Once Upon a Legend

by Ben Miller

The GIGANTIC magical new adventure from Ben Miller, the bestselling author of The Night We Got Stuck in a Story. Marcus has just started Merlin's, a very unusual school... He doesn't like it and is doing everything he can to get into big trouble and be sent home. When a midnight prank accidentally wakes a sleeping giant called Crom, things take a turn for the magical. But there are other giants on the move, bigger and angrier than Crom. Realising that Merlin's and the whole country are in danger, it's a race against time for the two new friends to find the magic of their own bravery.Turn the page, share the adventure! Praise for Ben 'A magical adventure' Sunday Express on The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale'Great for reading aloud' The Week Junior on The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale'A fire-side gem of a story' Abi Elphinstone on The Night I Met Father Christmas'Fabulous' Sunday Express on The Boy Who Made the World Disappear'Enchanting, funny and intriguing in equal measure' Philip Ardagh on The Night I Met Father Christmas

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy

320 pages, ebook

Published August 31, 2023

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcus is a young boy troubled by his parents' separation and causing trouble at school as a result. Instead of expulsion he is sent to Merlin's, a specialist boarding school aiming to help him cope with his emotions. Once there, though, he uncovers a big secret and has to work with his new friends and blended family to save the capital.

This was a great read for younger readers, fast paced and fun. It has the feel of traditional children's literature by writers like Roald Dahl but with a recognisably modern setting and some good messages. Another hit for Ben Miller

[1000_books_1000_lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my son, he liked the action and adventure. He found the plot well paced - but sometimes a little too fast and he wanted more details. He liked the Arthur retelling and found Marcus to be mischievous and funny. He liked the lore elements and how Marcus’ character developed so he ended up brave and kind. thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy- all opinions are our own.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed all the previous Ben Miller books so I was interested to see if this was as good as previous ones.

Marcus has just started Merlin's, a very unusual school... He doesn't like it and is doing everything he can to get into big trouble and be sent home. When a midnight prank accidentally wakes a sleeping giant called Crom, things take a turn for the magical. But there are other giants on the move, bigger and angrier than Crom. Realising that Merlin's and the whole country are in danger, it's a race against time for the two new friends to find the magic of their own bravery.

I have to honestly say that this is by far his best book. The character Marcus was such an interesting lad, bitter that his parents have split up, bitter that his dad is hardly around, bitter that his mum is happy with her new boyfriend he will do anything to get his parents back together.
The scenes at the beginning of the book did make me smile. I loved the scenes in the headmaster's office.
The school he gets sent to Merlin sounds great that I wished I worked there, but as the book goes on it becomes clear that Marcus is truly misunderstood, that he is actually kind and caring.
But the bit I loved the most was how his relationship with his step dad improved over the course of the book and how he turned out to be the one who truly helped him out.
Oh and my code name would have to be shortbread, don’t know what i’m talking about, you will just have to read the book.

[Noah Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was amazing I loved everything the giants were cool same with the plane, storyline and characters.

[czytam_do_herbaty · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75 ⭐️

Ależ to było fajne! Potrzebowałam czegoś tak magicznie lekkiego, co sprawi, że na kilka godzin przeniosę się do innego świata.

Książka opowiada o Marcusie, który jest bardzo niegrzecznym dzieckiem- ale ma ku temu powody- i w wyniku pewnych „psikusów” zostaje oddalony do innej szkoły. Szkoły niezwykłej, ponieważ w niej każde złe zachowanie jest przekształcane na dobre zachowanie. Mimo, że sam system szkoły jest niezwykły to, największa przygoda dopiero czeka naszego młodego bohatera. Marcus musi zmierzyć się z olbrzymami!

Bardzo podobało mi się to jakie w szkole „Merlina” możemy zobaczyć środki wychowawcze. Myślę, że to coś co mogłoby przynieść naprawdę dużo dobrego, a co niestety na ten moment „w głowie się nie mieści”. Mimo wszystko ciekawy aspekt i warty zastanawiania.

Postać Marcusa jest bardzo dobra pod względem psychologicznym i świetnie przedawnione jest to, co może dziać się w głowie dziecka, którego życie rozpadło się w momencie rozstania jego rodziców. Myślę, że ta książka mogłaby dać naprawdę wiele do myślenia rodzicom dzieci, których dotyczy ten problem.

