Howl's Moving Castle facts for kids
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Front cover of first edition (US)
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| Author | Diana Wynne Jones |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Howl's Castle |
| Genre | Young-adult fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Greenwillow Books (US), Methuen (November 1986) |
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Publication date
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April 1986 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 212 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 0688062334 |
| OCLC | 12582402 |
| LC Class | PZ7.J684 Hp 1986 |
| Followed by | Castle in the Air |
Howl's Moving Castle is a popular fantasy novel written by British author Diana Wynne Jones. It was first published in 1986. The book was recognized with the Phoenix Award twenty years later, showing how it became famous over time.
This novel was made into a 2004 animated film with the same name. The movie was very successful and was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Howl's Moving Castle is the first book in a series called the Howl Series. The other books are Castle in the Air (1990) and House of Many Ways (2008). Diana Wynne Jones said she got the idea for the book from a boy who asked her to write a story called The Moving Castle.
Contents
What is Howl's Moving Castle about?
Sophie's magical adventure
The story begins with 18-year-old Sophie Hatter. She lives in a magical land called Ingary. In this world, old fairy tale rules are real. For example, the oldest of three sisters is often expected to have a boring future. Sophie believes this and expects to just run her family's hat shop.
But Sophie has a secret power: she can talk to objects and bring them to life! Her life changes when the powerful Witch of the Waste turns her into an old woman. Sophie leaves her home and finds work as a cleaning lady in the strange, moving castle of the famous Wizard Howl.
A deal with a fire demon
Inside the castle, Sophie meets Calcifer, a fire demon. Calcifer powers the castle and is connected to Howl by a secret agreement. Sophie makes a deal with Calcifer: if she can break his contract with Howl, Calcifer will turn her back into a young woman. The tricky part is that neither Howl nor Calcifer can tell her what the contract is! Sophie has to figure it out herself.
Sophie soon learns that Wizard Howl is a bit self-centered and changes his mind a lot. But he's also kind-hearted. He spreads rumors about himself to avoid work. The castle's door is actually a magical portal. It can open to four different places: Sophie's hometown, a city by the sea, the royal capital, and even Howl's childhood home in Wales.
Facing the Witch of the Waste
Howl's young helper, Michael Fisher, handles most of the castle's daily tasks. Howl spends his time chasing after different girls. The King of Ingary asks Howl to find his missing brother, Prince Justin, and another wizard named Suliman. The King also wants Howl to defeat the Witch of the Waste.
Howl has his own reasons to avoid the Witch. She was once his girlfriend and put a dark curse on him. He manages to avoid her until she tricks Sophie into a trap. Sophie thinks the Witch has captured Howl's current love interest, Miss Angorian. When Sophie tries to save her, she gets captured too.
Howl usually spends hours making himself look handsome. But when he comes to save Sophie, he's messy and unshaven. This shows he truly cares about her! He defeats the Witch. It turns out Miss Angorian was actually the Witch's fire demon in disguise. This demon was trying to create a "perfect human" by combining parts of Wizard Suliman and Prince Justin. It wanted to add Howl's head to finish its creation.
Breaking the curse
Back at the castle, Miss Angorian tries to take Howl's heart. Howl had given his heart to Calcifer long ago. This was their contract: the heart kept Calcifer alive, and Calcifer gave Howl his magic. Sophie uses her special power to bring things to life. She frees Calcifer, which breaks the contract between him and Howl.
With his heart back, Howl destroys the Witch's fire demon, freeing Suliman and Justin. Calcifer keeps his promise and breaks the spell on Sophie, turning her back to her true age. Howl admits he knew Sophie was under a spell. He had tried to break it but thought she just liked being disguised!
Calcifer decides to stay with Howl because he likes it there. Sophie and Howl realize they love each other and decide to live happily ever after.
Where does the story take place?
Ingary, a magical kingdom
Most of the story happens in a made-up country called Ingary. Its capital city is Kingsbury. A wild, dangerous area called "The Waste" is in the southeastern part of Ingary. Other countries like Strangia and Rashpuht border Ingary. The King of Ingary worries that Ingary might soon be attacked by its neighbors.
Howl's castle moves around the hills near Market Chipping. Howl also has a hidden house in a seaside town called Porthaven. He even has a secret stable in Kingsbury. One part of the story takes place in Wales, which is Howl's home country. After the castle moves, it sits near The Waste. Howl's house then moves to Sophie's childhood home in Market Chipping. They also use a big, old mansion in Vale End.
Howl's amazing moving castle
Howl's castle is a tall, black building with four thin black towers. It looks like it's made of coal blocks, which is perfect for a fire demon! The castle is held together by magic. It seems to have four doors on the outside, but three are blocked by an invisible wall.
The inside of the castle is actually Howl's house. A special wooden knob above the door lets you choose where the door opens. At first, it could open to:
- The moving castle in the hills (green)
- Porthaven (blue)
- Kingsbury (red)
- Wales (black)
Later, Howl changes the door's destinations to:
- Market Chipping (yellow)
- Vale End (orange)
- A garden in The Waste (purple)
- Wales (black)
The windows inside the castle also show different views depending on where the door is set.
Who are the main characters?
Sophie Hatter
Sophie Hatter is 18 years old and has red hair. She thinks she's not very pretty, but she becomes more confident and lovely as the story goes on. As the oldest sister, she feels stuck running her family's hat shop. When the Witch of the Waste turns her into an old woman, Sophie leaves to find a way to break the curse. She hopes Wizard Howl can help her. As she spends time with Howl, she starts to fall in love with him, even though she tries to deny it.
