Skellig is a fantasy but has enough reality that connects with most readers.  Michael moves to a messy old residence, has new neighbors, and a deathly ill new sister.  He is distracted by the old garage out back and creeps into it to find a man/creature.  The greatest strength in his new life is the girl next door, Mina.  She helps relocate the creature to her deceased grandfather’s deserted mansion.  Together they face the uncertainties of Michael’s little sister’s life which somehow is connected to why Skellig is there.  Michael and Mina nurse Skellig who appears at the hospital and baby Joy comes home.  Interspersed in this story is a feel of a mystical world, a look at the real world of grief, and the love of friends and family.  Publishers Weekly says,” The author adroitly interconnects the threads of the story Michael's difficult adjustment to a new neighborhood, his growing friendship with Mina, the baby's decline to Skellig, whose history and reason for being are open to readers' interpretations. Although some foreshadowing suggests that Skellig has been sent to Earth on a grim mission, the dark, almost gothic tone of the story brightens dramatically as Michael's loving, life-affirming spirit begins to work miracles.”

Mr. Almond’s entry into children’s literature has been compared to Madeleine L’Engles Wrinkle in Time because of its cosmic, dreamlike tone.  Kirkus Reviews says, “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.” The text is laid out into 46 short chapters.  His writing clearly delineates all the characters and gloomy setting.  Publishers Weekly says, “British novelist Almond makes a triumphant debut in the field of children's literature with prose that is at once eerie, magical and poignant.”  School Library Journal says, “The plot is beautifully paced and the characters are drawn with a graceful, careful hand.”

Skellig is a good entry book for young readers into the genre of fantasy.  It is a simple story with only one part that is fantastic.  School Library Journal says, “The plot pivots on the question of what Skellig is. It is a question that will keep readers moving through the book, trying to make sense of the cleverly doled out clues. The beauty here is that there is no answer and readers will be left to wonder and debate, and make up their own minds. A lovingly done, thought-provoking novel.”

Dollisch, Patricia A. Review of Skellig in School Library Journal. Available from: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0440416027/ref=dp_item-information_1/103-2041485-5145439?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=283155. Accessed 11 November 2004

Review of Skellig in Kirkus Reviews. Available from: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0440416027/ref=dp_item-information_1/103-2041485-5145439?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=283155. Accessed 11 November 2004

Review of Skellig in Publishers Weekly. Available from: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0440416027/ref=dp_item-information_1/103-2041485-5145439?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=283155. Accessed 11 November 2004