Ben Miller’s stories are always big on adventure and Once Upon a Legend is certainly no exception. It stars a boy called Marcus who, after driving his teachers to distraction with his bad behaviour, is sent to a very unusual school, called Merlin’s.
Most of us would love to study at Merlin’s, where the culture is warm, welcoming and very creative. Marcus – for reasons of his own – is dead set on being a troublemaker there too. Up to mischief on his first night, he accidentally wakes up the giant who’s been sleeping in the school grounds for millennia, and before you know it, a whole troop of angry giants is marching to London to confront the PM about the damage humans have done to the natural world.
To stop them, Marcus needs to the help of his soon-to-be-stepdad, Colin, and Colin’s flying school mates, aka the Teatime Assortment. It all reaches a delicious climax on Westminster Bridge.
As ever in Ben Miller’s books, the story is funny, exciting and draws deftly on real myth – in this case, the legends of Stonehenge. The reasons for Marcus’s bad behaviour are lightly described but will strike a chord with lots of readers, while the advice on managing anger will be useful to everyone. A giant and very enjoyable helping of magic and adventure.
Join Ben Miller in conversation with LoveReading4kids Editorial Expert Andrea Reece and Kids Reading Ambassador Mia here
There's a big adventure in all of us . . . The Sword in the Stone meets The BFG in the next classic bestseller from Ben Miller.
Marcus has just started at a new and very unusual school, Merlin's. Determined to get expelled, Marcus does everything he can think of to get into big trouble. But when a prank involving an ancient relic and some old wizard robes accidentally wakes a sleeping giant one night, things take a turn for the magical. Marcus has unwittingly triggered a chain of events and soon the race is on to save the school and discover his own bravery!
'Enchanting, funny and intriguing in equal measure' Philip Ardagh
Praise for The Boy Who Made the World Disappear;
'Fabulous' Sunday Express
Author
About Ben Miller
Bestselling children's author Ben Miller plays the title role in ITV’S hit series Professor T, it's third series set to broadcast in autumn 2023.
A much-loved, longstanding star of film, television and stage, Ben is known for his role as Bough in the Jhnny English feature films alongside Rowan Atkinson. Many know him as one half of the eponymous comedy duo behind the BAFTA winning The Armstrong and Miller Show (BBC) with Alexander Armstrong. As well as starring as Richard Poole in the hugely popular Death in Paradise (BBC).
Ben’s film credits include Paddington 2 (Studio Canal), alongside Ben Whishaw and Hugh Bonneville; What We Did on our Holiday (BBC Films), with Rosamund Pike and Billy Connolly; Off the Rails with Judi Dench and Sally Phillips, Netflix’s The Loneliest Boy in the World and most recently Sky’s This Christmas.
Alongside Professor T, Ben’s wealth of TV credits include include We Are Most Amazed and Amused (ITV), Horrible Science (ITV), and Mike Bartlett’s Sticks and Stones. Ben has guest starred in countless hit shows such as Episodes, French and Saunders and Doctor Who.
Ben was the 9th biggest bestselling Children’s Fiction Author in 2021. Beloved by families around the UK his books include The Day I Fell Into A Fairytale, How I Became a Dog Called Midnight and The Boy Who Made the World Disappear.
