Howl’s Moving Castle

Diana Wynne Jones

Dec 2012 · HarperCollins UK

About this ebook

Now an animated movie from Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, the oscar-winning director of Spirited Away

In this beloved modern classic, young Sophie Hatter from the land of Ingary catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell . . .

Deciding she has nothing more to lose, Sophie makes her way to the moving castle that hovers on the hills above her town, Market Chipping. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl, whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls...

There Sophie meets Michael, Howl’s apprentice, and Calcifer the fire demon, with whom she agrees a pact. Her entanglements with Calcifer, Howl and Michael and her quest to break her curse come alive with Diana Wynne Jones’s unique combination of magic, humour and imagination.

Ratings and reviews

I think this story is lovingly written and is fantastic for young minds. It clearly is going in a direction of fantasy with some very modern twists and I very much like that in everyday life so it was a joy to read. In some ways I prefer the book to the movie and in others I enjoy the movie more. But both compliment one another very well, the ending was a magic spell in itself, I couldn't stop and everything else just didn't enter my mind, only the words in front of my eyes.

I have the physical version of this book. I bought it when I was 13-ish or so. It's still there on my bookshelf but I love it so much I've gone and bought another copy just so i can read it anywhere up to and including in bathrooms. If you've watched the Ghibli film and think it's just about the same you'd be sorely mistaken. The main plot's about the same but there are things that just probably won't work in a film. Howl's less heroic (but still loveable in his own way) and Sophie's temper is amazing.

I came to this a fan of the adaptation by Hayao Miyazaki, and I can safely say that I was not disappointed! Diana Wynne Jones paints a gorgeous picture of a very realistic couple trying to make the best they can of a difficult experience. Or series of experiences, really. The author really knows how to breathe life into the characters, and the scenes and plot twists along the way are nothing short of fantastic. As someone squarely in my twenties, it's refreshing to see an adventure with all the hallmarks of my fantasy favourites, involving characters who aren't children. The differences between the motion picture and the novel are varied and extensive, but I feel like each version of Sophie and Howl's story stands for itself. I love both versions to pieces. This is uncommon, considering the way I usually begin to hate the film adaptation of a novel after having read it. This book is Highly Recommended. You would be missing out if you didn't read it.

About the author

Diana Wynne Jones (1934–2011) spent her childhood in Essex and began writing fantasy novels for children in the 1970s. With her unique combination of magic, humour and imagination, she enthralled generations of children and adults with her work. She won the Guardian Award in 1977 with Charmed Life, was runner-up for the Children's Book Award in 1981 and was twice runner-up for the Carnegie Medal.