Some of the best young adult books were published before YA was an established genre, and A Wizard of Earthsea is one of them. While this is an adventure story written for teenagers, the incredibly skillful writing makes it a delight for any age. This is primarily a character-driven narrative, as Sparrowhawk goes from an arrogant boy to a man dealing with the shadow he called into the world. As such, it won’t appeal to very young readers, although it has potential as a read-aloud. I loved this book for its lyrical yet straightforward prose that influences the feel of the whole tale. It made the story come alive for me, from how the world was described to how each character was introduced. Le Guin has a way of presenting the essence of what she describes, allowing her to be concise and giving the story a fairy-tale feel. To put it simply, this book has quality. From the dragons and magic to the distinct side characters, Le Guin’s craft is evident throughout, making this a pleasure to read. This is an excellent pick for young teens who are willing to read older books, and anyone looking for a reflective fantasy story.

Content Analysis

Profanity/Language: None

Violence/Gore: A village is raided resulting in deaths and property damage, little detail; a character summons the spirit of a dead person with magic; two instances where a character dies; a child dies of an illness; three dragons are killed and one is injured; a pet animal is killed; a character fights with an evil shadow; characters attempt to trick another into being magically bound to them; character kills three others with magic; a character fights with magical evil birds; report of a wizard turning permanently into an animal and unknowingly killing his young son; a character encounters two elderly people who were abandoned on an island as children and have lost most of their humanity; a character nearly drowns.

Sex/Nudity: A male character is naked for part of a ceremony, not sexual; a young woman is married to a much older man, mention of him looking at her covetously; this young married woman attempts to convince a young man to rebel against her husband with her, implies they will be married later.

Mature Subject Matter:

Death, infidelity.

Drug/Alcohol Use:

None