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Howl's Moving Castle

Jones, Diana Wynne. Book - 2008 Y Fantasy / Jones, Diana, Kids Book / Fiction / Fantasy & Myth / Jones, Diana Wynne None on shelf No requests on this item Community Rating: 4.8 out of 5

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Reprint with "Extras" section. Previously published: New York : Greenwillow Books, 1986.
Includes an interview with the author.
Eldest of three sisters in a land where it is considered to be a misfortune, Sophie is resigned to her fate as a hat shop apprentice until a witch turns her into an old woman and she finds herself in the castle of the greatly feared wizard Howl.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

School Library Journal Review
Booklist Review
Summary / Annotation
Fiction Profile
Excerpt
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Love it submitted by Rin on June 18, 2011, 8:53am I completely adore this book. It is definitely among my favorite books of all time, if not my top favorite. It has all the things I love in books- adventure, fantasy, humor, with a dash of romance thrown in. Howl is absolutely adorable. (One of my favorite twists is definitely that he is actually Howell Jenkins in Wales. Well, besides the slime. The slime was amazing.) Yes, he's rather annoying at times, but in an endearing way. (Usually.)


Diana Wynne Jones was a genius, no question about it. All of her books are amazing, and definitely worth reading.

Great submitted by 0liviap0pp on July 4, 2011, 8:05am A great book to go along with the movie.

Better than the excellent movie submitted by kathscot on July 18, 2012, 8:08am Very imaginative with wry nods to fairy tale conventions. Much deeper than the movie (which I did enjoy).

I agree that you should read every Diana Wynee Jones book you can find - my fav is Dogsbody.

Love <3 submitted by brielle on August 11, 2012, 10:40am This book is worth rereading again and again. I love Sophie and her crabbiness. I just sort of adore this book. That is all.

Wonderful! submitted by Bookbird on June 18, 2013, 1:29pm It's a lot like the movie, though with a slightly different ending. Sophie talks a lot more, and Wales was very interesting... Reading this book is worth it.

Moving submitted by Fevvers - STAR473 on August 28, 2014, 11:48pm Diana Wynne Jones has a sly sense of humor which got lost in the movie adaptation (though I do love the movie). Highly recommended for anyone who enjoyed the film, as well as lovers of fantasy, adventure, strong-minded heroines, and well-crafted subversions of tropes.

Fantastic submitted by audreyh on June 13, 2015, 12:13pm I love this book. The world Jones creates is just fantastic to experience. Diana Wynne Jones is a must-read author.

Amazing submitted by anacoluthon on July 11, 2018, 10:30am This book is one of the many examples of Diana Wynne Jones' ability to perfectly weave several plots and sub-plots together to make a perfect ending.

Fairly enjoyable submitted by kassafrass on July 19, 2018, 10:49am Sophie is an excellent character, and while I enjoy the whimsical story, it had a few too many plot holes and unexplained events in the story that seemed to have no purpose and didn't add a lot as far as character development for my preference.

Howl's Moving Castle submitted by lstorc on August 6, 2018, 4:10am It was entertaining for the sake of being entertaining

A classic favorite! submitted by lexinylander on August 7, 2018, 8:26pm Okay so Howl's Moving Castle was my first Ghibli movie and I already had a special place for it in my heart, but this book just solidified that even more. I loooooved it. I loved Sophie so much, especially with how cavalier and casual she is about some things and then the exact opposite about other things. She's intense and a bit scatter brained but so true and I loved her more than anything. Also the way magic worked in this book, the doors and Sophie talking things into being real and Howl himself and Calcifer. Just my favorite.

Adored submitted by majean on August 17, 2018, 1:33pm I adored this book! Sophie is wonderful! Not too much like the Miyazaki movie, fyi.

loved submitted by Fozzie_da_bear on August 18, 2018, 7:33pm i loved this book

Perfect Blend of Magic and Adventure submitted by dntanzer on August 31, 2018, 9:26am This may be my favorite book. It weaves an incredible story full of magic, love, and adventure surrounding characters I can't help but root for. It's exciting and interesting in both its execution of the story and its world-building. I highly recommend this to fans of the fantasy genre or book lovers who like beautiful stories and characters.

Perfect ending submitted by Princess Cimorene on July 20, 2020, 11:28pm The thing I love most about Diana Wynne Jones is the way she writes endings. All the pieces come together perfectly at the very end and it always leaves me feeling so happy and satisfied. I've lost count of how many times I've read this book. It's the perfect pick-me-up. :)

A wonderful book submitted by CarolSeidl on June 28, 2021, 1:42pm I have loved this book for many years. It’s rich and exciting plot, paired with wonderful imagery is timeless.

Good book submitted by Abbie D. on July 9, 2022, 2:36pm I liked this one!

Good book submitted by paserbamr on August 18, 2022, 10:35pm Quite different from the movie! Nevertheless loved reading these novels

Characters, places and things are not always what they seem submitted by Diananana on July 9, 2023, 6:35pm The protagonist, Sophie, strives to figure out everything from the fragments of information she can gather. Her perceptions of appearances, identities, allegiances, relationships, motivations, and even locations constantly shift with each new discovery. Sophie sees herself as destined for an unprosperous life. Bit by bit, she finds that destiny, too, is malleable. I love that the wizard is named Howl. A famous medieval Welsh king called Hywel Dda, or in English, Howel the Good may be the inspiration for this name.

Clever and fun submitted by denisekim on August 17, 2023, 11:51pm This book is very clever and fun, full of magic and surprises.

Exceeds Expectations submitted by feshile on August 23, 2023, 5:03pm I’ve seen the Ghibli adaptation many times, and picked this book up expecting to enjoy it less than the movie. However, by chapter 2 I was enjoying this book immensely! The characters were well fleshed out and Jones has a distinctive style that works super well with the world and story she developed. I enjoyed the book even more than the movie, and I’m excited to read it again in the future!

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PUBLISHED
New York, NY : Eos, 2008.
Year Published: 2008
Description: 429, 8 p. ; 20 cm.
Language: English
Format: Book

ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
9780061478789
0061478784

SUBJECTS
Wizards -- Fiction.
Castles -- Fiction.
Sisters -- Fiction.
Witches -- Fiction.
Fantasy fiction.