Michael has just moved into a new house with his parents and newborn sister. While his parents care for his sister, who is very ill, Michael explores the falling-apart garage out in the yard. Once in there, he finds a remarkable creature – a cross between a man and a bird, or perhaps an angel.

I’m so glad I finally got to reading this book because it was wonderful! It had the perfect balance between the slightly-extraordinary and the normal. Two spheres of events go through the book. In the first, Michael deals with the things going on in his life and with his family: a sick sister, moving to a new area, getting new friends, dealing with old friends who don’t quite understand what he’s going through. He paints and writes and draws to deal with the stress, and in listening to his new friend Mina, he learns to explore the world in a new way.

In the second, you have Michael’s interaction with the angel-man, Skellig. Michael wants nothing more than to help the man and to figure out who/what he is. He shares his secret with Mina, and the two try to take care of Skellig and breathe new life into him when he’s given up all hope.

The book was endearing and heartwarming. Michael, Mina, and all the other characters were so real, so vividly painted. The prose was poetic and beautiful. And it was a super-fast read, very easy to pick up and finish in an hour. Though the book dealt with children (Michael is 10), it doesn’t treat them – or the reader – with any sort of dumbed-down attitude. It’s a book that is good for adults, but that I also wouldn’t mind my children reading. An all-ages sort of book, very deserving of the Printz Honor Award it received. This is my first experience with David Almond and I will definitely be reading more of his work!