Hobby (Young Merlin Trilogy) [Paperback]

Jane Yolen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Young Merlin Trilogy (Book 2)

When young Merlin falls into the company of traveling performers, they rename him Hobby, after a small falcon. Nightmarish trouble lies ahead on the path that will lead him to greatness.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6?This second entry in the trilogy begins with the 12-year-old Merlin burying his foster family after they perish in a fire. Devastated by guilt because he had not understood a prophetic dream, he leaves the ruined farm. As he wanders toward a nearby village, he continues dreaming?and the dreams keep coming true, albeit in an oblique and frightening fashion. After a narrow escape from a would-be kidnapper, the boy falls in with a traveling magician and his companion. The man nicknames him Hobby, after a small hawk species. Together, the three journey to Carmarthen, where the lad ends up relating one of his dreams to an audience at the palace. The magician interprets the dreams to a positive end, but the boy knows he has prophesied the duke's death. Later, abandoned by his companions, Hobby gets the chance to tell the truth, but the duke refuses to heed him, and Hobby continues alone upon his life's path. 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 characters are well drawn and appealing. However, the action moves along so quickly that readers barely get to know them. At 104 pages, this title is maddeningly short. An additional purchase for libraries that own Passager (Harcourt, 1996) (the first installment) or with strong Arthurian collections.?Mary Jo Drungil, Niles Public Library District, IL
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 6^-10. The second installment in the Young Merlin series is challenging and ambitious. It opens with a powerful scene as the beloved adoptive family of young Merlin is killed in a devastating fire. The grieving 12-year-old then sets out into the harsh medieval world. Taking the name of Hawk, he is held captive by a vicious rogue named Fowler. Then renamed Hobby (a raptor bigger than a merlin) by a charlatan, he joins the man's traveling magic show, whose performers try to use the boy's talent for seeing into the future. Like the slender first book, Passager (1996), Hobby has quiet beauty and strong imagery but has more characters, action, and dialogue. Yolen continues to explore such complicated and subtle issues as memory and identity, leaving questions surrounding Merlin's earliest experiences and ultimate destiny unresolved. The appearance of the book suggests a juvenile audience; however, given the sophisticated themes and style, this may be most accessible to teenage readers. Includes an author's note about "Arthuriana." Julie Corsaro --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback
• Publisher: Apple (Scholastic) (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590371185
• ISBN-13: 978-0590371186
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,472,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Merlin's education, April 5, 2001

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hobby (Young Merlin Trilogy) (Paperback)

The second small volume of the trilogy is, in part, about Merlin's education in the darker sides of human nature. While retaining the innocently beautiful prose and style of the previous book, Ms. Yolen manages to show Merlin growing in human wisdom.

Merlin's foster family is killed in a house fire, and as the young boy grieves for them, he is caught by Fowler, a vicious thief. The sadistic Fowler takes great enjoyment in tormenting Merlin,but the boy manages to escape him to find a wandering band of magicians, who soon discover that the boy can see into the future. As they try to harness him for their own ends, Merlin uses his magic to elude them...

The innocent wild boy of "Passager" is gone, and we get to see hints of Merlin's future power in this story. Once again Yolen evokes almost painfully clear emotions in her readers, with the beautiful prose and realistic characterizations.

The second book of a trilogy is often weak, but not so here!

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for precocious readers, June 18, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hobby: The Young Merlin Trilogy, Book Two (Hardcover)

Previous reviewers have done a good job of summarizing the plot of Hobby, so I'll just add that I think it's an excellent book for bright,precocious readers. It's not very long, the font is slightly larger, and the lines are spaced further apart than in many books for older children, so it's easy for younger ones to follow the text. The language is sophisticated, and the story is somewhat dark, so if your child is highly sensitive I'd read it first to see if it might be too much for him or her, but my six year old daughter loved this book and its precursor, Passeger. If your child is tired of Magic Tree House and Junie B., give this series a try!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is Short., December 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Hobby: The Young Merlin Trilogy, Book Two (Hardcover)

This book is very short, and it would've done a lot better if it was a big book containing all three of the trilogy. This book is very like a poem in that it evokes emotion, almost on command. The use of Merlin's/Hawk's/Hobby's fear of Dogs and his dreams and his thing with names continues.