Mimo, że historia przedstawiona w książce, związana z olbrzymami, była jedną z tych historii które nigdy nie miałby prawy miejsca i tu nie tylko ze względu na mityczne olbrzymy, ale na samo „wykonanie” zadania powstrzymania owych potworów. Bardzo dużo nieodpowiedzialnych zachowań ze strony dorosłych, ale myślę, że gdyby wyłączyć tę racjonalną część dorosłego umysłu, to jest to fantastyczna książka przygodowa dla najmłodszych, niosąca przy okazji bardzo dobry morał!

Gdybym była dzieckiem to byłabym zachwycona przygodą Marcusa z olbrzymami.

[XOX · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcus is a child who is acting out because his parents are having a divorce. He also doesn’t like his mom's new boyfriend.

Acting out and violating school rules. It is not harming others, just not doing the work, being late and possibly breaking school property.

Marcus is not a good student. He is not a bad person, and he didn’t hurt anyone. He is also not a bully.

So when he is kicked out of school, he is placed in Merlin School. It is an inclusive, tolerant school that encourages students to work out their issues and express their emotions.

Marcus tried to act out again, and the teachers turned his act into something fun. It takes a lot to be rejected by this school.
He is trying to prank the teacher by stealing the Merlin staff and letting the teacher know about it.

What he accidentally did was wake up a giant troll. And it takes a turn into fantasy.

Fun read. 4 stars.

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this within 24 hours. A fast paced tale of a boy whose parents have separated and who has gone a little off track. A new school, new friends and a giant help him find himself again. A great read, full of adventure, that I can’t wait to read to my Year 4 children at work. I’ve already bought the physical copy. Looking forward to the author’s next one. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

[Jenna Brine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noah gave it a 5...'Loved everything' was the feedback when asked. I think he liked that it was relatable to his life in parts and that was cute to hear him making connections and saying, 'That's like what I have.'

Great myths & legends story about Stone Henge and how it was formed. Has definite BFG vibes in parts and has themes around parents who have separated, acting out, step families, fitting in at school and magic!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. Not as good as Robin Hood Aged 10 and 3/4. There were a lot of missed opportunities to do more with the story. Also, for a children’s book, it took a LONG time before the main character started having any redeeming qualities. A little more light and shade would have been good. My son almost didn’t want to keep reading it because “Marcus is so mean!”

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this. Giants and magic; anger and friendship; change and acceptance. I don’t know that I’d be brave enough to face the King of the Giants by myself like… but with a gang like this, I think I’d be a little braver! Love a good legend!

[Elease · Rating 4 out of 5]

Road trip listen with my 11-yo son. This is not our first Ben Miller book, but it is one of the better/more tolerable ones as an adult. It's a bit of a quick mash-up of some Harry Potter, some BFG, and additional silliness. It passed the time, and we enjoyed it.

[bookish.teenager · Rating 5 out of 5]

( współpraca Barterowa)
~ Znów poczułam magie bycia dzieckiem...
Gdy tylko dostałam maila z propozycją recenzowania tego tytułu - zgodziłam się. Co mnie podkusiło? Kategoria wiekowa 9+.. Czytając te książkę znów mogłam wrócić do czasów, gdy mogłam beztrsoko budować zamki w piaskownicy i oglądać dobranockę wieczorem w telewizji. Nie to, że teraz nie mogę, ale teraz już mi wypada. Jednak kiedyś.. Pamiętam, że to były najpiękniejsze chwilę z moim życiu.
Kurcze, ta książka jest taka dobra.. Taka przyjemna.. Jest po pierwsze bardzo dobrze napisana. Jest krótka, ma dużą czcionkę, więc zdecydowanie nada się dla młodszych dzieci, które zaczynają. Ale właściwie każdemu dziecku powinno to przypasować. Ważne w tej książce jest też to, że ma obrazki, jest ślicznie wydana, a jak wiemy - dzieci lubią różne obrazki.
Ja osobiście bardzo namawiam moją siostrę, która nie lubi czytać. ( Jak przeczyta to dam wam znać co myśli!!) Myślę, że dla niej to może być wręcz idealne, a nawet może ją zachęcić do innych, podobnych książek.
Fabuła opowiada o chłopcu, którego rodzice się rozeszli. Jest on okropnym rozrabiaką, co powoduje, że w szkole ma sporo problemów. Jego rodzice już nie wiedzą co zrobić, a bardziej jego mama. Bo tata dużo pracuje i w sumie to wychodzi z założenia, że " on był gorszy i wyszedł na ludzi". Chłopiec nie lubi swojego ojczyma, więc tym bardziej dochodzi do konfliktów.
Dyrektor szkoły proponuje, by wysłać chłopca na tydzień do szkoły Merlina... No i tutaj wszystko się zaczyna...
Dla starszych osób jest to historia na 2/3 godzinki, ale jest naprawdę wartościowa i dalej do myślenia. Zdecydowanie polecam.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[The Endless Unread · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another wonderful book from this author. A nice take on a Merlin/King Arthur story. Some great twists and quirky characters. A magical read.

