Skellig [Paperback]

Michael can feel his sick baby sister's heart beating inside him, and as long as he can feel it he knows she is alive. But as her condition becomes life-threatening and the family faces the nightmare of an operation to save her life, Michael turns to his new friend Mina and the strange being, Skellig, who has been living beneath the crumbling garage at the family's new home.

In this most delicate and tender story of a young boy living in fear of death and coming to terms with life, you can almost touch the indefinable magic that Skellig--part owl, part human, part everything and nothing--brings to Michael's unsettled world.

With the gentle touch of an angel's breath, Almond, in his first novel for children, lets his characters think, feel and believe without overwhelming sentimentality. A dream of a book to touch even the hardest of hearts. --Susan Harrison

' . . . gripping, beautiful and brilliantly written . . . Everyone is raving about this unforgettable book.' (THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )

'Touched with a visionary intensity, this strange, hugely readable and life-affirming tale exercises every muscle of the imagination.' (THE GUARDIAN )

'A stunning debut . . . An extraordinary book.' (THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )

'Touched with a visionary intensity, this strange, hugely readable and life-affirming tale exercises every muscle of the imagination.'

'A stunning debut . . . An extraordinary book.'

Acclaim for SKELLIG (the story):
'Tremendously innovative, highly original and very moving. David Almond is a fascinating new voice.' --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

'This is a story which burns bright from first to last, and for long after the last is over.' --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Acclaim for WILD GIRL, WILD BOY:
'Touching, beautifully focused.' --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

'Tense and involving ... something not to miss.' --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

When a move to a new house coincides with his baby sister's illness, Michael's world seems suddenly lonely and uncertain.



Then, one Sunday afternoon, he stumbles into the old, ramshackle garage of his new home, and finds something magical. A strange creature - part owl, part angel, a being who needs Michael's help if he is to survive. With his new friend Mina, Michael nourishes Skellig back to health, while his baby sister languishes in the hospital.



But Skellig is far more than he at first appears, and as he helps Michael breathe life into his tiny sister, Michael's world changes forever . . .

Critical acclaim for Skellig from the press & fellow authors
'A story of love and faith, written with exquisite, heart-fluttering tenderness. It is an extraordinarily profound book, no matter what the age of the reader' - THE CHAIRMAN OF THE WHITBREAD JUDGES 'Utterly gripping...A marvellous and unnerving debut' - TES 'Tremendously innovative, highly original and very moving. David Almond is a fascinating new voice' - MELVIN BURGESS 'Gripping, fascinating, beautiful' - JOAN AIKEN 'Tense and involving . . . something not to miss' - THE INDEPENDENT

'Touched with a visionary intensity, this strange, hugely readable and life-affirming tale exercises every muscle of the imagination' - THE GUARDIAN 'A stunning debut...an extraordinary book' - THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'A beautifully written, superbly crafted modern fable'-THE BOOKSELLER 'This is a story which burns bright from first to last, and for long after it is over. A quite extraordinary book. Unforgettable.' - MICHAEL MORPURGO 'Stands head and shoulders about the rest...Almond is clearly an exceptional writer.' - LITERARY REVIEW 'Gripping, beautiful and brilliantly written...one of the great discoveries of the year...everyone is raving about this unforgettable book' - THE SUNDAY TIMES 'An intensely written and fast moving fable...a considerable achievement'-BOOKS FOR KEEPS 'I read this luminous novel with a sense of wonder - and it's left an imprint on my mind - and yes, my heart - that will not easily, if ever, fade. In fact, I think Skellig deserves that risky adjective - unforgettable.' - ROBERT CORMIER

David Almond is twice winner of the Whitbread Children's Book Award. His first novel, SKELLIG, won the Whitbread Children's Award and the Carnegie Medal. His second, KIT'S WILDERNESS, won the Smarties Award Silver Medal, was Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal, and shortlisted for the Guardian Award. THE FIRE-EATERS won the Whitbread, the Smarties Gold Award and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. David is widely regarded as one of the most exciting and innovative children's authors writing today, and his books are bestsellers all over the world. He lives with his family in Northumberland.