his life—a mystery named Skellig. Who is Skellig? What is Skellig? Well, Michael and his new friend Mina think he might be an ange...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
5th grade on up
"I thought he was dead. He was sitting with his legs stretched out and his head tipped back against the wall. He was covered with dust and webs like everything else and his face was thin and pale. Dead bluebottles were scattered on his hair and shoulders. I shined the flashlight on his white face and his black suit."
Michael finds Skellig in the dilapidated garage of the new house his family has moved into.
Is Skellig part-bird? An angel? Michael keeps him a secret from his pare...more
Michael finds Skellig in the dilapidated garage of the new house his family has moved into.
Is Skellig part-bird? An angel? Michael keeps him a secret from his pare...more
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Read in November, 2008
Michael's baby sister is ill, and to top it off, he's had to move from his old home to a new one, a real fixer-upper. In the garage he finds a mysterious man with a secret. With the help of a new friend he tries to find a way to save his sister and rescue the mystery man.
This was a lovely story. I won't presume to say what it is about, but to me it says something about family and love and a great deal about wonder and hope. While I could have done without some of the emphasis on evolution, i...more
This was a lovely story. I won't presume to say what it is about, but to me it says something about family and love and a great deal about wonder and hope. While I could have done without some of the emphasis on evolution, i...more
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