Nice intro to Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table! It's a good intro to the stories for middle graders. I think the series should draw them right in as so many stories these days have older characters(gods, demons, etc...). Kids love magic in any story and the Arthur tales won;t disappoint. Good start!

This readable retelling of part of the King Arthur legend is an engaging beginning to the series. By turns funny and exciting it follows the young boy who will grow to be Merlin the Magician until he meets King Uther. Give this to elementary school readers who crave magic and adventure.

This book is a great introduction to the Arthurian legends, as it’s the first in a new series about King Arthur. Written for children aged 8 and up, it’s a pretty easy read and has plenty of great illustrations.

I really enjoyed this book, and seeing Merlin as a child was very interesting. My only criticism was the Briton’s ongoing war with the Saxons was mentioned, and I doubt most eight year olds, especially those outside the UK, are familiar with it. Hopefully that is addressed in later books of the series.

Merlin is a boy who lives by himself in a small village. He is known as a healer with special powers. One day, a group of knights arrive in the village, looking for a mortal boy who did not have a mortal father. Merlin fits that description. He is brought to the king to save his crumbling castle.

I have read three different adaptations of the King Arthur and Merlin story this year. Each one has been for a different audience and told the story in a different way.

This story is perfect for early middle grade readers. It was fast paced, but short. There is so much material for the story of Merlin, so I wished the story was a little longer. There were exciting scenes, which included magic and dragons, that will keep young readers entertained. It’s a great introduction to the story of Merlin.

Thank you Sweet Cherry Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story was all about how the young Merlin was taken from his village by the king’s knights and a very strange hooded man. As you can imagine he was scared and really didn’t know if the people were friends or enemies. I must confess that I don’t know that much about Merlin, except what I’ve seen in the Disney cartoon, so this book was a really lovely introduction for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this and loved reading about Merlin before he was a part of Camelot and King Arthur’s court. I loved getting to know the young Merlin through the text and fabulous illustrations and would definitely read the next book in the series. I highly recommend this for young readers looking for a intriguing story and the start of a new series.

Interesting, but not ultimately new in any significant way. Still, I could see this going over well with those who like Rick Riordan's books

No Ordinary Boy is the first book in a series about the legends of King Arthur. This book focuses on Merlin as a boy. He is a strange boy who has abilities to see things that have not yet occurred. This ability is in fact due to being the son of a demon. He is taken from his billiards to complete a quest to help the king at the time. The pictures in this book add to the story and make it accessible to younger readers. This book is an interesting take on Merlin and his origins.

No Ordinary Boy is about eight-year-old Merlin. Merlin’s father is a demon and his mother is human. Merlin has magical powers. He can brew potions to cure the ailments of the people in his village. He can also glimpse into the future. The village folk fear Merlin. ⠀
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One day, King Vortigern’s Knights come for Merlin. Along with them is a hooded figure. They capture Merlin and take him to the King. The King wants to build a magnificent tower but his plans are ruined whenever the workers make progress. Will the Merlin be able to help the King?
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There are illustrations on every page that also make this book an interesting read. I loved the Merlin series on Netflix so I am a natural admirer of this book. I also preordered a copy of this book from Amazon. I am waiting for Book 2 in this series.⠀

This is a fantastic retelling of the first book! This is a fun and easy read for children. My son found it very enjoyable and entertaining. Would love to see a second book.

**I received an e-ARC from NetGalley for an honest review**

I've always been a fan of Merlin and Arthurian legends, so I was excited to get the opportunity to read and review this book. It's listed as being for middle grade readers, but even as an adult I was excited to see what was coming next. I know it's the first in a series, but I still wanted just a little bit more from this first book.

Good illustrations, but nothing overly unique or outstanding. While I liked the book, I didn't love it. The fact that this makes a good starter book for kids about Arthurian legends lets me round a 3.5/5 up to a 4 star rating.

A wonderful adaptation of the first tale of King Arthur. Magical, relatable and enthralling, a perfect introduction to these magical tales.

Merlin, a young boy with half-human parentage is held at arms length by the people of his village, only approached when they need to make use of his gifts. One day, he is taken by a mysterious band of knights under orders from a powerful man who needs Merlun's help.

The simple but effective language and the exciting story make this a great book for those children whose reading ability is lower than their comprehension or interest level. In general, it is likely to suit the 7-9 age range.

Another fantastic accessible book from Sweet Cherry Publishing. Perfect for bedtime sharing and brilliant for guided reading in the classroom offering scope for discussion with links to legends, history and much more. Very well written with wide scope for different ages to use. Looking forward to reading more.

