SLIS 5420, Module #5: Skellig

This week's genre: fantasy! Here's a secret: when I hear the word fantasy, all I can think about is wizards, magical potions, and mystical creatures! However, I have once again been proved wrong... First up: Skellig by David Almond! Which, is truly fantastical, but unlike any of the wand-shaking, cloak-wearing fantasy I've read in the past!

Summary

Michael has just moved into a new house with his family: his mother, father, and very-ill baby sister. He begins exploring the desperately-needs-to-be-renovated house and finds a very strange, human-and-bird-like creature squatting in the dilapidated garage. Seeking answers and looking for an escape, Michael soon befriends the strange creature- only to find out that Skellig is much more than just a homeless being in search of good Chinese food (#27 and #53 on the take-out menu, to be exact).

As his sister becomes more ill, Michael stays home from school to help get the house ready for her when she returns from the hospital. He becomes close friends with his neighbor, the homeschooled and quirky Mina, who coincidentally is currently obsessed with birds. After revealing his angel-like wings, both Mina and Michael fall in love with Skellig, spend time helping him gain strength and philosophising Skellig's true identity.

As Skellig comes to a close, so does Skellig's time with Mina and Michael. Thankfully, Michael's newly named sister, Joy, survives heart surgery and joins the family once again just as Skellig goes away. Perhaps it was Skellig, an angel, love, or medical's miracle that saved Joy, but Michael, Mina, and readers will never really know.

My thoughts

Angels do exist. Faith and love can conquer all. There is a movie?!?

David Almond's Skellig has sat on my library shelves for a year- a year!!- and I haven't recommended it to anyone. Unlike other books I have blogged about, however, Skellig's pretty little blue and feathered-covered book has been on display on the top shelf of the library all year long. It's been sitting their, calling for someone to open it's beautiful pages and fall in love just as I have.

I am not a faith-based person. I don't often ponder the likes of life, angels, and miracles. Yet, Skellig has pushed me to do so. I appreciate Almond's mysterious tone and lack of detail- his style just works for this book.

Furthermore, I love and appreciate Almond's extraordinary creation- a bird-like, owl-pellet-making, angelic-wing-possessing, crass-talking Skellig. I have never read a book featuring such a unique creature, which makes Skellig that much more enjoyable in my mind's eye.

What have others said?

From Horn Book Magazine (1999):

The line between reality and fantasy can be very thin, and the interval between life and death even thinner. Michael becomes aware of both these truths in the course of this narrative, which begins when he and his family move into a new house.

And, more from  Horn Book Magazine (1999):

Is he an angel? An owl-man? We're left with mysteries just beyond our grasp. In his first novel for children, British author David Almond has given them something singular to reach for.

And, from School Library Journal (1999):

The plot is beautifully paced and the characters are drawn with a graceful, careful hand. Mina, for all her smugness, is charmingly wide-eyed over Skellig. Michael is a bruising soccer player but displays a tenderness that is quite touching and very refreshing. Even minor characters are well defined. The plot pivots on the question of what Skellig is. It is a question that will keep readers moving through the book, trying to make sense of the cleverly doled out clues. The beauty here is that there is no answer and readers will be left to wonder and debate, and make up their own minds. A lovingly done, thought-provoking novel.

Some ideas for the library or classroom

Skellig would be a great addition to a week or month promoting fantasy. I can see it now, "Fantasy Appreciation Month" in the library- books from Harry Potter to Twilight featured to draw readers in, with not-so-popular but oh-so-wonderful books like Skellig on display. The book will make a fantastic addition to my Goodreads shelf (Check out my books on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8188598-sara) and I'll be sure all of my angel-loving readers get a hold of this book soon!

As for the classroom, the text is heavily-rooted with faith-based connotations, so I don't think it would make for a good read aloud. However, there are some powerful quotes that can most definately get kids thinking and talking, so I'd strongly suggest Skellig be used as a literature circle text during a unit on fantasy. The short length also contributes to its literature-circle friendliness and I can see it being assigned one week and discussed the next.

Here's a fantastic quote to get the conversation flowing (location 530 of 2454):

"They say that shoulder blades are where your wings were, when you were an angel," she said. "They say they're where your wings will grow again one day."

References

Almond, D. (1998). Skellig. New York, NY: Yearling.

Dollisch, P. A. (1999). [Review of the book, Skellig by David Almond] School Library Journal, 45

     (2), 104.

Vasilakis, N. (1999). [Review of the book, Skellig by David Almond] Horn Book Magazine, 75(3),

     26.