I read the individual books (pre-GRs) but don't want to shelf all of them.

1- 2* Passager
2- 3* Hobby
3- 3* Merlin

I've learned after some various attempts, the author and I are not a good match ( )

A gem o a book

Beautifully written, this story about the early years of the great magician is itself magic.
Jane Yolen takes you into the mind of the young boy left alone in the woods for his powers and with him, we marvel as he discovers the world of men and his own powers.

A poem to the resilience of the human spirit. ( )

The Young Merlin Trilogy by Jane Yolen

This is a nice set of Y/A books about Merlin's youth.

As a child he is abandoned by his family. The book intimates that it is because of something different about him that would make them vulnerable if found out. So he is forced to live as a feral child in the woods until he is befriended by a kindly farmer. This first book tells of him being reintroduced to a domestic life, learning to trust again, farm & to work with birds of prey.

The second book tells of Merlin falling in with a traveling magician & his wife who eventually abandon him because they come to fear his dreams, the fist signs of his magic. He goes back to the forest where he feels safe and comes upon wild people who live a transient life in the woods, always moving to remain safe from people who would harm them. He remains with them for a time and when he leaves one of the small boys follows him.

The only hints of the young Merlin's magic in these books are the dreams which foretell the future. But they don't clearly tell the future. For as Merlin himself notes: they have to be read on the slant.

I wish that Yolen had continued this series for I enjoyed it a great deal and recommend it to young and old alike. ( )

This book contains the trilogy of Passage, Hobby and Merlin - three names for a hawk in different stages of being - following the young Merlin's evolution from the time he was abandoned in the woods at age 8 until he formed a bond with a young Arthur at age 12. It's a well-told tale, and a great read for young adult and middle school aged children. Yolen adeptly combines imagination with what can be gleaned of quasi-historic writings about the youth of Merlin to come up with a compelling story. The harsh realities of early Medieval times are an informative background. ( )

Annotation:
Hobby is the second in a series called The Young Merlin Trilogy by Jane Yolen and is a tale about young Merlin. In this story, he poses as Hobby, a boy found and abandon by his adopted family due to a fire that destroyed his first home and those that he loved. His dreams are on the edge of reality and most come true only “a little slanted”. He travels with what is left of his former life, a horse and cow and finds adventure, and danger along the road.

My Review:
This story is a very interesting fantasy. The author states that the story is loosely based on the story of young Merlin. There has been few tales of his life as a boy, and the author admits this story is a created with her own imagination, “I have played around with the elements of the stories as writer of “Arthuriana” has always done”. Young Hobby understands that the dreams he has turn into truth only “a little slanted”. After his adopted family perishes in a fire he dreamt about but didn’t awake in time to save anyone, full of guilt he sets off with a horse and a cow to find his new beginning. First he comes upon an evil man and a fierce dog who take advantage of him and attempt to steal his horse and cow. After escaping, he comes upon a magician and a woman who befriends him and uses his gift of seeing the future through dreams, and then abandons him taking with them the cow and the horse. His dreams continue to speak of event s in advance. This series has caught my imagination and I will definitely seek the first in the series.

Other Reviews:
Booklist Review: Books for Youth, Older Readers: Gr. 6-10. This review summarizes the plot and mentions the first in the series Passager (1996) “Like the slender first book, Passager (1996), Hobby has quiet beauty and strong imagery but has more characters, action, and dialogue.” The reviewer states that although he book is intended for Grades 6-10, the sophisticated themes and style may appeal to teenage readers. This review was informative in that it gave me an overview of other books in the series. It also alerted me that the selection may appeal more to a teenage audience. Since the book is only 88 pages, it might be a good suggestion for a reluctant teenage reader.

School Library Journal Review: Gr 3-6. It is interesting to me that the Booklist review suggests this book is written for grades 6 through 10 and teenagers as well, and that this review states it would appeal to grades 3 through 6. I agree with the Booklist review regarding the age suitability. The review is a good summary of the book and says, “Though little information about Merlin's childhood appears in legend, this tale weaves in names and details that appear in adult versions of the wizard's story: Ambrosius (the magician); Vortigern (the unnamed duke); the vision of fighting dragons.” The reviewer also states that the book length is “maddeningly short”. ( )