Passager (The Young Merlin Trilogy, Book One) [Paperback]

Jane Yolen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Young Merlin Trilogy (Book 1)

Abandoned in the woods of Medieval England, an eight-year-old boy begins a journey of hardship, danger, and magic that will one day make him the most famous wizard of all time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

These three books make up the author's Young Merlin trilogy, imagining the childhood and coming-of-age of the famous wizard of Arthurian legend. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-8?Eight-year-old Merlin lives alone in a medieval forest. Surviving on plants and fish and sleeping in trees to avoid wild dogs, he gradually forgets the habits and language of those who abandoned him. One day a man comes to the forest with a hunting hawk, and the fascinated boy follows him out of the woods to the first bed, bath, and bread he has seen in a year. Struggling against captivity at first, he is gradually won over by kindness. In a final electric moment, the man introduces him to his falcons, and readers share the youngster's shock of recognition when he is "...given back his own true name." There is no magic or fantasy in Yolen's stark, poignant, and absorbing tale. Readers feel the sun, rain, hunger, and fear as the child does, along with the intense curiosity and longing that lead him back to civilization. This "skinny" book will entice reluctant readers, but its rich language and poetic phrasing make it compelling and challenging. Some readers may not catch the similarities between the boy and the passager, but all will anxiously await the next volume in what promises to be an outstanding trilogy.?Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 76 pages
• Publisher: Apple (Scholastic) (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590370731
• ISBN-13: 978-0590370738
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,195,554 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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's a chapter, not a book, August 16, 2000

By 

Growllingbear (Half Moon Bay, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Passager: The Young Merlin Trilogy, Book One (Hardcover)

I love Jane Yolen's work; I've been reading her stories for decades, and I rarely find her depth, imagination, and power as a writer surpassed. I know her Merlin story is going to be wonderful too, but I'm disappointed in the marketing of this one. Passager is a chapter, not a part, of the story. I came away feeling overcharged for it, and I've decided to get the remaining volumes out of the library rather than buying them--even though I usually collect Yolen's works. What were they thinking?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short and sweet, April 5, 2001

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Passager: The Young Merlin Trilogy, Book One (Hardcover)

I do not know why this book was published as part of a trilogy, rather than the trilogy being one larger book. Nevertheless, it's a must-see for lovers of lyrical wording.

This book follows the early life of a young boy abandoned in the forest, who rapidly forgets who he is and where he has come from. He adjusts rapidly, though, living in the glory of nature, outside of contact with other humans. His one fear, however, is dogs.

He is found and adopted by a kind woodsman named Robin, the boy's fatherly reintroduction to the human race. The scenes in which Merlin encounters such "marvels" as glass are wonderfully done, as is the scene where he remembers his name. We are never told fully where he comes from -- there are only hints at beginning and end.

The writing style is lovely. Yolen is one of the few writers of our time who can captivate with almost no dialogue -- through a good portion of the book, people are not talking. Yet it never grows overdescriptive nor too stark. It's like a very long poem at times, with the descriptions of the forest where Merlin lives and of the things that he sees.

If you want to introduce your kids to Arthurian fiction, start with this. A wonderful book, a must-read! (On to the next two books)

3.0 out of 5 stars The Passager, March 15, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Passager: The Young Merlin Trilogy, Book One (Hardcover)

I liked this book very much. The author was specific and didn't put in any useless information. It also had a good theme, you can't judge a book by its cover. There was enough detail so you could visualize what things looked like, but not to much that it got boring. I would recommend this book to someone else.

The worst part of the book was that it wasn't that exciting. The whole story was about a wild boywho got a name and a home. The book wasn't long enough to have to have enough excitment. That was the only bad thing about the book.

The setting and the characters were the most vivid to me. The author gave detail to make the setting appear real in my mind. The characters that lived in these settings seemed as real as their home. It was as if you were watching a movie with subtitles.