My first introduction to Howl’s Moving Castle came through Studio Ghibli’s amazing movie adaptation, which was also the first Ghibli movie I ever got to see in theaters. I’m pretty sure Ghibli’s Howl was my first tween crush.

I didn’t even know the movie was based on a book until the following summer, when I was choosing a free book as a reward for completing the yearly summer reading program at the library. (They also let you enter a drawing to win cooler, more expensive stuff, but let’s be real. I was only in it every summer for the free book.) One of the books in the box was Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. When I realized that it was the book the Ghibli movie was based on, that was the end of the story. I took it home and devoured it. And it’s been a favorite comfort book ever since.

The Eldest Child Always Gets Shafted

As the eldest of three sisters, Sophie Hatter is destined for a boring life. At least, she is doomed to fail if she sets out to seek her fortune, according to custom in the land of Ingary. So when the girls’ father dies unexpectedly, Sophie stays with her stepmother to help with the boring business of running the family hat shop while her two younger sisters Lettie and Martha set off for more exciting apprenticeships elsewhere. 

Sophie quickly falls into a routine of trimming hats, which she does well but finds a little boring. This is to be expected, since, after all, Sophie is the eldest of three. But when a mysterious customer enters the hat shop and is displeased with Sophie’s sass service, Sophie finds herself transformed into an old woman—by the customer, who turns out to be none other than the feared Witch of the Waste. 

Now Sophie, compelled to seek her fortune by the sudden onset of wrinkles and rheumatism, leaves her apprenticeship and finds refuge in the wicked Wizard Howl’s moving castle. There, she strikes up a bargain with Howl’s fire demon Calcifer. If Sophie can figure out the terms of Calcifer’s contract binding him to Howl and break said contract, Calcifer will break the curse that keeps her an old woman. Sophie sets up shop in the castle as Howl’s “cleaning lady,” determined to discover all of Howl’s wicked secrets (like where he keeps all the girls’ hearts he’s supposed to have eaten). 

Let’s Have Green Slime!

The book Howl’s Moving Castle and the movie Howl’s Moving Castle are two completely different things, although they are both excellent. Today, I’m just going to talk about the book. Maybe I’ll get to the movie another day.

I remember that as a ten-year-old, the idea of being turned into an old woman at the tender age of 18 was absolutely horrifying. But one of the best things about Howl’s Moving Castle is Old Sophie. The irony (which I’m sure is intentional) is that once Sophie is old, many of the restraints keeping her at the hat shop no longer matter to her, and she becomes more vivacious and full of life than she was as an insipid, fearful young girl. Despite still being the eldest of three, Sophie now has no qualms about setting off in search of her fortune (in this case, a way to break her spell). She is unafraid of Howl’s castle when she encounters it on the moors, and barges right in, making her bargain with Calcifer and then bullying him into cooking her breakfast. Sophie is sure that if Howl’s fire demon is this easy to manipulate, then Howl himself should be easy to steamroller into revealing the details of the contract.

Howl, however, is an incorrigible slitherer-outer, and manages to evade all of Sophie’s questions about Calcifer and everything else, even avoiding giving her a straight answer as to whether or not she can stay at the castle. He is more preoccupied with making sure his hair looks perfectly blond (to the point of filling the castle with green slime when the spell goes slightly wrong) and wooing his crush of the week. He is also hard at work slithering out of agreeing to the King’s request for him to take down the Witch of the Waste.

Howl and Sophie and their hilariously explosive clashes are the best part of Howl’s Moving Castle, but the story overall is so whimsical and well-crafted that even if they were less enjoyable to read about, I’d still love it. There are many small details mentioned in passing that then come back to play a larger part in the story. There’s also a small bit of interdimensional travel, which is something I’m not usually a fan of, but Jones usually has some element of that in her stories and I enjoy it a lot in this one.

It’s hard, even after rereading Howl’s Moving Castle for the zillionth time, to find any flaws in it, but one thing I do wish Jones had done more of was include more detailed scenes with Sophie’s family. Part of the story’s focus is Sophie avoiding her family because she doesn’t want them to see her as an old woman, but as a result, everything we know about Lettie and Martha is secondhand from something Howl or Michael or someone else who has recently interacted with them has said. It feels really weird. But then we probably wouldn’t get to see as much of Sophie and Howl, so it’s an omission I’m willing to live with.

Who to Read With

Howl’s Moving Castle is probably more YA given that its protagonist is eighteen, but I enjoyed it at age ten and would probably even be comfortable reading it with younger kids, although younger kids might not understand it very well. It’s one of those fun, rollicking stories that can be enjoyed by all ages. There’s nothing sexual (not even kissing, though there are romantic subplots), violence is limited to lots of nebulous magical spellcasting, and no swears, although Howl does get quite drunk at one point. The Witch of the Waste does use her magic to take people apart, but it’s not graphic and is, as far as I can tell, akin to pulling the head off of a LEGO guy.

Listen Together

For my most recent read-through, I got to experience the story in yet another way by listening to the audiobook. Sometimes I like to listen to audiobook versions of books I already love because it lets me experience the story in a new way, and I wholly enjoyed listening to Howl’s Moving Castle. It would make another fun listen for a family road trip, or, more likely in these COVID times, a fun listen while you build a blanket fort in your living room with your kids for the millionth time.

You can pick up a copy of Howl’s Moving Castle on Amazon or on Bookshop.com (which we recommend because every purchase supports local bookstores). The audiobook is also available through Audible, and if you aren’t already a member you can get it free if you sign up for a free trial of Audible Plus Premium. Free stuff is always welcome.

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Have you read Howl’s Moving Castle? Did you break out in green slime while reading, or did you lose control of your smiling muscles? Tell us about it in the comments below.

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