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ineffablebooks's review against another edition
4.0
Thankfully not miserable at all like I had feared - weird and quirky and strange, but pretty enjoyable for a text that kids have to study. I’m going to enjoy picking this apart for lessons
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
ankim's review
4.0
The best part about this book is the fact that the children sound and act, amazingly, like children. Even though Mina came precariously close to setting off my "unrealistic and abnormally precocious child" alert, Michael's dialogue and thoughts and worries are so refreshingly those of a 12 years old.
My favorite parts are when Michael has a conversation with a sympathetic teacher who expresses warmth and compassion about his family's situation, and in response he runs off and rejoins his friends and executes a crazy football maneuver, somehow expressing his feelings better than any inner monologue.
My favorite parts are when Michael has a conversation with a sympathetic teacher who expresses warmth and compassion about his family's situation, and in response he runs off and rejoins his friends and executes a crazy football maneuver, somehow expressing his feelings better than any inner monologue.
dom_brlw's review
3.0
Michael just moved from his home. His baby sister is sick and his new house looks like a ruin.
Unhappy, he goes to his garage that he's been forbidden to go to and discovers a man. Or is it a man? Michael doesn't have an answer to that but he does know that whatever is hiding in there is terribly sick and needs help.
Then, he meets this strange girl called Mina, with whom he quickly becomes friends. Sharing his secret with her, they decide together to help and save the creature in Michael's garage.
A touching story I'm happy to have read.
Unhappy, he goes to his garage that he's been forbidden to go to and discovers a man. Or is it a man? Michael doesn't have an answer to that but he does know that whatever is hiding in there is terribly sick and needs help.
Then, he meets this strange girl called Mina, with whom he quickly becomes friends. Sharing his secret with her, they decide together to help and save the creature in Michael's garage.
A touching story I'm happy to have read.
mikimeiko's review against another edition
5.0
This might be the first good book I read this year.
From the very first page, I was enchanted. Really likeable and interesting characters, a good story, and a quiet sense of beauty.
From the very first page, I was enchanted. Really likeable and interesting characters, a good story, and a quiet sense of beauty.
saroz162's review against another edition
3.0
I think enjoyment of this book probably depends a lot on the kind of fantasy that appeals to you. If you like low-fantasy, even magical realism, novels where the fantasy reflects and explains the emotional undercurrent of the story, I think this could be a very impactful book (especially if you read it as a child). As a jaded adult with a preference for fantastical works, though, I found it at least somewhat wanting.
I like the dichotomy Arnold sets up between the mundanely earthy Skellig - a creature who complains of arthritis and demands aspirin and Chinese food - and the mysterious, almost dreamlike way in which he affects the world of Michael, the protagonist, and his friend Mina. What appeals to me far less is the language that implies an almost psychic link between Michael and his baby sister, who is born with a heart condition (a Chekhov's gun if ever I've met one). How Skellig's arrival impacts this situation threatens to send the book into "spiritual woo-woo" territory several times. Arnold tries to throttle any overt religiosity by bringing evolution into it, but it honestly just muddies the water even further. Is Skellig really there? Apparently so - Mina can see him, too. Is he what he appears to be? Probably. Why did he show up in Michael's life at this precise moment? Er...
The whole book ends up in an emotional soup that combines despair, faith, and awakening all at the same time. Some readers may (and obviously do) find this cathartic, but to my mind, it's too pat; several logical loose ends are simply covered over with a brief bit of handwaving. We really never know much about Skellig, who he is, or how he grows strong again. It just happens - in the space of a few lines - because his recovery is required by the emotional climax. While Michael's own emotional catharsis makes sense in the context of the information he is given, because the book is told in first-person, we never know more than he does. Our awareness remains at the level of a ten-year-old - and a relatively passive ten-year-old, at that.
There are some obvious similarities between this book and Patrick Ness' A Monster Calls, and I think the Ness book pulls it off somewhat better, in part because its climax, while similarly telegraphed, doesn't pull any punch. That book faces up to the anger that comes with grief, and importantly, its fantasy elements spring naturally from the real-life conflict (and would not exist without that conflict). Skellig, on the other hand, works fantasy elements into position to underscore and solve conflict - which is a different approach, and to my mind, less effective
I like the dichotomy Arnold sets up between the mundanely earthy Skellig - a creature who complains of arthritis and demands aspirin and Chinese food - and the mysterious, almost dreamlike way in which he affects the world of Michael, the protagonist, and his friend Mina. What appeals to me far less is the language that implies an almost psychic link between Michael and his baby sister, who is born with a heart condition (a Chekhov's gun if ever I've met one). How Skellig's arrival impacts this situation threatens to send the book into "spiritual woo-woo" territory several times. Arnold tries to throttle any overt religiosity by bringing evolution into it, but it honestly just muddies the water even further. Is Skellig really there? Apparently so - Mina can see him, too. Is he what he appears to be? Probably. Why did he show up in Michael's life at this precise moment? Er...