[Emma Brooks]

So funny

[Loretta Rothschild · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is utter perfection. Every child should have this book on their bookshelf.

[Polish_bookworm]

Sweet, naive story.

The audiobook is full of misophonia triggers (sniffing).

[Jennie Collison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, easy reading book :)

[Johnny Macpherson Laidlaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good magical adventure

[Kj Betteridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the story and characters. The writing style was amazing
My new auto buy author

[Kitchen Sink Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you ready for a gigantic adventure with a very big dose of magic? Great because I have one for you. Ben Miller is back with another fantastic story, his fourth in case you were wondering, and it truly is as brilliant as the first three! This one is called Once Upon A Legend and may, possibly, have hints of a certain magician of legend known as Merlin. It also has a headmaster at his wits end, a mum about to remarry, to her new boyfriend – the one who loves to tinker with cars – and a young boy called Marcus who is stuck in the middle of it all. Marcus may be seeking attention but with his parents and headmaster at a loss the only plan that seems sensible is to enrol him into progressive camp named Merlin’s…

Marcus is in trouble. So, yes, he may have caused the teachers at his current school a few problems, one of the sports teachers may have lost two teeth when demonstrating a dive at the wrong end of the pool – Marcus may have moved the deep end sign… And his chemistry teacher may never get her eyebrows back but sending him to a summer camp? He doesn’t like the camp any more than he liked school so the pranks continue, Marcus will do anything to get sent home. But… A midnight prank doesn’t go quite the way he expected. Waking up a sleeping giant named Crom causes events to take a turn for the magical. It is not just Crom who has woken up, there are some bigger, scarier, and angrier giants on the move and now the whole country is in danger! A must-read if you would like to know whether Marcus and his new friend can find the magic of their own bravery…

[Neil M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my youngest daughter, who had really enjoyed two of Ben Miller's previous books - The Night We Got Stuck in a Story, and The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale. Pleased to say she really enjoyed this one too!

It definitely feels like a story of two parts - the first half is about Marcus having a tough time at school and so going to a new school, Merlin's, who do things a little different than he used to, but a big twist that awakens something different about halfway through really changes the story and I felt it really picked up pace from that point onwards. My daughter quite liked the first half, but we really had the begging for one more chapter after we'd read a couple at bedtime after that!

It's quite simple so good for younger children, and has sweet messages behind the stories and characters.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review, pleased to say we honestly enjoyed it!

[Rachel N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcus is a young boy troubled by his parents' separation and causing trouble at school as a result. Instead of expulsion he is sent to Merlin's, a specialist boarding school aiming to help him cope with his emotions. Once there, though, he uncovers a big secret and has to work with his new friends and blended family to save the capital.

This was a great read for younger readers, fast paced and fun. It has the feel of traditional children's literature by writers like Roald Dahl but with a recognisably modern setting and some good messages. Another hit for Ben Miller.

Thanks Net Galley for a copy in return for an honest review.

#OnceUponALegend #NetGalley

[Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the THIRD book I have DNF'd this week.

I was expecting an epic fantasy adventure with likable characters and a valuable moral. I don't know if any of the characters have any development because I just stopped reading, even though I *really* tried to enjoy it as I love a good fantasy story.

Marcus was such a detestable character: his stupid school pranks and angsty tendencies made him seem more like a school bully than the hero of a children's fantasy book. The fact that he wasn't sorry for any of the things he'd done was bad enough, especially with his own dad sticking up for him.

It just wasn't how I expected it to be sadly. 😔

[Rachel C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story, easy read. Gentle adversity and reconciliation. A fun read for children and adults alike.