Sophie starts out shy, but becoming an old woman makes her brave and strong-minded. She is kind and thoughtful, but sometimes acts without thinking. Sophie has a secret magical gift: she can bring objects to life just by talking to them! She doesn't even know she has this power at first.
Wizard Howl
Wizard Howl is a mysterious wizard, 27 years old, with a scary reputation. He has many names, like Howell Jenkins in Wales and Howl Pendragon in Kingsbury. When he was young, he gave his heart to Calcifer to save the fire demon's life. This made him a bit less human. Howl is known for being "wicked," but he's actually a charming and smart person. He can be a bit vain, dishonest, and careless.
Howl is very powerful, but he often tries to avoid work and difficult situations. He's also a bit of a coward, but he will fight when he needs to. His connection with Calcifer makes his magic even stronger. Howl is tall and smooth, loves to dye his hair, and wears fancy suits. He spends at least two hours getting ready every morning! He's not naturally handsome, but he has a lot of charm.
Calcifer
Calcifer is Howl's fire demon. He made a deal with Howl years ago to heat and power the castle. Calcifer is stuck in the hearth but has a lot of magic. He promises to break Sophie's curse if she can break his contract with Howl. Howl says Calcifer is his "weakest point."
Calcifer can be as cowardly as Howl, but he will also fight when needed. He's often grumpy because he's been stuck in the hearth for over five years. He's afraid of water and worries about running out of wood. Sophie seems to be the only one who can make him do things he doesn't want to do. Calcifer is very smart and often gives hints about Howl's secrets. He was the first to realize Sophie's special magic.
Calcifer looks like a thin blue face with a blue nose. He has curly green flames for hair and eyebrows, a purple flaming mouth, and sharp teeth. His eyes are orange flames with purple centers.
The Witch of the Waste
The Witch of the Waste is one of the most powerful magicians in Ingary. She was sent away to a place called The Waste 50 years before the story begins because she caused a lot of trouble. She had a short relationship with Howl, who then left her. Angry, the Witch cursed Howl. She also turns Sophie into an old woman at the start of the story. The Witch wants to create a "perfect man" by combining parts of Wizard Suliman and Prince Justin. She plans to add Howl's head to this creation and make him King of Ingary, with herself as Queen. Howl eventually defeats her.
Other important characters
- Michael Fisher is Howl's 15-year-old helper. He became Howl's apprentice after his parents died. He tries to manage Howl's money and often buys pies from a bakery where he met Martha Hatter. He is a kind and patient boy.
- Lettie Hatter is Sophie's 17-year-old sister. She is considered the most beautiful of the three sisters. She wants to learn magic and secretly switches places with Martha. Lettie is strong-minded and cares for a stray dog who is actually Wizard Suliman under a spell.
- Martha Hatter is Sophie's youngest sister, thought to be the smartest. She is slender with grey eyes. She wants to get married and have many children. She loves Michael Fisher. Martha also switches places with Lettie using a magic spell.
- Fanny Hatter is Sophie's stepmother. She is kind to all the girls. After her husband dies, she takes over the hat shop. She later marries a wealthy man and sells the hat shop to Howl.
- The King of Ingary asks Howl to help him. His brother, Prince Justin, and his Royal Wizard, Suliman, have gone missing. He wants Howl to find them and get rid of the Witch of the Waste.
- Prince Justin is the King's younger brother. He disappears while looking for Wizard Suliman. He is a skilled general, and the King needs him back because of threats of war.
- Mrs Penstemmon is a talented old witch who taught Howl and other wizards. She is proud of Howl but worries he might become like the Witch of the Waste. She tries to help Sophie break her curse but cannot. The Witch of the Waste kills her when she refuses to reveal Howl's location.
- Wizard Suliman is the King's Royal Wizard. He is also from Wales, like Howl. He was sent to deal with the Witch of the Waste but was captured. He projects most of his magic onto a scarecrow. The Witch takes him apart and later turns him into a dog.
- Mrs Annabel Fairfax is a witch and a former student of Mrs Penstemmon. She is a friendly, plump lady who uses homemade honey in her spells. She quickly figures out that Martha and Lettie switched places.
- Lily Angorian is an attractive schoolteacher from Wales. She claims to be Benjamin Sullivan's fiancée. Sophie believes Howl is in love with her. However, she is actually the Witch of the Waste's Fire Demon in disguise. She is killed when the Witch's heart is destroyed.
- Percival is the Witch's footman at first, made from parts of Suliman and Justin. The Witch later curses him to be a dog. He can briefly turn into a nervous, red-headed man.
Film version
The novel was made into a 2004 animated film. It was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and made by Studio Ghibli. The movie was very popular, broke box office records in Japan, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Awards and recognition
In 1986, Howl's Moving Castle was a runner-up for the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award in Fiction. It was also named one of the ALA Notable Books for Children that year.
In 2006, Diana Wynne Jones and Howl's Moving Castle won the Phoenix Award from the Children's Literature Association. This award celebrates the best children's book published 20 years earlier that didn't win a major award at the time. Like the mythical phoenix bird that rises from ashes, the award recognizes books that become famous later on.
See also
In Spanish: El castillo ambulante para niños
