Passager

The Young Merlin Trilogy #1

by Jane Yolen

A boy is abandoned in the woods of medieval England. A year passes--a year of terror and hunger, of sleeping in trees and foraging for food, of outrunning packs of wild dogs--until one day a falconer captures and tames the boy as he would any passager, a young bird caught in the wild and trained. The falconer adopts the boy and teaches him all of the things he’s forgotten, including the boy’s true name--and the legacy of magic that will be his when he comes of age.

Genres: Fantasy, Arthurian, Fiction, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens

76 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Jane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

[Mj · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never really been into the King Arthur legend. As far as mythologies go, that one never really stuck with me. And then a little Middle School Me found Jane Yolen's Young Merlin trilogy at the library. I remember busting through this book and needing to continue on with the series, so I made my librarian order me book two from a nearby library.

I haven't even seen these books in at least ten years, but I still love them. I should go back and read them again, just to see if they hold up.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting look at Merlin's early life - a conglomeration of many legends into one tale, simple yet dark, fantastic and heavy with symbolism. My falconer's heart was pleased to read the references to falconry in the Middle Ages. I never tire of any book that has hawks in it, and this was no exception. This is also a short read - 74 pages - and can easily be covered in a day. Yolen gives us just enough information to be intrigued.

I read this because I found it while shelf-weeding and it looked interesting. I've already got the second one on hold.

[Kay Standefer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another beautiful Jane Yolen tale. She writes for young people, in word cadence, sentence and chapter length; yet her imagery and depth of character make her books work for more experienced readers.

Passager is written in the third person past tense, but we spend so much time in the boy’s world it feels very much like it is happening to him - and us - in real time. The peripheral characters and the boy’s history are revealed gradually, as through clearing mist.

I enjoyed this very short read and will put it on the shelf for my grandchildren.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's okay. Feels incomplete without the rest, or I presume so. I haven't read the other two books.
There's really nothing about it that means this story needs to be Merlin and not literally anyone else. If not for the title and the single reference to a dream with the dragons, I'd never, ever have guessed it was about Merlin.

[marissa di vita · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️ 2.5 honestly not it lol. if i had read it in one shot it would have been a 3-star but idk. it wasn’t BAD it just wasn’t GOOD. i would continue the series since it was a short book but it wasn’t super interesting.

[Oni · Rating 4 out of 5]

surprisingly good

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Merlin's backstory as envisioned by Yolen but why is this a trilogy rather than a single novel. I've read all three in one sitting (they are very short) and wished there was more.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea Jane Yolen wrote chapter books! She weaves a beautiful, ancient story. A great beginning chapter book full of magic!

[Anthony Corais-Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, simple. Good for children. Very captivating. Wish it was 5 times as long.

[Nina Braden · Rating 4 out of 5]

1998. Juv

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not at all what I expected. It was definitely an intriguing story of a boy let loose in the forest to fend for himself. I look forward to seeing what the other books in the trilogy are like.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am getting Tarzan vibes from this

[Cassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very unique twist! Well written children's/YA trilogy.

[Bia Voinea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a different point of view although I did go into this thinking it was more wizard, less abandoned child.

[Olivia]

I clearly went through a Merlin phase as a kid

[emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

i find it hard to believe this boy went feral after being in the woods for only a year and that made the rest of the book iffy for me

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Merlin's beginnings. Told by a great storyteller.

[Drew Jameson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Merlin's "origin story" as an abandoned feral child! The first book is pretty interesting at the sentence level. Very precise sensory details, great suspense as we watch the nameless boy creep through the woods, hunting and foraging. It's also got a well-calibrated psychic distance: Merlin has all but forgotten how to use language, and the narration is close enough to his POV that we feel like we're watching him moment to moment, but distant enough that we see him form the outside, we're not stuck inside the head of a character who can't speak.
Very little happens in terms of plot in this first book, and it relies on the fact that the reader knows the character from other contexts. Otherwise, it would just be a story about a feral kid who gets found. So what? I'm interested to see how the next two books deepen and comment on Merlin's role in the Arthur legend. But, I'd have to say that this first book doesn't stand on its own. It's very much a part of a series and a larger legend.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Passager is a beautiful book, and really, it shouldn't be. After all, it is the story of an almost nameless boy surviving in the woods - hiding in trees from dogs, eating slippery fish (bones and all), and foraging for berries. Yet, the beauty is in the telling. Descriptive prose lead the reader into the world and mind of Merlin, though he is never refered to by name, as he is abandoned by his mother, frightened by a pack of wild dogs, and enchanted by the falconer that he crosses paths with.

Passager ended in the perfect place, after Merlin rediscovers his name, and it is clear that his story will continue. Jane Yolen does take readers into Merlin's world two more times to complete The Young Merlin Trilogy. Hobby is the second book which I am anxious to begin reading.

