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Summary: Mysterious and Moving...A Wonderful Book
Review: While looking for a new novel to read aloud to a group of fifth grade students, I stumbled onto Skellig by David Almond. I expected a somewhat mysterious tale, and I wasn't disappointed. What I was totally unprepared for was the beauty and strange sweetness, the well-developed relationships between the characters, and the touching ending. I literally cried for two hours...ok, I cry easily, but I believe this to be one of the best novels I've read in a long time. As a read aloud, I'm not sure if my students are quite ready for Skellig. I'm going to pilot it this week and will report back when I've finished.
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Summary: Extrordinary!
Review: Skellig is an extrodinary piece of literature. It is equally good for both adults and children. Skellig is beutifully written. It is extremely lyrical, almost like a very long poem. The plot is thin, but still, the detial makes this book impossible not to finish. Michael has just moved to a new house, with no friends, and on top of that, his family is in a really hard situation. Michaels new baby sister is sick, and they don't know whether she'll live. And Michaels new house is dilapidated and the "garage," as the real estate agent calls it, is so broken down that it's unsafe to go inside. Michaels house seems empty. He is very lonely.Michael however, goes in. He finds something, a creature like an angel, but not quite. Great book, maybe one of the best I've read. Definitely a must-have. Five stars!
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Summary: Incredible
Review: This book is one of those stories that make you want to keep them secret and held inside of you, but are so good you want to rave to random people on the streets. It reads with the kind of clarity and beauty that I have seen only in The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle. This book is truly special.
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Summary: An irresistable read...
Review: Almond's 'Skellig' is truely remarkable. Who wouldn't like their own guardian angel! A wonderful insight into Michael's mature handling of the issues of love, friendship and more importantly his sister's possible life and death situation.
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Summary: Rachel's Review on 'Skellig' By David Almond
Review: I first heard about Skellig when I recieved a letter from one of my favourite authors,J.K Rowling.She mentioned it as her favourite book so i thought I would read it. I found the story very Moving and Imaginative and I recomend it to anyone of any age. I have now read two of David Almond's books anmd found them both wonderful. Skellig is definatly one of my favourite books.
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Summary: Skellig
Review: I own this book, and I really enjoy the way it is written, in a sort of lyrics. Also, I enjoyed a book talk that author David Almond gave at a local bookstore. I would take the time to read the book, and if you see it featured in a book talk, please take the time to go.
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Summary: Reads like beautiful music .............
Review: Beautiful and lyrical, this strange and wonderous book will lead you and your child into unknown and uncharted territory. I'm really not sure what to make of David Almond's novel but reading it is a wonderful experience. Not necessarily a child's book, many adults would find it profound
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Summary: Breathtaking stuff!
Review: In my quest to get adults to read more children's literature, I put this into their hands and tell them "it's just as good as Harry Potter, but different". It seems to work - they almost all come back and tell me how wonderful it was.This is another corker from what was a very good year for supposed kids' books; they started to get the recognition they deserved, and there was some great writing in the genre, including this. (Another was "Holes" by Louis Sachar, and "The Prisoner of Azkaban" of course.) "Skellig" is very dark, and very original; I've never read anything quite like it. Unusually for a junior novel, the plot is very thin but immensely satisfying. The prose is beautifully spare and dream like. Attention to detail makes this book strong - the descriptions of the garage where Skellig is found, the brown ale and cold, congealed Chinese take-away, and the characters of the three main characters who are believable and interesting, despite this being a fantasy novel. This is a stunning book, and essential reading for anyone who has anything to do with children's books.
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Summary: A beautiful fantasy -- you won't want it to end
Review: As a young-adult writer, I read many books for this age group. Often, they tend to be formulaic. Not Skellig! From the moment Michael discovers the strange creature -- man, bird, or angel? -- in his parents' garage, I was taken in. You will be too, whether you're a child or an adult. Almond's attention to detail (Would an other-worldly being eat chinese food?) is what gets you. But what holds you are Michael's "real world" problems, his baby sister's illness, his family's move, the fact that his old friends, Leakey and Coot, think his new friend, Mina, strange. I was unable to put this book down until I found the resolution. I'll be buying a copy for my 10-year-old nephew, but I recommend it for both kids and adults.
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Summary: Hey,grownups! This one's for you, too.
Review: How wonderful to find an author with the perception tounderstand that young people are capable of exploring andunderstanding the same concepts that adults like to see in good literature! Skellig has so many levels of meaning; faith, frienship, family, where do we fit in the grand scope of the universe... Like Louis Sachar's Holes, this novel has woven every story element into a complex, beautifully crafted reading adventure. It is sometimes dark, mystical, and eerie, but ultimately uplifting. Sure to become a classic! A perfect choice for reading groups that include mothers and daughters.
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