Worth Another Look: Skellig by David Almond
“Have you read SKELLIG?”
That was the question a colleague asked me over 10 years ago. My answer: “No, what is it about?” Her answer was to mail me an ARC. It arrived on a Friday and I sat down at my desk and started to read it while I waited for my slow dial-up connection (remember this was 10 years ago) to retrieve my email. I didn’t even notice that it had gotten dark outside, ignored my email and I didn’t get up from my chair until I had finished reading this marvelous story.
SKELLIG the book and Skellig the character are each a bit of a puzzle, to me they both appeared when they were needed, the book for me and the character for our main character Michael. Both the book and the character give us an opportunity to believe, in the power of words and the power of faith. Never preachy, this story evolves in lovely and unexpected ways.
That evening was the beginning of my love of all books written by David Almond, I was so enamored of his storytelling and his wonderfully original characters that I even ordered British editions of his books and happily paid for the books and the shipping charges simply because I couldn’t wait for the US editions that the US publisher I work for would eventually be selling.
David Almond has a unique ability, through his use of language and narrative pacing to take situations that can be frightening and overwhelming and make them all right for his characters, and for readers. If you haven’t read SKELLIG you must, it’s a rare treat.
SKELLIG will always be my favorite of David Almond’s books but please be sure to check out his other titles too.
SKELLIG has been produced as a movie, I have yet to see it but I can only believe that if the film is true to David Almond’s story then it can’t be anything but amazing.
For more about David Almond and Skellig, check out this wonderful piece that ran this week in The Guardian.
We have five DVDs of the Skellig movie to give away. We’re sure you’ll love it! Many times, of course, the book is better than the movie. Comment below and tell us which children’s book you loved more than the movie made of it to win a Skellig DVD. We’ll draw five names on Monday.
Random Acts of Reading 
I love love love Skellig and find myself recommending it to adults more often than young readers. Just talking about it now makes we want to order Chinese food and spend the evening re-reading it.
Book better than the movie: Holes by Louis Sachar
I’m really loving this blog. I’ve already requested/asked my library to order a number of titles I’ve read about here. Skellig will be next.
Thanks, all!
I still haven’t read Skellig, although it is definitely on my list–I work for an independent bookstore as the children’s manager and remember my buyer years ago gushing over it, telling me how fabulous it is! I have, of course, sold it a million times based on her review, and I may just grab it and read it tonight!!!
Better book than movie–Bridge to Terabithia. No comparison. The movie could never capture the rawness of emotion in the book. I didn’t read this one until a few years ago. I flew through it one sunny Saturday afternoon and cried my little eyes out. Beautiful book.
“Stuart Little” comes to mind first as a great book/perplexingly mediocre movie pair. It’s also a great example of how childrens’ book illustrators aren’t taken seriously even when their work is said to be beloved and inseperable from the timeless classic. That kind of lip service is all well and good for books, but Hollywood likes to put a little Now in their Timeless.
Kit’s Wilderness was my first experience with David Almond—so haunting! Skellig is probably my favorite, though. Did you see he’s also written Mina’s story? I may break down and order it from Amazon UK….
Good book, bad movie: Lightning Thief.
If you can wait until October 2011, Random House/Delacorte will be publishing the US edition of MY NAME IS MINA.
OMG ! We are going to study this book this year 😀 😀