Previously published as an author for adults, David Almond became an overnight sensation before Skellig even hit bookshelves in his native England, and later in the United States. Of course, the term "overnight sensation" is ironic since he had been writing for over twenty years to critical acclaim for his adult work before achieving widespread praise and popularity for his first children's book.

Born May 15, 1951, in Newcastle-uponTyne to James and Catherine Almond, Almond grew up in the neighboring Felling-on-Tyne. He was surrounded by relatives, including four sisters and one brother, and he spent his early childhood in a large, staunchly Catholic family. Catherine took her new son to visit an uncle's printing press regularly where he found the motion of the pages produced by the machines highly entertaining. He mentions on his Web site, ". . . maybe I began to fall in love with print when...