"You know, like when a kid reads a book, even though she's seen
the book 25 times before, you turn the page and there's a sense
of anticipation and surprise. You watch kids read -- especially
young children -- they're very simple and elemental about
stories. It's about a series of discoveries and uncoverings and
opening of secrets and seeing what's on the next page."
David Almond sees himself as a realist and as the author of
strongly realistic fiction for children and young teenagers. And
while there are no wizards or obvious magic in his novels --
from his wildly popular breakthrough novel Skellig to his most
recent book, Heaven Eyes -- Almond places his realistic
protagonists into situations tinged with mystical mysteries so
subtle you're never sure if what you're reading is real or
fabricated in the childish imaginations of his characters.
Talking with David Almond, though, you get the feeling that all
of this gentle mysticism might seem normal to the 50-year-old
Newcastle author. Soft spoken and