House of Many Ways

Title: House of Many Ways
Author: Diana Wynne Jones

What it's about: Charmain Baker is house-sitting for her Great-Uncle William. She expects it to be easy. You know, just sit around and read all day, make sure the mail gets collected, that sort of thing. However, Great-Uncle William is a wizard, and his house is a magical one with doors that lead to all sorts of places. And then there's Peter, the apprentice that shows up, not knowing that Charmain's uncle isn't around, and the part-time job Charmain has at the palace library, and then, of course, there's the lubbock. Charmain soon ends up with a lot more than she bargained for.

What I thought: This is another sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, and just as with the other books in this series, I was left feeling like things were settled slightly too quickly and too patly. I did quite like Charmain. She had a neat set of flaws and good qualities. A bit of a lazy bookworm. The appearances of Sophie and Howl were nice, and I liked the continuity when references to Castle in the Air were made. House of Many Ways is definitely imaginative, and there were some genuinely funny bits in it.

Overall: It's a very solid book, even though it has its flaws.