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Howl’s Moving Castle

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Howl’s Moving Castle

By: Diana Wynne Jones
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
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About this listen

‘One of the greatest ever writers for children’ – Garth Nix

‘A true original’ – Katherine Rundell

‘Truly magical … Guaranteed to leave you gasping’ The Bookseller

‘She is the best writer of magical fantasy for children’ Evening Standard

In the land of Ingary, where seven league boots and invisibility cloaks exist, young Sophie Hatter catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell . . .

Deciding she has nothing more to lose, Sophie makes her way to the moving castle that hovers on the hills above her town, Market Chipping. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl, whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls…

There Sophie meets Michael, Howl’s apprentice, and Calcifer the fire demon, with whom she agrees a pact. Her entanglements with Calcifer, Howl and Michael and her quest to break her curse come alive with Diana Wynne Jones’s unique combination of magic, humour and imagination.

©1986 Diana Wynne Jones (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Classics Fiction Humourous Fiction Literature & Fiction Magic Science Fiction & Fantasy Women's Voices Fantasy Magic Users Feel-Good Wizardry Witchcraft

Critic Reviews

“Imaginative and terribly funny.” (Michael Morpurgo)
All stars
Most relevant
Very different from the Studio Ghibli movie of the same title but such an enriching experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the reader has a wonderful voice.

What a wonderful story

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This book was narrated beautifully. Kristin Atherton portrayed each of the character’s voices in a way that enabled me to see the character perfectly. This story isn’t just for children but is a nice light hearted story for an adult too. I didn’t want to story to end because I’m interested in seeing where Howels story began.
Overall, definitely worth the read 😊

Fantastic

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I very much enjoyed listening to this fabulous story. The narration was excellent- lovely accents too :)

Wonderful story and narration

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A fantastic book read by a marvellous narrator. Her voices are perfectly suited to DWJ’s characters.

Wonderful narrator

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Really enjoyed this one. My first Ghibli film I watched was Howls Moving Castle, I read that the book was different enough that it was worth a read. I'm glad I did, heart warming interesting characters, funny, creative magic and just the right amount of romance. I am surprised that given the absence of magic in cinema with the completion of the Harry Potter world this hasnt been turned into a live action film a few tweaks for the screen would make it really popular. The narration was really well done alternating the character voices enough to differentiate but not over the top (some would have been tough!)

Wholesome fun magic story.

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