Merlin was selected as the winner in the Extensive Reading Foundation's 2015 Language Learner Literature Awards in the Adolescents and Adults: Beginners category.

Judges and voters said:<ul><li>"it would be a good beginner book for a student moving up to this level for the first time...not so overwhelming" </li><li>"the whole story is written in present simple, making it simpler to follow for new beginner level students" </li><li>"the drawings are eye-catching, which are quite helpful in understanding the story." </li><li>it "combines advice for dealing with bullies with the attraction of magic" </li></ul>

ELT Gazette (January 2016) Review by Pete Sharma

<ul><li>The book incorporates some tricky words, like kingdom, enchantress, portion and cauldron, and manages to remain <strong>accessible for the target readers by providing simplified definitions.</strong></li><li>I especially like the <strong>imaginative, stylish illustrations,</strong> and the <strong>language exercises at the back are useful.</strong></li></ul>