King Arthur Movie Tristan

title: Skellig

author: David Almond

genre: young adult fantasy

published: 1998

pages: 182

first line: I found him in the garage on a Sunday afternoon.

rated: 4 out of 5 stars







Michael is twelve years old, lives in his new house with his mom, dad and baby sister, who is very sick with a weak heart.
One day while in the garage in his backyard, Michael finds an odd creature, a man, with a squeaky voice, bugs crawling all over him and tattered clothes.

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 tells his best friend Mina about his discovery, he wants to make sure that what he is seeing is real and not just his imagination. Mina is homeschooled and has a passion for William Blake's poetry, which appears throughout the story.


We later find out that this creatures name is Skellig and that he has wings. What he truly is or where he has come from, remains a mystery. He is clearly sick and Michael decides he needs to nurse him back to health.






Michael's baby sisters illness is always on his mind, and he feels as though when he feels his own heart beating, he can also feel the baby's. I loved the thought of that.

"They say that shoulder blades are where your wings were, when you were an angel," she said.


"They say they're where your wings will grow again one day."


"It's just a story, though," I said. "A fairy tale for little kids. Isn't it?"


"Who knows? But maybe one day we all had wings and one day we'll have wings again."

I enjoyed this book very much. There's that bit of creepiness to the story, due to the way Skellig is described. And there is also that mystery as to what this creature really is. He seems to be angelic, but has features and habits that go against how we might think an angel would be.



Michael is likeable right away, he has a kind heart. He wants to nurse Skellig back to health. He visits him and brings him food. The way he loves and worries over his baby sister is also touching. His baby sisters illness is a big part of the story, as are his parents and the way they deal with it.




All in all, a great read. Highly recommended.

Writing can be difficult, but sometimes it really does feel like a kind of magic. I think that stories are living things-among the most important things in the world.
-David Almond