Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

The fantasy tale, Howl’s Moving Castle, written by Diana Wynne Jones, may be familiar to some from the Academy Award-nominated motion picture, brought to life by a director and animator, Hayao Miyazaki. The story revolves around the strange occurrences which Sophie encounters in a world where magic and wizards exist. From early in her childhood, Sophie was destined to great misfortunes, being the eldest of three daughters. She encounters a major misfortune ㅡ falling into a conflict with the Witch of the Waste, who bewitched Sophie and transformed her into an old lady. This leads to Sophie’s decision to leave everything behind to seek her fortune. As she walks long distances away from her hometown, she comes across the moving castle of Wizard Howl, who was rumored to eat the hearts of young women… Despite her hatred towards him, Sophie enters the castle, where she meets Michael, an orphan boy who is an apprentice to Howl, and Calcifer, the fire demon, with who Sophie agrees to make a secret bargain.

One of the tale’s highlights would be the hilarious interactions among the characters that can be seen throughout the entire novel. Jones illustrates her characters to be rich in individuality and unique, which she utilizes to create comical character dynamics.

Along with these comical scenes, this tale provides you with a bunch of surprises, which spice up your reading time. In this tale, Jones delivers aspects of adventure, humor, fantasy, and romance ㅡ all in one. It is a tale full of liveliness. Would recommend it to readers of any age, especially to those who have watched the Ghibli adaptation movie of Howl’s Moving Castle!