Customer Reviews
utterly pointless - By: Paul Chaston, 18 Jul 2008 
This is just about the worst book I have ever read. The characters to me were about as lifless as rag dolls, The story line is about the most feeble out of any book I have ever read & over all I think it was very badly written & not worth purchasing.
Skellig,an excellent read - By: V. L. Quinn, 07 Mar 2008 
I read this book to my class of Year 5 children & they thouroughly enjoyed it.The story has lots of themes & patterns within it,some rather sad, which provided some excellent points for discussion. After listening to the story, the children produced some amazing written work.
As a class, we would recommend this book to people of any age over 9.
Okay but not really worth reading - By: A. J. Bee, 04 Mar 2008 By Alex aged 10
Skellig is a story with a very sombre mood, but as we progress Almond shows us the possibility of the relief of pain through human kindness.
Michael is a well thought out character. He has layers of personality that we do not comprehend at the start of the book. At the beginning he seems to be full of despair & sadness, but, as the book moves on, he opens himself up to the possibility of things he had never imagined possible. Mina is a very interesting character, particularly as she is home educated. Mina proves to be a very good friend to Michael & acts as a sounding board for him. She even helps him find a place for Skellig to stay.
For me Skellig was not a page turner. Despite it being writtenin the first person, I didn't find myself drawn into the story enough to want know what was going to happen. I did actually finish it & I could see the author's aim, but it just wasn't for me.
Beautiful - By: Mrs. K. A. Wheatley, 22 Nov 2007 This book is mind blowing. Slight though it is, & for children though it is supposed to be, it is one of the books I would insist is on every adult bookshelf, because if you haven't read it, you haven't lived.
The story revolves around a teenage boy whose parents have just had a baby. The baby is premature & seriously ill. The parents spend all their time at the hospital leaving the boy to pretty much fend for himself.
The story is told by him, about his feelings about what is happening to him. He meets a girl whose mother home schools her & whose outlook on life is very different to that of his friends who just want to play football & mess around. The friendship is a lifeline at a time where he needs a way to understand the world around him.
In the middle of all of this, they make a startling discovery. an angel is livingin the boy's garage, but like no angel you will ever imagine...
This sounds fantastic, but Almond's down to earth narrative, seen through the eyes of an ordinary boy roots this bookin a reality which makes the miraculous so believable. The sparseness of the prose allows the beauty of the book to bloom & find a placein your heart. It is profoundly moving & at the end of the book I found that I was crying like a baby.
Amazingly powerful.
