Synopsis

ichael, his mum, dad and ill baby sister have just moved to a new house. In the derelict garage Michael discovers a strange man/creature who likes Chinese food (27 and 53). Michael and his home-educated neighbour Mina, develop a friendship with the creature, Skellig. As the story develops, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary man and that his fate is strangely linked to that of Michael’s baby sister.

Notes on the author

• David Almond taught in Newcastle for 5 years before writing Skellig while in a commune in Norfolk in 1998. It took 7 months to write and the story developed as Almond wrote. He felt like the book wrote itself.
• The name Skellig comes from the Skellig Islands off the south west coast of Ireland
• Ideas for the book were rooted in the author’s own experience: he moved to a new house when he was young, which had an old garage and a toilet in the dining room. His little sister was also very ill.
• He chose the numbers 27 & 53, and the names of the two friends, Leakey & Coot, because of the way they sounded together.