Skellig
#6983.83 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Complete 1998–2010 Reading commitment Low David Almond Last reviewed 2026-10-26
Overview
David Almond's Skellig (Hodder, 1998) is a children's novel of magical realism in which a boy whose baby sister is fighting for her life finds a strange creature, part owl and part angel, in the crumbling garage of his family's new house. It won the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Book Award and was a Mythopoeic finalist. Its prequel, My Name Is Mina (2010), told as the journal of Michael's neighbour Mina before she meets Michael and Skellig, was shortlisted for the 2012 Carnegie Medal.
Mythic fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
Skellig David Almond
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Skellig | 1998 | 1 | core | 3.81 (31,097 ratings) |
 | My Name Is Mina | 2010 | 2 | core | 3.93 (5,449 ratings) |
Skellig and its prequel.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Skellig? Skellig's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for Skellig? Publication order, starting with Skellig. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Skellig finished? Complete (1998–2010).
- How much reading does Skellig take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books).
- How is Skellig ranked? #698 in this site's official ranking, based on 36,546 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #698?
Ranked #698 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.83 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (36,546 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 2 rated core books rate within 0.12 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #697, Conjure Wife (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 2 books · Complete · 37k ratings · Ranks #698 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- Skellig (1998)
- My Name Is Mina (2010)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Carnegie Medal, 1998: won: Skellig
- Whitbread Book of the Year (Children's Book), 1998: won: Skellig
- Mythopoeic Award (Children's Literature), 2000: finalist: Skellig
- Carnegie Medal, 2012: finalist: My Name Is Mina; Shortlisted.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Skellig and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Weirdstone of Brisingamen Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.90
- The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest Mythic fantasy / Cozy fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.40
- The Chronicles of Prydain Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.10
- The King of the Copper Mountains Mythic fantasy / Cozy fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.09
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.83 across 36,546 ratings on 2 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: Skellig (David Almond, 2 books) accepted 2026-10-26
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Our Mythical Childhood survey: Skellig (Hodder, 1998; 1998 Carnegie Medal) Tier 2
- Waterstones: My Name is Mina (prequel to Skellig; shortlisted for the 2012 Carnegie Medal) Tier 2
- Mythopoeic Society (final ballots) Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-26
Rule: Core Canon = Skellig (1998) and its prequel My Name Is Mina (2010).