The whole book ends up in an emotional soup that combines despair, faith, and awakening all at the same time. Some readers may (and obviously do) find this cathartic, but to my mind, it's too pat; several logical loose ends are simply covered over with a brief bit of handwaving. We really never know much about Skellig, who he is, or how he grows strong again. It just happens - in the space of a few lines - because his recovery is required by the emotional climax. While Michael's own emotional catharsis makes sense in the context of the information he is given, because the book is told in first-person, we never know more than he does. Our awareness remains at the level of a ten-year-old - and a relatively passive ten-year-old, at that.
There are some obvious similarities between this book and Patrick Ness' A Monster Calls, and I think the Ness book pulls it off somewhat better, in part because its climax, while similarly telegraphed, doesn't pull any punch. That book faces up to the anger that comes with grief, and importantly, its fantasy elements spring naturally from the real-life conflict (and would not exist without that conflict). Skellig, on the other hand, works fantasy elements into position to underscore and solve conflict - which is a different approach, and to my mind, less effective
booksaremyfavorite's review
3.0
Some children's books are written so well and so beautifully that they provide equal if not greater entertainment for adults. After reading the reviews, I thought this might be one. It was not. It was good, but it was not truly great.
The imagery is vivid. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of birds in this book, particularly the owls. The children's relationships with their parents is honest and accurate. There are beautiful sections.
I'm not sure what it was. It was compelling, but it didn't grab me the way I thought it might.
The imagery is vivid. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of birds in this book, particularly the owls. The children's relationships with their parents is honest and accurate. There are beautiful sections.
I'm not sure what it was. It was compelling, but it didn't grab me the way I thought it might.
libby_gt's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did! Almond has a real skill for crafting language and the world he creates is gritty and haunting. I was intrigued by the characters from the beginning and really liked how much Michael grew in confidence (and in acknowledging and expressing his emotions) over the course of the narrative.
Upper KS2 students would get a lot out of this book. Skellig is such an unusual character and a lot could be drawn from how he is described and framed. The plot overall would also elicit conversations about identity, family, friendship, anxiety and hope. Many children may recognise the struggles of dealing with illness within the family and relate to Michael's worries about his sister and parents.
The motif of birds and evolution also fits wonderfully with the Year 6 science topic on the theory of evolution. Though the novel is not entirely scientifically accurate, Mina's fascination with the environment may illuminate work focussing on animals and habitats. Mina herself is also an interesting point of discussion in her individual approach to education and knowledge. I am looking forward to reading Skellig's prequel, "My Name is Mina", in due course.
Upper KS2 students would get a lot out of this book. Skellig is such an unusual character and a lot could be drawn from how he is described and framed. The plot overall would also elicit conversations about identity, family, friendship, anxiety and hope. Many children may recognise the struggles of dealing with illness within the family and relate to Michael's worries about his sister and parents.
The motif of birds and evolution also fits wonderfully with the Year 6 science topic on the theory of evolution. Though the novel is not entirely scientifically accurate, Mina's fascination with the environment may illuminate work focussing on animals and habitats. Mina herself is also an interesting point of discussion in her individual approach to education and knowledge. I am looking forward to reading Skellig's prequel, "My Name is Mina", in due course.
jimbus's review
Remembered I read this because my sister picked up a copy in a charity shop. It was on the year (8/9?) syllabus that we both experienced at the same school. Reading this in class was one of the first times that I had read an entire novel and worked with people to try to pick it apart. I remember nothing, now, except a fallen angel who eats some takeaway food.
amaldae's review against another edition
5.0
A true favourite for a good couple of years, and therefore one of those books I'm now scared beyond measure to touch again. Re-read I think only once, on March 4, 2012 - but successfully.
lizaroo71's review
4.0
this is a beautiful story about the mysteries that surround us in nature, in life and within ourselves.
michael is a young boy that has a baby sister who is sickly. his family has just moved into a new home, where michael has to adjust to new surroundings. his mother spends most of her time with his sister in the hospital.
michael befriends a precocious young girl mina. she and michael make a discovery in his garage that makes a huge impact on the two young people and their lives.
a very intriguing read.
michael is a young boy that has a baby sister who is sickly. his family has just moved into a new home, where michael has to adjust to new surroundings. his mother spends most of her time with his sister in the hospital.
michael befriends a precocious young girl mina. she and michael make a discovery in his garage that makes a huge impact on the two young people and their lives.
a very intriguing read.