Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Good and evil romp has hero, villain kids at magic school.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
WELCOME TO MERLIN ACADEMY, reads the life-changing message bringing teenage (Captain) Hook, (Cinder)Ella, (future Queen of Hearts) Bridget, Morgan le Fay's kid Morgie, Ursula's kid sister Uliana, underworld god Hades, and malevolent Maleficent under the wing of Archimedes the owl and the magician himself. It seems Merlin believes that nobody is past saving, and even villain kids can learn better ways and change their lives—but most of the villain kids are just hoping to enhance their evil powers and do mean deeds. Spells go wrong, shenanigans are nonstop, and Merlin's patience takes a beating. But when Merlin disappears and leaves the school in chaos, desperate times call for desperate measures—so the kindhearted kids and the villain kids team up to find him and bring him back.
Is It Any Good?
Wild, relatable, and hopeful, this Descendants prequel pits young villains bent on adding to their evil powers against King Arthur's tutor, who's determined to guide them toward better ways. In Welcome to Merlin Academy, Hook, Ella, Bridget, Uliana, Hades, Morgie and Maleficent are in school together. It's a perilous move, as magic spells are soon going wrong, crushes interfere with clear thinking, and most of the students are up to no good. Merlin, however, thinks no one is past saving, and there's never a dull moment as he puts this idea to the test.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the Descendants series and its characters—and how the characters in Welcome to Merlin Academy fit in. Do you like this new take on characters we've known for years, or do you prefer their original stories?
Teamwork plays a big role in solving Merlin's disappearance, all the more because a lot of the characters involved would normally rather do evil deeds than work together for something good. Have you ever found yourself having to work together with people you didn't really care for in order to get something done? What happened, and how did it turn out? Were there any surprises?
Do you agree with Merlin that everyone has good and bad in them, and the kind of person you are depends on whether you put your energy on the good side or the bad? Why, or why not?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Book Characters , Fantasy ( Magic ) , Friendship , Royalty ( Princes , Princesses ) , School
- Character Strengths : Communication , Courage , Empathy , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Random House
- Publication date : May 12, 2026
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 304
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : June 24, 2026
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