And I remember Mina, Michael’s gloriously spirited best friend. She’s the one who doesn’t believe in education and would rather draw pictures of birds, create models out of clay and quote William Blake at all those nay-sayers. She’s the one who’s wild around the edges and doesn’t make apologies for being different. And she’s the one who is "extraordinary” and will hold Michael’s hand and give it that extra squeeze if he’s feeling like he’s drifting away. I can't eat a chinese takeaway without thinking about this strange and beautiful book about an angel who seems to have lost his way.

The story talks about Michael, a young boy, who moves into a new house with his family and discovers a strange frail creature in the decrepit, crumbling garage next to their house. Together with his new friend and neighbour Mina, Michael decides to help the creature and slowly discovers more and more about his intriguing and mysterious identity. Through their adventure, which almost seems like a dream, both children’s lives and view of the world is changed forever. The sense of both realism and magic are maintained in this book. What I personally enjoyed is how well the author describes a child's eyes being opened, not only to times of change and transition, but to the most extraordinary and wondrous things. The book also teaches tolerance, as well as a belief in the power of love and hope. It also considers the magical possibilities of evolution of a species and the links between all forms of life. This book is indeed a powerful reminder that the world is full of mysteries, some of which can be explained away and some of which remain unsolved. Touched with a visionary intensity, this strange, hugely readable and life-affirming tale exercises every muscle of the imagination.” GuardianI also remember how quiet this story is, and how it’s poignant and beautiful and occasionally uncomfortable to read. And I remember that joyous ending. And I also remember how I wished I had friends I could communicate with using an owl call. “Hoot. Hoot hoot hoot.” And I remember Whisper and how much I used to want a cat just like him. His first children's novel, Skellig (1998), set in Newcastle, won the Whitbread Children's Novel of the Year Award and also the Carnegie Medal. His subsequent novels are: Kit's Wilderness (1999), Heaven Eyes (2000), Secret Heart (2001), The Fire Eaters (2003) and Clay (2005). His first play aimed at adolescents, Wild Girl, Wild Boy, toured in 2001 and was published in 2002. Michael becomes intrigued with medical conditions like arthritis as his baby sister has been taken to the hospital for her heart condition, and frequently visits her as her condition worsens. The distant, winged Skellig, who remains grumpy and abrasive, finally confirms his name to be Skellig and begins to open up to Mina and Michael. This book brings together a lot of fears and worries that may affect children, whether it be directly within their family or understanding a friend’s situation. The book touches on new babies coming into a family, moving house, illness and possible death within the family and making new but different friends.

West, Dave (19 March 2008). "Sky One sets three major HD series". Digital Spy . Retrieved 2 September 2008.Michael's friends, Coot and Leaky, become skeptical about Michael and try to find out what he is hiding from them. Michael and Mina try to keep it a secret from them, and have to move "Skellig" plenty of times during the story. ... It's hard to be a cynic, much less a hatah when you have something pure like this. This may not be my favorite book, but I can't say that I didn't enjoy giving up a few hours on a Wednesday night to visit Michael's world. David Almond is an award winning author. Skellig, his first book for young readers, received many awards and accolades, including: