House of Many Ways

House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
published by Greenwillow Books, 2008
416 pages
approximate age range: 10+

Charmain Baker has led a very proper -- and very dull -- life doing only very proper things with very proper people. Well, up until now, that is. When her imposing great aunt Sempronia asks Charmain to house sit for her Great Uncle William, the royal wizard of High Norland, Charmain realized this is finally her chance to get out from under her mother's thumb and experience a bit more out of life. But Charmain, whose extracurricular activities to date have only involved reading books, has no idea how much her life will change from the moment she walks in the door of Great Uncle William's magical maze of a house, a strange place where one single doorway leads to a vast number of rooms and other places throughout High Norland. From her first day on the job Charmain immediately finds herself doing things she has never done before -- caring for a loveable, but peculiar, stray dog named Waif, attempting to do magic herself, squaring off against an evil beast called a lubbock, preventing an apprentice wizard, Peter, from making a giant mess wit another bad spell, and even -- Charmain can hardly believe it -- washing dishes and doing laundry. Charmain's life gets even more exciting when she is offered an additional position as a library assistant to the king and she is thrown into a nefarious royal intrigue involving a great deal of missing gold and a mysterious elf gift. With the help of Sophie Pendgragon, Wizard Howl, and fire demon Calcifer, who are already on the case, Charmain must discover how the secrets of Great Uncle William's house connect to the mystery at the castle before all of High Norland falls into the hands of something truly evil.

If you've read Howl's Moving Castle or watched the Miyazaki anime of the same name, then you have already met Sophie, Howl, and Calcifer and discovered what sorts of hilarious and exciting adventures they often find themselves in. Yet, even if you haven't a clue what a fire demon even is, Charmain's story works so perfectly as a standalone tale that you won't even realize you're reading a sequel. Wynne Jones really creates a world that you won't want to leave -- one that is both believable and magical, a quirky place where you will alternate from pausing in peals of laughter, to frantically turning pages to see what happens next. Teens will love spunky Charmain and appreciate House's fast pace and short, kookily-titled chapters. The anime tie-in can be a real plus for recruiting hesitant readers, especially if they are manga fans. In addition, audiobook listeners are in for a real treat as reader Jenny Sterlin is so skilled at creating different voices for each character you'll feel like you're listening to a full cast.


Read-alike suggestions:

Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

The Gates by John Connolly