A modern classic for the older reader.
Illustrated by Robert Shadbolt
In the days before King Arthur there was a father (Sir Ector) with two boys: Kay, and the Wart. Kay was older, and bossier, and hated getting things wrong - so when he lost his hawk in the forest, it was the Wart who stayed out all night, searching for it. The Wart didn't find the hawk, but he did find a very strange old man, who turned out to be Merlyn the Magician. And when Merlyn came to Sir Ector's castle as the boys' tutor, schoolwork suddenly became much more fun. After all, who wouldn't enjoy being turned into a fish, a badger, or even a snake?
And although the Wart was an adopted brother and not Sir Ector's real son, who knew what he might become after having a magician as a tutor for six years?