Reviews

The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale by Jon Klassen

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schwerti's review

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

So, I had this book recommended to me and I didn’t quite realise what it was until I started reading it. I think I approached this book all wrong – I borrowed it as an eBook on my library’s app. As this as a graphic novel / children's book, reading it as an eBook (in this particular format at least) did not do it justice. The illustrations looked lovely enough but I wish I’d read this as a physical book.

Obviously this was a very, very quick read for me but I did like it a lot. It’s creepy and unsettling, simply told, and very atmospheric. As I said, I wish I’d read this in a different format, but for what it was, I enjoyed it.

b00k15hwyrm's review

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4.5

#ReadHarder2024

-Read a picture book published in the last five years-

Today (2024, August 10) I finished the story, alongside the audiobook, The Skull written by Jon Klassen and narrated by Fairuza Balk. It’s a retelling of a Tyrolean folktale that follows a little girl named Otilla befriending a skull. It is broken up into 5 parts spanning 122 pages with a 22 minute audiobook.

The story starts off with Otilla running away, but we aren’t told why. It gets to a point where she falls into the snow and cries. After getting up, Otilla keeps running until she comes across a very big house. That is when she meets the skull, who lets her in his house.

I have two favorite parts. The first one is when she feeds the skull a pear slice and as he “eats” it, it falls onto the floor. My second favorite part is when Otilla and the skull are wearing decorative masks and, as she holds him, are dancing in the ballroom. I thought that was really cute.

I’d recommend this book to those that enjoy cute macabre stories, especially those involving strange friendships. I’d also recommend this to those looking for something spooky to read during October. I’d give this retelling a 4.5/5.