Howl’s Moving Castle

This is the kind of story that starts out bizarre and increasingly makes sense as it goes along.

It starts out like an ordinary fairytale, and has many typical fairy and folk tale elements (seven-league boots, magic, wizards, witches, kings, etc).

Yet, there is a self awareness in the story and in the main character from the beginning. The character knows her life is a story, and she has read many stories and seen that nothing special ever happens to the oldest child.

As she is an oldest child, she makes peace early on that she won’t have adventures… yet this sets her up as the perfect candidate to have an adventure happen to her.

The Inciting Incident

Ordinary Sophie is making hats for her widowed stepmother, slaving away without pay and planning to leave because she is being taken advantage of, when in pops a witch, who curses her. This pushes Sophie to take the leap and set out to seek her fortune, and hopefully lift the curse.

Under her curse, Sophie is disguised as an old woman. She finds satisfaction and freedom in this form, as she can act more bossy than usual and speak her mind. She ends up at the infamous Wizard Howl’s castle (which moves by magic, giving the book its name). There, she befriends the others in the castle and begins living her best life by cleaning the living daylights out of the filthy, magical place.

The Humor

I loved the humor in this story! From the witty narrator to Sophie’s crotchety behavior contrasting with Wizard Howl’s immature impulsivity, there’s a lot to enjoy.

Sophie’s cleverness and perspective also bring some laughs.

The Self-Discovery

One of my favorite things about this story was how much the protagonist learns about herself.

For instance, as an older woman, she gives herself permission to be stubborn and bossy. She discovers along the way that she enjoys acting that way, instead of merely letting others tell her what to do. She finds she doesn’t want to toe the line. In her own way, she rebels.

As she discovers more about herself, she also discovers she has magic. She always talked to inanimate objects, but eventually she realizes/ is told that her compulsive talking habit actually casts spells.

The Ending

There are many disparate bits of information thrown into the story: a previous wizard who disappeared, a King, and an enchanted scarecrow that follows Sophie and won’t leave her alone.

Everything comes together in a neat and tidy explanation at the end. All the disparate pieces have a purpose. As a writer, I admire the author’s ability to do this.

Interested in other Middle Grade Fantasy or hearing more about this book? I share some thoughts on my Youtube channel as well:

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Also, from December 25th-29th, 2021 My ebook The Land in the Woods, a children’s middle grade fantasy adventure story, is free on Amazon! Check it out!

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