From: Elizabeth Grout <GroutE>
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 10:58:55 -0400

Since I don't have direct contact with children (working for a library services "vendor") I analyzed Skelling by looking at my childhood response to a book I considered to be similar in theme: _Grandmother Cat and the Hermit_ by Elizabeth Coatsworth. In both books, a boy meets an isolated, adult-type character who is different from ordinary grownups, and both characters are changed as a result, with the "adult" figure going away in the end.
_Grandmother Cat and the Hermit_ wasn't one of my favorites, but what appealed to me as a child was the adventure of a kid finding someone whom no one else knows about, someone who's different from other adults. As a child I was pretty isolated socially and liked reading about other people who were separate and "different," like me. It helped me to feel less isolated. I think I would have had the same reaction to Skelling if I'd read it when I was 9 or 10. I also think kids like stories where people their age have a big secret that grownups don't know about. (An former colleage of mine claims this is the appeal of the classic book _The Secret Garden_).
  I also believe Skellig might have an appeal to children going through a family crisis. Michael's behavior, and his parents' behavior, seemed to ring true and show that a family is still loving in spite of the anger and chaos created by life-threatening illness. For instance, at one point MIchael's mother yelled at him, then gave him a fierce hug, which I think shows how the stress of the baby's illness made her short-tempered, but her real fear of losing her younger child reminded her of how precious her healthy older child was too. Has anyone had any experience with "children in crisis" reading this book and responding to it?
  Beth Grout Collection Development Librarian Baker & Taylor groute at btol.com
Received on Mon 17 Jul 2000 09:58:55 AM CDT