by Dianna Wynne Jones
This is the second book in the Howl's Moving Castle "series." I put the word in quotes because you don't need any one book to understand the others. I thought they were both fun reads. They both focus on a mythical place similar to Arabia where magic is commonplace. A young man named Abdullah gets a flying carpet and while using it finds a beautiful princess. He falls instantly in love with her, but there are complications. She is engaged to someone else. On top of that Abdullah does not really know how to operate the carpet, it seems to move only when he is asleep or does not want to move. When Abdullah goes back and sees his true love kidnapped by an evil djin, he rushes to save her. The problem is he has no idea where she's been taken. This adventure follows Abdullah as he makes some unlikely friends and has a hilarious adventure through an unfamiliar country called Ingary. All of our friends from Howl's Moving Castle come back and spend time with us, but not until the very end. The style of the dialogue and the story are all very rooted in the Arabian side of story and myth
Audience
The book says ages 9-12 but I would go closer to 12+. There's nothing bad, it just seemed like a lot of setting change and jumping around that was loosely connected. I have some 9 year olds that might enjoy it, but overall this book is complex enough that I would leave it to teens
What I Loved About This Book
Dianna Wynne Jones is incredible. I love her work, her wit, and her world building. This book is no exception. The characters and there rules are well fleshed out. I was laughing at the tongue in cheek way Abdullah narrates the story. The characters are still outrageous and heartwarming. The kind of outrageous that makes you think of someone you know.
Cautions
The whole style and feel of the book is very different from Howl's Moving Castle. If you're reading to find out more about Howl and Sophie, you will be disappointed. Even though they appear at the very end, this is not their story. I think I liked it a little less because I was expecting it to be a book like the first one and it's not.
This is the second book in the Howl's Moving Castle "series." I put the word in quotes because you don't need any one book to understand the others. I thought they were both fun reads. They both focus on a mythical place similar to Arabia where magic is commonplace. A young man named Abdullah gets a flying carpet and while using it finds a beautiful princess. He falls instantly in love with her, but there are complications. She is engaged to someone else. On top of that Abdullah does not really know how to operate the carpet, it seems to move only when he is asleep or does not want to move. When Abdullah goes back and sees his true love kidnapped by an evil djin, he rushes to save her. The problem is he has no idea where she's been taken. This adventure follows Abdullah as he makes some unlikely friends and has a hilarious adventure through an unfamiliar country called Ingary. All of our friends from Howl's Moving Castle come back and spend time with us, but not until the very end. The style of the dialogue and the story are all very rooted in the Arabian side of story and myth
Audience
The book says ages 9-12 but I would go closer to 12+. There's nothing bad, it just seemed like a lot of setting change and jumping around that was loosely connected. I have some 9 year olds that might enjoy it, but overall this book is complex enough that I would leave it to teens
What I Loved About This Book
Dianna Wynne Jones is incredible. I love her work, her wit, and her world building. This book is no exception. The characters and there rules are well fleshed out. I was laughing at the tongue in cheek way Abdullah narrates the story. The characters are still outrageous and heartwarming. The kind of outrageous that makes you think of someone you know.
Cautions
The whole style and feel of the book is very different from Howl's Moving Castle. If you're reading to find out more about Howl and Sophie, you will be disappointed. Even though they appear at the very end, this is not their story. I think I liked it a little less because I was expecting it to be a book like the first one and it's not.
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