What makes Skellig a unique book is that the main character, Skellig, is never fully explained. He could be anything from a sick angel to an ancient bird species. Author David Almond chooses not to tell us exactly "who" or "what" Skellig is, leaving it open to the reader's interpretation.
This book revolves around a 10-year old boy, Michael. When Michael moves into a crumbling, old house with an ancient garage that he cannot resist going into, he encounters a mysterious creature named Skellig. Slowly they come to trust and care for each other and help each other through the most difficult phase of their lives.
The most interesting thing about this book is that it that it belongs to a new genre, where reality collides with fiction and where normal life collides with a with a supernatural element. While we never really get to fully understand what Skellig is, we do know that he has supernatural powers and a heart of gold.
However, some elements of this book may be frightening to young children, such as a ghost-like creature eating live insects and children growing wings and dancing in the air with a supernatural creature. This book may be suitable for children that are 10 or above, adults or more mature audience.
I rate this book 5 stars for its stellar plot, its intriguing characters and a hint of the supernatural.
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