No Ordinary Boy follows the spellcaster Merlin when he’s only a small boy. Merlin has strange powers, which the townsfolk like to take advantage of, but he understands he doesn’t truly fit in, either. Of course, people with magic aren’t apt to just be ignored, so one day, Merlin is taken from his home and begins his epic journey to become the legendary wizard everyone knows by name.

The suggested age for the book is seven to nine years. The length of it and the simplicity of the text leans on the younger end of that range. It feels more like a first grader’s chapter book rather than third grade material in that regard. There are, however, suggestions of violence that make the content skew older.

The story itself is easy to follow, and the writing has a certain amount of charm to it. The events move quickly from one to another without dragging, though I sometimes wished they wouldn’t go quite so fast. My biggest critique is that the book feels like it forgets the cardinal rule of kid lit: the child has to drive the plot forward, not the adults. For more than half the book, all Merlin’s actions are directed by the adults around him. He is kidnapped from his home, marched across the countryside by a group of knights and a mysterious hooded man, and when he tries to escape or get more information, he is usually met with a wall (metaphorical or otherwise). I understood this was the first of a series. Even so, chapter books generally have self-contained stories. They may reference the character’s past experiences on occasion, but otherwise they introduce a fresh problem, and the solution is driven by the child’s ideas, with adults serving to help execute the idea as needed. Six-and-seven-year-olds don’t like to hear that they need to buy the next book before they get to the good stuff.

Before I get too critical, however, I will note that the whole idea of these books is to introduce Arthurian legend to younger readers, so the stories may not always fit perfectly in the usual chapter book package. The writing works well with what it has. Plus, the illustrations are sweet and bring out the emotion of the characters, showcasing both Merlin’s worry and his calm in the face of drastic change.

If you’ve got a young reader in your life who’s got a budding interest in this topic, give it a try.

A lively tale of adventure and magic set in the days leading up to the birth of King Arthur, this story of Merlin follows myths about his origin and early years. Though in the medieval writings about Merlin, he is portrayed as a scholar who outwits magicians and carries out engineering feats, in this story the author calls on those stories in which he was the abandoned son of a village woman and a 'demon. He grows up alone and feared by the other villagers for the powers he has to see into the future and make potions to cure the sick. However, one day the knights of King Vortigern ride into the village hunting "a boy who has no mortal father", and thus his life changes forever.

The book has an easy to read narrative, which acts as an introduction to the story of Merlin and Arthur, leaving the reader wanting to know more. However, this is probably my greatest criticism. It is an introduction and never really develops the suspense which would have a young reader wanting to come back for the next installment. Furthermore, we don't come to know Merlin intimately enough to care what might happen to him next. How good it would be to have further chapters.

This is a new take on the story of King Arthur. It doesn’t start with Arthur and his childhood like other Arthurian tales do. This one starts with Merlin’s childhood. He’s an orphan boy in a tiny town where people rely on and are scared of him.

I don’t want to say too much more here, since this is a short book, the first in the series. It’s a good book to read to younger kids as it has great pictures for them to look and and visualize what’s happening in the story. It is a short book so you can do a quick read with your kids, I've always liked the stories about the Arthur tale and this is a nice addition to it.

I’d like to keep reading this series because I want to find out what happens next to Merlin. He was leaving his town as this book ended and I for one don’t like waiting for the next book to begin.

I’d definitely recommend this to kids of any age. Even though it’s written for a younger audience, I liked and want to keep reading the series (I’m 57). So, anyone that’s looking for a new approach to King Arthur, this might be a book and series you’d like to take a look at.

This book introduces us to a young Merlin, of Arthurian legend fame, who does not yet realise his power or the destiny that awaits him. Having been sought out by Knights, we travel with Merlin to meet King Vortigern, who needs Merlin’s help… although not in the way that either of them expect.

This is a great introduction to the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The illustrations were good, and the story was engaging enough for us to look forward to the next installment.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

This book is brilliant! There really isn't enough Arthurian Legend around for younger children. The language, storytelling pace and size of this book are perfect for young readers, nicely introducing them to one of the greatest legends of Britain. I really can't wait to read the rest of the series as it comes out and will definitely be recommending it to my customers.

No Ordinary Boy is the story of young Merlin before King Arthur. The length of the book, plus its readability lends itself to use in the classroom. This book will make the Arthurian legend accessible to younger readers. The story is quick paced and will keep young readers engaged.

What a great little book. My 8 year old son loved it. Great illustrations. Good story. Lovely layout on the page.

5 stars.

Thank you for letting me read it.