This story by David Almond and illustrated by Dave McKean is a beautiful telling of a story of grief and reconciliation. Having loved Skellig, I was also prepared for something unusual because the cover shows a child yelling—in pain? In a manical attack? The story and the illustrations seem to be seamless, conjoining of written word and picture, each complementing the other. Blue’s father has died and the school counselor advises Blue to write out his feelings. Blue is sharing the book he wrote, complete with spelling and other errors, with the reader. Blue eventually writes about a wild boy who lives in the nearby woods and who has adventures but is also capable of facing down the local bully. At some point for Blue, the difference between his reality and the story he’s writing begin to blur, and Blue realizes there is some interaction between his creation and himself. In one sense, this is similar to classic (and I mean the non-politically correct) fairy stories which were meant to scare and teach. Blue’s creation is scary, but he helps Blue make sense of his world, and Blue to help his mother and sister. This is not a book for small children, but for tweeners and older, especially those having some issue in life, this might be an excellent choice. ( )

After Blue Baker's father dies, he begins writing the story of a savage boy who lives in the woods. When Blue is bullied by Hopper, the savage comes to life and puts Hopper in his place. Much like "Fight Club", written from a juvenile's perspective. ( )

In this illustrated story (Included in Yalsa’s 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens) Blue Baker is still grieving over the loss of his dad, even though he may not admit it. He’s also taunted by a fearsome bully who preys on Blue’s vulnerability. Blue’s school counselor encourages him to write down his feelings, but it seems pointless to Blue. Instead he finds himself drawing pictures of a wild boy who’s not afraid of anything, or anyone and suddenly his attempt at storytelling takes on new meaning. By the end of the story, when the savage boy and Blue have melded into one, Blue finally finds the resolution he’s been craving.
The pictures have a stark fierceness to them, but the weight and meaning of the story may elude the target audience. ( )

A wonderful illustrated short novel about a boy who is bullied after his father dies. He creates a savage who helps him through this difficult time in his life. ( )

Don't let the cover disturb you! Blue Baker, the main character of the story, deals with his emotions after his father dies by writing his own story about a kid living wild in the woods. Called the Savage, is his story character really as scary as he seems? ( )