In general I found this quite charming, not the least of which due to Le Guin's introduction. It is absolutely written for younger audiences, and I'm not convinced that Le Guin quite found her footing with some of the subtleties (like Jasper trying to be welcome to Ged, but Ged being too self-conscious to accept; amazing concept, but younger readers would likely miss it and just see Jasper as rude). It's a simplistic story with simplistic resolutions to much of the smaller plotlines, though the final reveal of the actual Shadow is prescient for young folks.