Skellig is the first mainstream Gothic novel for kids to deal unblinkingly with the genre's big time themes, including the fragility of life and redemptive power of love.
— USA Today

British author Almond confidently narrates this recording of his first novel for young people. Michael and his family have just moved to a new home, which proves more dramatic than any of them had imagined. The house is a true fixer-upper, and Michael's new baby sister, born prematurely, is seriously ill. While his parents are consumed with worry about the baby, Michael is left alone with his own fears. But when he explores the house's crumbling garage, he discovers a frail creature with wings who becomes a most magical friend. It's hard to say whether the creature, which eventually introduces itself as Skellig, is a man, an angel or a ghost. As Michael and his new neighbor Mina spend time with Skellig, they learn about the transforming power of caring and love as they tend to Skellig's infirmities and cater to his fondness for Chinese takeout. Part mystery, part fantasy, Almond's story is made all the more memorable by his easygoing delivery and distinctive accent. Ages 8-up. (Apr.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Gr 5-9-Two lonely children form a bond when they secretly take on the care of a crusty, otherworldly old man living in a ramshackled garage. A mystical story of love and friendship. (Feb.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Gr 4-9-Michael was looking forward to moving into a new house. But now his baby sister's ill, his parents are frantic, and Dr. Death has come to call. What is the strange thing beneath the spiderwebs and dead flies in the crumbling garage? The only person Michael can confide in is his new friend Mina. Together they carry the creature out into the light, and Michael's world changes forever. By David Almond. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

...[A] fine book; it reads like an adventure story, studded with ...details of family life and school...a story about worlds enlarging and the hope of scattering death.

Almond pens a powerful, atmospheric story: A pall of anxiety hangs over Michael (and his parents) as his prematurely born baby sister fights for her life. The routines of school provide some relief, when Michael can bear to go. His discovery, in a ramshackle outbuilding, of Skellig, a decrepit creature somewhere between an angel and an owl, provides both distraction and rejuvenation; he and strong-minded, homeschooled neighbor Mina nurse Skellig back to health with cod liver pills and selections from a Chinese take-out menu. While delineating characters with brilliant economy-Skellig's habit of laughing without smiling captures his dour personality perfectly-Almond adds resonance to the plot with small parallel subplots and enhances his sometimes transcendent prose (" `Your sister's got a heart of fire,' " comments a nurse after the baby survives a risky operation) with the poetry of and anecdotes about William Blake. The author creates a mysterious link between Skellig and the infant, then ends with proper symmetry, sending the former, restored, winging away as the latter comes home from the hospital. As in Berlie Doherty's Snake-Stone (1996) or many of Janet Taylor Lisle's novels, the marvelous and the everyday mix in haunting, memorable ways. (Fiction. 11-13) .

"Almond makes a triumphant debut in the field of children's literature with prose that is at once eerie, magical, and poignant."—Publishers Weekly, Starred

"A powerful, atmospheric story . . . the marvelous and everyday mix in haunting, memorable ways."—Kirkus Reviews, Pointer

"A lovingly done, thought-provoking novel."—School Library Journal, Starred

"Its strength as a novel is in its subtlety. . . . Skellig is a fine book."
—The New York Times Book Review

"Some of the writing takes one's breath away."—Booklist, Starred

The re-release of David Almond’s audiobook begins with reflections on how his character Skellig inspired the novel a decade ago. This intriguing character and Almond’s energetic reading usher listeners into an enigmatic plot. Who is the near-dead winged creature Michael discovers eating dead flies in the garage of his new home? Almond breathlessly delivers the mounting mysteries as Michael and his new friend, Mina, try to understand and care for the fragile Skellig. The production also includes Jayne Entwistle’s narration of Almond’s short story “Journey to the Archaeopteryx,” a story-within-a-story that takes place as Mina marvels about winged dinosaurs. Two selections from the SKELLIG opera provide musical interpretation of the story at the end of the production. S.W. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine