Skelling

Chapter 1-2
At the start of the novel it puts lots of question in your head. This makes the reader want to read on to
answer the questions. Like who or what is the thing in his garage and what has happened to the baby? It
also describes everything in great detail to put an amazing picture in the readers head. When the boy
mentions that there had been a man that had died in the house it starts to add some suspense and ask
even more questions.

In chapter two the boy almost gets into the garage and makes it sound really scary by talking about how
old it is and how it could collapse any second. It also answers some of the questions. He says that the
garage was covered in cobwebs and rats are running everywhere. (Hamish)

Chapter 3-4

In chapter 3 in the book Skellig michael looks around the garden which the retailer and his dad said would
turn out looking great but was far from it. After lunch he heard Doctor Death come in he called him Doctor
Death because of his face that was grey, he had black spots on his hands and the fact that he didn't smile.
His real name was Doctor Dan but Doctor Death was a name michael thought fitted him much better.
Michael walked over to the garage again and heard the same scratching noise, turned on the torch and
walked in. Soon after he went in to the garage he knew he would have to go inside but he noticed
someone he thought was dead. He was covered in dust and dead blue bottles. Michael shone the torch on
his pale face and black suit when he said " what do you want?" and his eyes opened and his voice
squeaked like it hadn't been used in years. Then Michael's parents called for him so he exited the garage
and his dad mentioned again to keep away from the garage as it was dangerous and falling apart and to
wipe off the dust that covered him.
In chapter 4 Michael is in bed but can't sleep because every time he closes his eyes he sees the man from
the garage, he imagines him covered in blue bottles and even sees him come right up to his bed. After
trying to get to sleep and failing he walks in to his mum and dads room to see his baby sister. Michael
could feel her heart beating fast and there was a drop of milk on her neck. His mum woke up and asked his
what he was doing but he just replied nothing. (Alex)

Chapter 5: Michaels mother took the baby for more check-ups at the doctor and Michael kept worrying
about the mystery man in the garage. Michael had his first day at school since he moved house, when they
moved his parents asked if he would like to move schools also. He declined this offer. He talked to Mrs
Dando at lunch. She had been treating him like a child since she had noticed how down-hearted he had
seemed lately.

Chapter 6: When he got home he noticed Ernies toilet was in the garden and there was a hole in the floor
where it had been. His Dad joked that it would make a good garden seat, but Michael didnt find it very
funny. His Dad said he had something to show him so Michael followed him into the garage. His Dad
opened a paper parcel to show Michael what was inside. There were four objects in it; they had obviously
once been pigeons. One of them however looked different from the others. It was black while the others
were white and grey. His Dad explained that he had found that one under a pile of dust and soot that had
fallen down the chimney. Michael rested his fingers on the bird; it was as hard as stone. Michael kept
trying to convince himself that he was dreaming and that the man wasnt actually there in the garage.
Later on he went back to the garage to see if he was still there. Michael didnt think he would see him. But
he did. [Ella]

Skellig Summary of chapters 7-8

In chapters 7-8 Michael goes into the garage and sees that the old man is still there. You can tell that the
old man was hungry because he was eating dead spiders and bluebottles. Michael starts talking to the old
man and the old man asks him if he has any aspirin. Then Michael asks the old man if there is anything he
wants to eat the old man says 27 and 53 but Michael doesnt really understand. After a while the old
man starts to get sick of Michael and starts telling him to go away or leave him alone and the old man
really wants to be left alone. Also Michael meets one of his neighbors who live on his street she is called
Mina and at first she seems a bit moody. Michael decides to go back inside and his dad complains that
there is no bread or eggs so his dad decides to have a takeaway and his dad asks him what he would like
and Michael says 27 and 53. (Lewis)

Chapter 9-10

Michael saw Mina in her garden down the street and found that she lived on the same street as him. She
was tlooking at birds and said to Michael that drawing makes you look at things more closely, she had lots
of drawings in a book. Michael thought that Mina thought he was stupid becausehe thought that
blackbirds were black.That night he was woken by his baby, he waited for everyone to go to sleep again
and then he went into the garage and gave the man in the garage some asprin and food from the local
chinese take-out. Michael was asking lots of questions about where the man was from and who he was but
the wouldn't tell him.(Jake)

Chapter 11-12

In the morning Michaels dad wanted an aspirin, but he couldnt have one, because they were in the
garage with the strange man where Michael had left them. At school Michael learned about how man
originated from monkeys and drew a picture of a monkeys and humans skeleton. Mrs Dando came and
talked to him again, but then his friend saw him and Michael ran away and played football. Michael took
the drawing of the monkey and human skeleton home. On the bus back to his house, Michael met a man
and he asked what the picture was of. Michael had a chat with him and the man talked about a monkey he
saw at a circus. Michael could see that the man wasnt all there and told him that he had a man in his
garage. The man then went on and talked about a lady on a trapeze and that he swore she could nearly fly.

When Michael got home the doctor was there again. The baby had to go back to the hospital and Michaels
mum was blaming the new house. His dad said that he would work harder on the house and Michael said
he would too, but his dad did not hear him. They had a snack and Michaels mum went upstairs. Michael
followed and saw she was angrily packing the babys things. She noticed Michael and he asked her what
shoulder blades were for. She was annoyed and went halfway downstairs then stopped and came back up.
They then had a conversation about why people had shoulder blade. She said that people say that they
were where your wings were when you were an angel, and that they will grow again one day. Michael
thought it was just a story for little kids, but who knows. He wondered if he should tell her about the man
in the garage, but he didnt. They dropped the baby and mum off at the hospital, then Michael and his dad
went home and his dad went back to painting the walls. Michael drew a skeleton with wings from the
shoulder blades then he noticed Mina sitting on top of the back wall.(Caroline)

chapter 13 - 14

When they enter the derelict building Mia tells Micheal to say nothing when they reach the next room
because they don't know who Micheal is. At this point of the book Micheal is doubting whether to go in or
not but he does in the end. When they enter the room, a few birds are in there and are looking at him but
the birds did
nothing towards Micheal. He is relieved when he finds out that its birds on the other side of the door.
micheal is going to cut back the wilderness and he is struggling very much when the the sharp thistle
thorns stick into his skin. While he was cutting back the wilderness he saw heaps of bugs and insects
crawling everywhere he moved. They had a break and thought about his sick sister in hospital and
wondered about the things she will do when she is better. Micheal then went over to the old broken
garage and wondered about the man who lay there inside of it. Micheal tried to communicate with the
man in the garage but there was no response. he then went over to mina in her garden after he got out of
the car from the hospital.
[joss crawford]

chapter 15-16
michael was sitting on the branch next to mina,he showed mina how to make the hooting sound of an owl,
at first she didnt get how to do it then she did. Minchael was in the garage and shone a torch on the
creatures pale face and gave him some 27 and 53. Michael asked if he could show him to Mina, He said she
was clever and could help, the creature didnt seam to happy about it, Michael then asked the creature to
think about his sister who might die.

Chapter 17-18
Michael meets Mina at her front garden on a spread out blanket. He sees that she has drawn a skeleton of
a bird in her sketch book. They then start talking about poems which are made by William Blake. They then
start listening for a very small sound. It turned out to be a bird in a nest. Michael and his family then goes
to see the baby. Michael then goes to explore the hospital to see where the people with arthuritis where.
He asks a patiant about arthuritis and how to sort it out. He then sees a funny doctor called doctor
MacNobola. He asks him how to sort out arthuritis. He responded with a couple of funny but slightly
intimidation jokes. He goes out and takes brown ale and goes to see Mina

Chapter 19-20
Michael went round to Mina's house while Mina was modelling clay. Michael joined in too, and started
making the baby. Mina told Michael what she thought of home schooling. Mina thought public schools are
pointless because you have to stay inside all day and not be out in the fresh air. Michael was taking Mina to
see the man so she could find out what was wrong with him. Michael was affriad that Mina wouldn't see
what he sees. They walked in the dark, dirty garage, stepping over everthing holding each others hands.
Mina and Michael saw the man and asked him some questions. Mina found out that this strange creature
had Something called 'calcification'. After a while, Mina thought of a great Idea! She asked the man if she
could move him somewhere else. It took some understanding to the man but he finally agreed to go with
Mina.

By Zara Newman

Chapter 20-21- I think that you mean '21-22' instead. (Stephanie)

Michael and Mina decided to take the creature in Michaels garage out into another abandoned house for
safety at dawn tonight. The whole day till that night Michael was just thinking, 'he wont just die'. Michael
then got to sleep but not for long before he heard 'hoot, hoot, hoot', it was mina calling for him. Then both
met up outside Michaels house then made there way in. Even though the creature refused to come with
them, they both took him quietly from Michael's garage to an abandoned house down Mina's street. That
night was the first time they had both saw him in the light. Mina said he was beautiful. Michael and Mina
were just away to go back home after taking him to safety when Mina turned around and said, 'Who are
you'? He replied, my name is 'skellig'. [Reece]

Chapter 23:
After breakfast, Michael's teacher Mrs Dando calls at the house. She gives Michael a present for the baby
and a folder of homework from his teachers. He takes it along to Mina's garden and starts his Science
homework with her. Mina thinks the homework, and school altogether, is stupid, and says so. She tells
Michael that she is writing in a diary about herself, him and Skellig. Then she sighs, and apologises to
Michael for being mean and sarcastic. Together, they wonder what they are going to do about Skellig

Chapter 24:
Mina and Michael visit the abandoned house again. Skellig isn't where they left him; he is lying halfway up
the first flight of stairs. He claims that he was trying to get higher. They carry him to another desterted
bedroom and lay him down. They slowly remove his jacket, Skellig protesting insistently. Tearing through
his shirt are a pair of furled wings, the feathers crooked and uneven. Amazed, Mina and Michael leave
Skellig wimpering with pain, from both inside and outside.
Extraordinary.

chapter 25-26

Michael saw the baby in the hospital with tubes and wires in her. He thought he could hear her heart
beating. He even believed that if he could always hear her heart, it would never stop. As he was leaving
with his dad, he found the old woman with the zimmer frame. she said " three times round the every
landing and three times up and down in the lift. Absolutely knackered!" When she asks, "have you been to
see your friend yet?" his father got curios and asked Michael "who did she mean your friend?" so Michael
replied " Nobody ".
Mina shows Micheal a picture of the archeopteryx 'the dinosaur that flew'. She tells him that it had weak
and heavy body only capable of flight between branches. no pneumatisation. Mina says "there's no end to
evolution." they thought to themselves maybe Skellig was an extraordinary being. just as they were
thinking that, Leaky and Coot walked along sniggering and giggling looking at them. (Ranald Groves)

Chapter 27 and 28

Both of these chapters are small, but that doesn't mean they aren't brilliant, alike the others. They are
filled with great writing and vocabulary.
In chapter 27, Michael struggles to play football, when his friends Coot and Leakey come. Coot says that
Mina is like a monkey, when he spots her in a tree on her yard. Coot also kicks a football against the
garage, causing it to shake. Michael gets his dad.
In chapter 28, Michael's dad writes "DANGER" across the boards on a garage. Michael imagined taking
Leakey to see Skellig, but he didn't. Leakey calls Mina the Monkey Girl. (Lauren Holder)

Chapters 29-30
29. Michaels friends are acting like Hyenas (Being stupid). But Michaels friends think shes a monkey girl
because she likes to sit in a alot. Mina loves William Blake, she loves his songs and poems and even
sometimes time Michael or somebody mentions something, she will step in and say William Blake was like
that or did that. Mina and Michael got into a little argument, so she said to him " Go and play stupid
football or something", Just leave me alone", That isn't like Mina to get into arguments and also get upset
about things.
30. Michael now has woke up out of bed and is getting worried about both Skellig and the baby. He was
dreaming that Skellig went to the hospital ward, picked up the baby took all the wires and tubes of her
body and lifted her from the glass case. That both of their weaknesses had gone and they were strog again.
Mina and Michael were meeting at the DANGER door with the cat, Whisper by there side. Mina and
Michael had made up for the argument that went on and are know back to being friends. They were
imagining Skellig flying in the sky crossing there paths, flying across the full moon. As they hissed Skellig
they rubbed the sleep from there eyes. Mina put the key i the lock and....................(Craig Siswick)

Chapter 33-34
33- Michael goes back to school and his teacher is very pleased with him as Michael now knows about
archaeopteryx and evolution and says that Michael is good for reading widely when Michael's teacher tells
the class to feel their hearts michael can feel his sisters heart as well as his own. Michael gets a call from
his dad while he is at school saying that something is wrong with the baby and he has to go to the hospital
and he would pick michael up later from Mina's house.

34- when Michael gets to Mina's house he gets there to see that Mina has been drawing and painting a
picture of skellig. while Michael joins Mina and starts painting Mina's mum starts singing. Michael keeps
thinking about the baby and about how he thinks that she will die but Mina keeps telling him that she
wont.(Lucy Strachan)

Chapter 35-36
35- Michael drew pictures while he was wandering about the baby. He was drawing things like Skellig, the
hospital, nurses and the baby to take his mind off of the worry. Mina and her mother kept him company
night time came and Mina took some skin and put it into water and it turned out to be an owl pellet and
told him that you can tell what an owl has eaten by looking at a pellet. Michael said it come from Skellig.
Dad called the house and Michael went to speak and dad said the baby was alright but would need an
operation on her heart.

36- Mina and Michael waited for dad to come back Mina asks Michael why bad things happen he just says
because they do. Then they speak about birds and what they dream about and how it is like humans.
Michael began to cry and he wanted to be alone in the attic then dad arrived home from the hospital.
Michael's fear increased and increased and increased. (Kyle McMullen)

Skellig Themes
In the book "Skellig" there are a lot of themes that the writer is putting across to the readers mind. Michael
has helped the half angel, half bird man to live a life again. In return Skellig has given the most greatest
present in return, a baby's life. It is saying that if you help someone out they will help in return. Michael
also has to deal with family problems, his father arguing with him and his baby sister ill. He believed that
his sister would survive when no one else did. It shows that when you believe, anything is possible. Michael
makes a new friend, Mina, and trusts her completly with his secret. When you make a friend, that friend
will always be there for you, or else they are not the friend you thought they were.
(Abigail Mason)

Skellig Themes-

It was a very descriptive and interesting book to read but at the same time there were many messages that
David Almond gets across. Friendship is quite important as Skellig learns to trust people, Mina is there for
Michael, Michael shares his secret with Mina and he stands up for her when Leakey and Coot start saying
mean things. It's all quite tense when the baby gets very ill, but the family stick together and help
eachother. It's nice to read when you know it's all going to be okay :) -Louise
My favourite character-
My favourite character is Skellig because he is very mysterious at the begining and he doesn't give away
who he is. Like when Michael goes to see Skellig (near the begining of the book), Skellig never tells Michael
what he is or who he is, he doesn't even tell Michael what his name is! I think that's because he wants to
first gain Michael's trust. But I think secretly Skellig cares about Michael because Michael is really the only
one who looks after him. Skellig opens up more when he meets Mina and thats when he starts to tell them
(Michael and Mina) more about himself. Skellig I think has a conection with Mina and also really cares for
her. He actually starts caring for both Michael and Mina alot more now because they care for him! So they
all basically love each other and see each other as a family. Eventually Skellig fully opens up and lets them
see his wings and lets them experiance having wings for themselves. -Athena

Chapter 39-40
39 - What has happened in these chapters is that Michael thinks his sister is dead because he cant feel her
heart-beat.They went outside watching blackbird fledgings tottering into a cover of hedges.Michael and
Mina were talking for a while and then they went and sat on a step outside Mina's house.While they were
sitting on that step, Michael was waiting for his dad to come home.

40 - Mina's mum put a wooden board on her knees and started cutting fruit.They watched the blackbirds
returning time and again to feed thier young,Michael was watching the sky and imagining Skellig flying
away.Mina's mums phone rang and MIchael was thinking it was his dad but it wasnt and Soon after Mrs
Dando cycled past and started talking to Mina and Michael.(Kieran Johnstone)

Chapters 41-42

41: Micheal finds out the baby isn't dead, she was just sleeping after having the anesthetic. The doctors
said everything would be OK now. The there of them try to chooses a name for her. Michael wants to call
her Persephone but his Dad says it was too long. Michael's Mum tells them all her dream. It was that she
saw a man standing over the baby in an old dusty black suit. she described Skellig perfectly.She thought he
was going to hurt the baby but then Skellig looked at her and she knew it was going to be OK. Skellig lifted
the baby. He started dancing and turning and they both grew wings. Then he went. afterwards, Micheal's
Mum said it wasn't over and they all had to keep protecting the baby. Doctor MacNabola came along the
corridor. Michael mentioned 'his friend with arthritis' again. He told the doctor he'd got better. Michael
asked if love can make a person get better. Instead of answering, he sings a William Blake song. He tells
Michael to tell 'his friend' that he hopes they'll never have to meet. On the way home in the car, Michael
hoots like he did with Mina. His Dad tells him to teach him how. He also says they'll order 27 and 53 again.

42: Mina and Michael go out with the remains of 27 and 53 and brown ale to bring to Skellig. Michael tells
Mina about his Mum's dream. Whisper came to join them. Mina told Michael about how the fledglings
were getting stronger. When they went inside the DANGER door, the house was silent. There was some
owl pellets on the window sill. Michael makes Mina feel his heart and the baby's is there too. She sings her
William Blake song. Michael joins in. Suddenly Skellig came in through the window. They gave him the
food. They talk about when Skellig went to see the baby. Skellig says he's going away. They turned again
and grew wings and flew. Then they went home.

Abbie Wise

Chapters 45-46
45: This chapter is mainly about the builders knocking down the garage. At the start, there are a few short
sentences that create suspence. It gives the impression that the building could fall down at any time. The
builders deiced they should knock the garage down so they all go inside and help to clear it out. There are
lots of descriptions that tell you how old everything is. Afterwards, Michael looks inside and remembers
when he fist found Skellig. He looks at takeaway trays, the brown ale bottles and the owl pellets and
whispers, 'Goodbye, Skellig.' The builders then come and they knock down the garage.

46: The last chapter of the book sums everything up. Michael waits for his Mum and Dad to get home with
the baby and imagines the garden that they will soon have. When his parents arrived, he held the baby and
saw how strong she was getting. Mina arrived and said she was beautiful and extraordinary. She gave
Michael a picture of Skellig smiling and thought that the baby might like it on her wall. When Mina left,
they discussed the babies name again. Michael suggests Persephone, but in the end they called her Joy.
(Graham Ross)
37-38,

37:In the beginning of the chapter David Almond described that Michael couldn't sleep and that he was
going in and out of dreams. When morning finally arrived for Michael, him and his dad had a fight during
breakfast, because Michael did not want to go to school, he wanted to stay home and think about the
baby. Michaels dad was annoyed and stressed because he was understandably stressed about the baby. By
the end of the arguement Michael didn't go to school, he went out with Mina and thought/talked about
the baby. Michael and Mina sat and watched the new baby fledglings getting fed and wandering about the
garden. At the end of the chapter, Mina's dad came out to them, kissed michael on the cheek and told him
the baby would be fine and to 'just keep believing'.
38: in the beginning of chapter 38, Michael and Mina are sitting chatting about a couple of myths; like the
Persephone story, and they were also talking about birds and fossils! later on in the chapter they walked to
the DANGER door, and went in to be epecting too see Skellig sitting waiting for them, but he wasn't there.
He then, as David Almond described it, went into blackness and passed out.