A Wizard of Earthsea
Ursula K. Le Guin
©1968
Simon and Schuster

As a student of magic at the School at Roke, a school famous for training students in the high arts of wizardry, Sparrowhawk exceeds his years in accomplishment. But pride and jealousy drive him to try his dangerous powers too soon and he unleashes a horrifying evil. Has he the courage to destroy the destructive powers he alone created?

A Wizard of Earthsea was read by Kent Cassella
Kent can be seen on Law and Order, Special Victim’s Unit as Detective Palmieri. He appeared in the academy award winning film A Beautiful Mind. His stage credits includes Vermont Stage Company’s Much Ado About Nothing and Othello. Kent divides his time between New York and Vermont.

What do you think?

When Ogion asks Ged to choose between the school at Roke and staying with him in Re Albi he tells Ged, “I would keep you here with me, for what I have is what you lack, but I will not keep you against your will.” What does Ogion mean? Why do you think Ged makes his choice? Is it the right one?

At what point in the story do you think Ged decides to confront the shadow? What events lead him to make this decision? What does the shadow represent?

Do you think we all have a shadow within us? Write about why you think it’s possible.

Online Adventures Where should you go from here?

Ursula K. Le Guin has written six Books of Earthsea along with many other works. For a complete listing of her books and to read a biography about the author, visit her website.

The students at Roke spend hours with the master namer learning names of everything imaginable “For magic consists in this, the true naming of a thing”. Explore the power of naming at this website.

Grace Greene from The Vermont Department of Libraries suggests you take a look at…

Duane, Diane. High Wizardry. Harcourt, 1997. (Sequel to Deep Wizardry)
When her younger sister uses the family computer with its special wizard software to travel to worlds light-years away, Nita uses her wizardry to try to find her.

Jones, Diana Wynne. The Dalemark Quartet. Greenewillow
For centuries Dalemark has been a land divided by the warring earldoms of the North and South. Now, with the help of the Undying, the gods of Dalemark, four young people from the past, present and future must join forces to save their land Titles are: Cart and Cwidder, Drowned Ammet; The Spellcoats and The Crown of Dalemark.

Nix, Garth. Sabriel. HarperCollins, 1996.
Sabriel, daughter of the necromancer Abhorsen, must journey into the mysterious and magical Old Kingdom to rescue her father from the Land of the Dead.

Rubinstein, Gillian. Space Demons. Dial, 1988.
Twelve-year-old Andrew, bored with life, becomes obsessed with a mysterious new computer game, which has the power to zap him and his friends into a dangerous world of menacing space warriors.