Diana Wynne Jones is the mastermind of fantasy fiction for ages 9-14. She is most famous for her collection of children and young adult series, most notably The Land of Ingary. The series, also known as the Howl or Moving Castle series, consists of three titles: Howl’s Moving Castle (1986), Castle in the Air (1990), and House of Many Ways (2008). The first book in the series has even been loosely adapted into a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film by Studio Ghibli of the same name, which was critically acclaimed and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Check out the books that inspired the animation in this magical three-book collection.
About the Author:
Diana Wynne Jones was a British novelist who wrote fantasy and speculative fiction for children and young adults. Her work often explores themes of time travel or parallel universes. She is also the author of the bestselling Chrestomanci Series, which follows Gwendolen Chant, a gifted witch with astonishing powers, and her brother on magical adventures across a series of twelve worlds.
Her work has been nominated for several awards, including being a twice finalist for the Hugo Award and being nominated fourteen times for the Locus Award, among many others.
From the Publisher:
Howl's Moving Castle
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 and beautiful girls. There Sophie meets Michael, Howl’s apprentice, and Calcifer, a powerful fire demon, with whom she agrees on 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, humor, and imagination.
Castle in the Air
Far to the south, in the Land of Ingary, lives a young carpet merchant called Abdullah. In his dreams, he is the long-lost son of a great prince. This dream is a complete castle in the air. Or is it? Abdullah’s daydreams suddenly start to come true when he meets the exquisite Flower-in-the-Night, the daughter of the ferocious Sultan of Zanzib. Fate has destined them for each other, but a bad-tempered genie, a hideous djinn, and various villainous bandits have their own ideas. When Flower-in-the-Night is carried off, Abdullah is determined to rescue her – if he can find her.
House of Many Ways
A chaotically magical sequel to Howl's Moving Castle. Charmain Baker is in over her head. Looking after Great Uncle William's tiny cottage while he's ill should have been easy, but Great Uncle William is better known as the Royal Wizard Norland, and his house bends space and time. Its single door leads to any number of places - the bedrooms, the kitchen, the caves under the mountains, and the past, to name but a few. With a few familiar characters from Howl’s Moving Castle, fans of the series are in for another whimsical and enchanting adventure.