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Submitted by Anonymous 
(Feb 15, 2004)

Skellig review [by ben danby age 12]

Skellig -a book written by david almond- is a mystical, magicial and simply wonderful book. It won a Whitbread Award in 1998 and is recomended around the country,let me tell you the storyline... Michael, a young ,bright little boy moves to a new home away from his school ,his friends and his house. His baby sister is ill and may die and just as he thought it couldn't get any worse,...it just did.... next to his new house which is more like a dump,is an old , stinky, crumbling garage....curious to see what's inside, Michael checks inside and he discovers something....
something mysterious...something magicial...something amazing.......find out yourself in this fantastic novel.

What can I say... This book was the juxtaposition of live and the afterlife, it dealt with the issue of do angels exist? and also demonstrated the ideals of home schooling vs govermnent educational systems.

After the first page I was hooked. Who was this individual that our main protagonist was talking about? The intrigue of this notion made me read on and i'd pretty much finished the book in just over an hour!

The constant agony of Michael's parents was so empathetically written that it made me feel as if I were Michael, worrying about my own infant sister. I'm glad it all worked out welll in the end.

Mina to me was the metaphysical representation of the notion 'Should children be educated at home or be subjected to government education systems. Michael has the applicational knowledge to converse with Mina, however it is Mina who takes it upon herself to introduce Michael to the arts including fanatics such as Keats.

Overall, a fantastic read.

Would I recommend it... Most definitely! However, don't take my word for it... Enjoy!!

I picked this book out randomly at the library and I am glad I did. I cried throughout the middle and end of the book. The characters are portrayed simply, but have so much dimension. This book is profound in its style, message and meaning. The best part was when Michael's mom told them about her dream. My dad came in and asked if I had a fight with my boyfriend. I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs to be inspired.

Where to start....... First of all I'd like to say that this book is clearly quite special. I have read a lot of the reviews previously and was interested to get my own view on the themes of the novel.

Michael is plunged into a world unfamiliar to him; New house, new sister, new journeys, new friends. And along with these changes comes a lot of new emotions, probably emotions that Michael has never had to deal with previously being an only child. Does he resent his baby sister?? His parents for the fact that he feels ignored and un-important due to this unexpected arrival? All of these issues were beautifully written into the book and become the very fibre of the world in which Michael lives.

I found the book very touching. Such a wonderful portrayal of a boys take on life, love, rebirth, faith, belief, friendship, courage. What I noticed also, and picked up by some of the reviewers previously, was the theories of evolution. I know that many people don't believe in this for religious and other reasons, but encapsulated in the novel, I believe it is there to demonstrate what we as a species could come to. Where are we on the chain from beasts to angels, anyway???

I'd love to delve into the thoughts and theories behind the novel but now isn't the time or place. My advice is -

Read the book! If you have read it, Read it again and really put yourself there, in Michael's world and believe, listen deeper, and have faith in humanity.

My first impressions when I looked at the book were that it was going to be mysterious and strange, which it was in a way.

I enjoyed the book as I liked all the similes and adjectives that were given to describe Skellig, it really helped me to imagine what he looked like, the way he ate and the way he moved. I also liked the way that Skellig changed from being weak to strong. I thought it was good how David linked Skellig in with Michaels sister too. It sort of brought the two parts of the story together. I thought the story was very imaginative as well.

I enjoyed most of the story but there were a few odd chapters where it got slightly boring.

It was a brilliant book and I found the part about Michaels baby sister really moving.

I think the creativity of the book is marvellous and it was sort of an adventure story too.

There were happy parts and sad parts and parts where it got really exciting too, which I think were good.

If people are into adventurous and mysterious books then I would advise them to read it! When I read it I kept on wanting to read on and find out what was going to happen. I would give the book a nine out of ten overall