#46--Howl's Moving Castle

Bibliographic Information

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, HarperTrophy, 1986.

Price: $7.99 for paperback; $8.99 for mass market paperback

Pages: 448 for paperback; 336 for mass market paperback

Plot Summary

Sophie’s always known that nothing will come of her life; nothing ever does when you’re the eldest of three sisters. Resigned to having a boring life, Sophie does her best to make sure her younger sisters, Lettie and Martha, have the most opportunities life can afford, especially after her father dies and leaves his hat shop to his very kind if rather young wife, Sophie’s stepmother. Because there are debts to be paid and a shop to maintain, Sophie approves of her stepmother’s choice to send Lettie away to be an apprentice at a popular patisserie while Martha, the youngest sister (and therefore the luckiest), is sent to a witch to learn magic and meet powerful people. Sophie, of course, is left with the hat shop. Soon she settles into a routine of trimming hats and working late into the night with rarely a day off while her stepmother is out whipping up business.

Her life soon changes, however, when a powerful witch sweeps into the shop and casts a curse on Sophie, turning her into a ninety year old woman. Now Sophie must make her way in the world as she tries to find a way to break her curse. She soon happens upon the wicked wizard Howl’s castle where she is soon employed as his cleaning woman after striking a deal with his shifty fire demon Calcifer. Calcifer promises to break her spell if she finds a way to break his contract with Howl. Of course, breaking spells in never easy and Sophie soon finds herself in the adventure of her lifetime filled with shape-shifting witches, grand kings, magical gardens, and a series of affectionate dogs.

Critical Evaluation

There are many things to like about Howl’s Moving Castle. Its plot is good fun, filled with funny situations that are sure to elicit laughs from readers. The setting is delightful featuring not only a pseudo-French village but a grand capitol, rickety castle, desert wasteland, and misty countryside. However, its characterization is where the book really shines. Sophie is the sort of character one cannot help but relate to and like. Although always ready to help and fight for those she loves, she has little self-esteem and no time for her own needs. It takes a witch’s curse for her to finally gain the courage to stand up for herself and speak out. Readers will root for Sophie throughout the novel as she begins a journey not only to break her curse but one of self-discovery. Howl, too, is a delicious character and one that will remind many readers of someone they know. Although he encourages people to think of him as wicked in actuality he is kind albeit in an odd sort of way. Howl is a mix of a spoiled, gifted child and a stereotypical fraternity boy making him relatable to readers as well as a fun character to read about.

However, despite the excellent setting and characterization, Howl’s Moving Castle is not a perfect book. It contains plenty of holes in its plot which can lead to confusion. For example, even though I’ve read this novel at least five times I still find myself confused over the identity of some of the characters. Much of the magic in the novel is unexplained and Sophie’s discovery of her own powers is consigned to a paragraph (if that). Much is left to the reader’s imagination as the novel contains an abrupt, open ending. However, while the novel may not be perfectly constructed, all the characters within its pages are undeniably charming leaving readers wanting more of Sophie, Howl, and Howl’s moving castle.

Interesting Tidbits

Did you know that a Hayao Miyazaki anime was based on this book? Although the setting and beginning premise is similar to the book, the movie takes many liberties. Both, however, are good!

Reader’s Annotation

Sophie must find a way to break the curse placed upon her while trying to reform the wizard Howl, bargain with Calcifer the fire demon, and help thwart the Wicked Witch of the Waste.

About the Author

Diana Wynne Jones is possibly one of the best known British authors of teen and children’s books. Although she wrote over thirty books she is perhaps best known for her Chronicles of Chrestomanci and Dalemark quartet. Sadly she passed away in 2011 of lung cancer.

Learn more about her here.

Genre

Adventure, fantasy, romance

Readalikes

Castle in the Sky by Diana Wynne Jones

·         A semi-sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle

Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster

·         Also a coming-of-age story of a girl who grows confident in her own abilities and falls in love

Beauty by Robin McKinley

·         A fantastical retelling of Beauty & the Beast

Tags

Stereotypes, fire demon, magic, witch, wizard, romance, transformation, Wales, coming of age, milliners, patisserie, dogs, flower shop  

Awards Won/Lists On

ALA Notable Book

Boston Globe Book Award

Professional Reviews

Horn Book Magazine

Kirkus Reviews

School Library Journal

The Times Literary Supplement

Voices in the Middle

Booktalk Ideas

The Three Sisters

·         Lots of information can be pulled from the first chapter, 116-127, and the arrival of the dog-man

·         Sophie

·         Lettie

·         Martha

The Wizard’s Household

·         Sophie--1^st chapter background & current position

·         Michael--71, 103-105

·         Calcifer--41-48, 54-55

·         Howl--85-94. “Let’s have more slime!” quote

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

This would a great book to use to promote development of self-esteem, especially for girls who are tenderhearted but not willing to stand up for themselves. It’s also a good book to use for those who are having general difficulties expressing themselves. Perhaps it could be used as a role-playing exercise such as a person pretending they are old-woman Sophie and then speaking frankly about a situation.

Reading Level/Interest Level

Reading Level: 5^th grade

Interest Level: 9^th-12^th grade

These levels are according to AR Bookfinder

Challenge Issues

This book includes the following potentially controversial elements:

·         A body made up of parts from different people

·         A male and female who are not related co-habiting together

·         Fire demon

·         Magic

·         Sharing a body part with a demon

·         Witchcraft

While there are several potentially objectionable elements in this book no doubt the most prominent would be magic and the presence of witches. Possibly librarians could explain how the witchcraft in this book differs from actual witchcraft. Similarities could also be drawn to the innocuous Wizard of Oz.

Why Was This Included?

This is one of my favorite books and I always love re-visiting it!