A Wizard of Earthsea

A smart boy named Ged learns magic from a wise wizard but gets too proud at magic school and accidentally lets out a scary dark shadow monster that chases him everywhere. Ged sails across islands full of dragons and sea monsters on a brave adventure to find the shadow's secret name, catch it, and learn that the scary thing was part of himself all along, so he becomes a true hero by making friends with his fears.

In Ursula K. Le Guin's 'A Wizard of Earthsea,' young Ged, born Duny on the island of Gont, discovers his innate magical talent during a raid, earning the name Sparrowhawk from the wizard Ogion. Impatient with Ogion's cautious teachings on balance and true naming, Ged attends the wizard school on Roke, where his pride leads him to challenge a rival by summoning a forbidden spirit from the darkness—a nameless shadow that escapes and pursues him relentlessly, scarring his life force and forcing him into exile. Through voyages across the vast archipelago of Earthsea, Ged confronts sea serpents, dragons, and his own hubris, learning that true power lies in acceptance and equilibrium. Ged's quest culminates in a profound confrontation on the edge of the world, where he must utter the shadow's true name to bind it, realizing it is the estranged part of his own soul. This bildungsroman masterfully weaves mythology and philosophy, illustrating the perils of imbalance in magic and self, as Ged emerges wiser, renamed Archmage, embodying harmony between light and shadow in Earthsea's intricate cosmos.