Skellig
by David Almond
★ Top 25 book of 1998 · #12 on Best Books of 1998
Ten-year-old Michael is anxious about his seriously ill baby sister when he discovers a mysterious figure in the crumbling garage. With his new friend Mina, he brings it into the light and his world shifts.
Best for: Young readers who enjoy mysterious discoveries and stories of friendship during hard times
Skellig is #12 on BookWard's Best Books of 1998, out of 36 1998 books that cleared our data bar.
What Skellig is about
Ten-year-old Michael has just moved to a new house with his family, and worry fills it. His baby sister was born early and has a heart condition that could take her life. Out in the crumbling garage he finds a thin, grumpy man who asks for aspirin and Chinese food, and who comes to be called Skellig.
Michael shares the discovery with Mina, a home-schooled girl from across the road who loves birds, drawing and the poems of William Blake. Together they begin to suspect that Skellig is not quite human, and they try to keep him hidden from Michael's friends. David Almond tells it in a lyrical, tender voice, mixing everyday fear with a sense of the miraculous. It suits young readers, and anyone older who likes a quiet story about friendship, hope and wonder. It won the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year.
Skellig on the Best Books of 1998
Skellig came out in 1998. Of the 36 books first published in 1998 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #12 on our Best Books of 1998 list.
Why it made the list: 328 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.8 out of 5 (19 ratings); 21 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 1998 list
- The Art of Happiness His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso the XIV Dalai Lama, #10
- Rainbow Six Tom Clancy, #11
- The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver, #13
- Working with Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goleman, #14
See all Best Books of 1998 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1997 Best Books of 1999.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 285 want to read it, 21 are reading it now and 22 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 3.8 out of 5 from 19 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 64 | 55% |
| Reader love | 28 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 72 | 20% |
Questions about Skellig
When was Skellig published?
Skellig by David Almond was first published in 1998.
Was Skellig one of the best books of 1998?
Skellig is #12 on BookWard's Best Books of 1998, out of 36 1998 books that cleared our data bar. 328 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.8 out of 5 (19 ratings); 21 are reading it right now.
Why is Skellig on the Best Books of 1998 list?
328 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.8 out of 5 (19 ratings); 21 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 1998
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J. K. Rowling, #1
- Holes Louis Sachar, #2
- A Clash of Kings George R. R. Martin, #3
- Bag of Bones Stephen King, #4
- Among the Hidden Margaret Peterson Haddix, #5
- Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson, #6
See the full Best Books of 1998, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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