Skellig is a fantasy book written by British author David Almond. It was published in 1998. Skellig was Almond’s first book for young people and probably the best known. The book has won some prizes for example The Michael L. Printz Award. There is also a film based on it. Film was released in 2009.
The main character of the novel is Michael a ten years old boy. Mina and Skellig also have a quite big roles in the story. Other characters are Michael’s mom, dad and baby sister, Mina’s mom, Dr. Death, Leakey, Coot and Mrs. Dando. The author has described the characters and their personalities well. Story is told from Michael’s point of view.
The book tells a story about Michael. He and his family move into a new house and Michael doesn’t like it. His baby sister is ill and everybody are worried about her. At the new house’s yard there is a dilapidated garage. Michael is told not to go there but when others are inside the house he defies the proscription and goes in the garage. Inside he finds a lots of dust, old items, dead bugs and something strange in the corner. It looks like a human but it can’t be. At first Michael thinks that he doesn’t tell anybody about what he saw but when he gets to know Mina, a girl from next door, he decides to tell her. Here begins Michael and Mina’s adventure.
Skellig is a great story about friendship, curiousness and the healing power of love. I think that the book was pretty good and I would like to watch the film too. I haven’t read any books in English before so Skellig was perfect for me because it was easy to read and the plot was clear and compelling. I can recommend this book especially for those who haven’t read much in English but also for others who like this kind of books.