In my childhood I read a children's book about a wizard who wakes from a long sleep after he lost to his arch nemesis, an evil wizard. He travels to find his enemy once again to defeat him this time. He teams up with a small boy, who is very adventurous. After a while they meet a girl, who is very insecure. I think the wizard was old, but the children lived in the 90s, or sometime around that, when the story took place.
On their travels to find the 'bad guy', they learn to be less naïve and risk-taking and less insecure, respectively.
In the end they find the evil wizard and during the battle, the wizard notices the other wizard is some sort of mirror image of himself and to defeat him, the good wizard puts himself to sleep again, content that he could teach the children something and did something good.
I read the book around 2005, but I don't know how old the book itself is.
Anyone knows this story? I remember the cover was red and had an drawn image of the wizard. I think the title of the book was also the name of the wizard, but I could be wrong on that one.
Edit:
I asked OpenAI and it provided me with this answer:
"The Wizard" by Jack Snow is a fantasy novel that was published in 1952. The story follows a wizard named Zim who travels through time and space with a young boy named Tim and a girl named Pam. The wizard is on a quest to defeat an evil sorcerer who has been wreaking havoc in the world, and he is aided by Tim and Pam, who are brave and resourceful companions. As they journey together, Tim and Pam learn valuable lessons about courage and determination, and the wizard discovers that the true enemy he has been seeking is a darker version of himself. The book features elements of adventure and magic, and it has been praised for its fast-paced and engaging storytelling.
It seems to be at least very close to what I could remember, but I can't find anything more about the book.