[Miss Kodok · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hasil hunting buku murah di Pesta Buku Jakarta 2009
cuma Rp. 5.000 dari harga Rp. 19.900,- Lumayan... !!

Seorang anak laki-laki berusia 8 tahun karena alasan tertentu ditinggalkan sendirian di hutan.
Ia kemudian menjalani kehidupan sebagai manusia hutan dan belajar dari alam untuk bertahan hidup.
Setahun kemudian seorang penjinak elang (Tn. Robin) menangkap dan menjinakkan anak itu. Dia mengajarkan kembali segala sesuatu yang telah dilupakan anak itu, dan pada suatu malam, menemukan nama anak itu yang sesungguhnya.... Merlin !

Passager adalah burung liar yang ditangkap ketika belum cukup dewasa untuk dijinakkan.

[Luann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wondered how similar this trilogy would be to T.A. Barron's Merlin series. I thought there would be at least a few common threads, but really they are very different. They started with similar ideas - a series about Merlin as a boy - and arrived at very different end products. Both series are well worth reading if you are interested in stories of Merlin. Yolen has kept her Merlin series very simple and very poignant. Her Merlin is much more likeable, and I wished for a fourth book when I finished the third. The trilogy is: Passager, Hobby, and Merlin.

[Shelby · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was about 7 year old boy who forgets who he is. He lived in the woods for a year and looses his force.His parents left him in the woods because They'd get introuble for having him and they'd all get killed.His paretns lefted him in a tree in the woods so that no wild dogs would get to him because he is terrified of dogs. Also because they thought that the man of the woods would found him but that never happen.He was rescues by a falconer and the falconer gave him back his ability to speak.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eight-year-old Merlin finds himself abandoned in the woods. He survives for a year, living on raw fish and woodland plants. To protect himself from wild dogs, Merlin sleeps in the trees. He is both comforted and terrorized by his dreams. Then, one day, a man comes to the woods bearing a falcon. By this time, Merlin has lost the ability to speak, but, as he watches the man and the bird, the words come back. Merlin’s curiosity gets the better of him, and he follows the man home. The man captures and, then, patiently tames the boy as he would a wild bird.

[Andrea Renfrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this out loud to my kiddo in two sittings. We loved it. We're studying the middle ages and we're aspiring wood nymphs - so it was simultaneously soothing and educational for us. It says it's a 5th grade reading level, but it makes for an excellent read aloud for kinders as well. (Parental note: There is one use of the word "damn" that can be easily skipped over if you're reading to them. I didn't bother, I don't censor swear words in literature, but I understand why you would if you're reading to sensitive ears.)

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first in a trilogy about Merlin's early life. An interesting book, though somewhat dark for the intended age-group. I also found the premise a bit unbelievable: that he was left in the forest and became feral after only one year, with no memories at all of life before then. He is rescued by Master Robin when Merlin follows him out of the forest. There is extended symbolism about hawks and birding, as Master Robin is a falconer and the name "merlin" is a type of hawk.

[KidsFiction Teton County Library]

J Short Chapter Yolen

Passenger tells of an eight-year-old boy abandoned in the woods of medieval England. He is "captured" by the kindly master Robin, who sets out to tame him, and the installlment ends as the boy remembers that his name, like that of a small falcon, is Merlin. Although experienced hand Yolen knows how to structure and spin a good yarn, one can't help wonder why such a brief story is published separately as part of a series.

[Kasper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahhh it's lovely, it's so lovely, I read it in like an hour partly because it's short as heck but also because it is so lovely and poetic and a little breathtaking and if it weren't a trilogy I'd be simultaneously floored by the ending and pissed as hell. I'm glad it's not a standalone. I'm still a little floored.

Who knew a story about abandonment and feral children could be so lovely. Good job, Jane Yolen.

[Ayu Prameswary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Begitu banyak versi yang menceritakan kehidupan Merlin, seorang penyihir legendaris pada zaman raja Arthur. Jane Yollen mencoba membuat sebuah jalinan baru dengan menggabungkan potongan-potongan cerita-cerita kuno tersebut dengan memasukan unsur sejarah di dalamnya.

Passager adalah bagian pertama dari kisah trilogi merlin kecil.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim my last trip to the library with the kids and read it last night. Interesting chapter type book that offers a different sort of take on Merlin. I like the different perspective; very physical and evocative instead of dialogue driven.

Will have to see how the whole trilogy plays out.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the first in a trilogy, and only some of the book intrigues for a sequel, but it was not a bad read. Yolen writes so well, it's hard to criticize. Besides, I had to read it, but I found it easy and quick. Perhaps I'd like it better if I read the whole trilogy, which apparently now comes packaged together.